This One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta was inspired by those little packets of powdered pasta sauce mix I always see in the grocery store. While those little packets are probably great for camping, stocking a bomb shelter, or keeping in your emergency hurricane supplies, I think regular weeknights call for something better. Better but not harder. This Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta comes together in about 25 minutes, is super luscious and creamy, and uses just a few simple ingredients. ;)
Chicken, Spinach, and Tomatoes Optional
This recipe idea started as just pasta and sauce. Because sometimes that’s all you need to be satisfied. But I like to rummage through my pantry, fridge, and freezer to find leftover ingredients that can be added to whatever I’m cooking. So I ended up with this creamy pesto chicken pasta, with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. But I ate it as just pasta and sauce during testing and it still made me do the happy chair wiggle.
What Type of Pasta Should I Use?
I used penne pasta, but bowties or rotini would also work well. Because this pasta to broth ratio is very important in one pot pastas I can’t vouch for alternative pastas like gluten-free, rice, chickpea, or even whole wheat pasta. They absorb broth differently than semolina pasta and may not work the same in this recipe.
Tips for Success with “one pot” Pastas
One pot pastas can be tricky for some because the pasta is cooked in a much smaller amount of liquid than traditional pasta cooking methods. Here are a few tips to make sure your one pot pasta cooks evenly and to the right texture:
- Make sure you’re using quality cookware. Use cookware that is thick, heavy, and transfers heat evenly. Thin cookware will leave some pasta overcooked and some pasta undercooked.
- Use a burner that is close in size to your cookware. This will help the pot heat evenly and cook the pasta evenly.
- Make sure the broth maintains a strong simmer throughout the cooking time. If it’s not simmering, the pasta will become mushy.
- Stir every few minutes to prevent sticking and make sure the pasta cooks evenly.
- Keep the pot covered to trap steam, which will help cook the pasta.
Love one pot chicken pasta recipes? Check out my One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta or One Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta!
One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast ($5.56)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb. penne pasta ($0.40)
- 1.5 cups chicken broth ($0.20)
- 1 cup milk ($0.32)
- 3 oz. cream cheese* ($0.29)
- 1/3 cup basil pesto ($0.73)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.44)
- freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
Optional Add-Ins
- 3 cup fresh spinach ($0.90)
- 1/4 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes ($1.10)
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breast into 1-inch pieces. Add the butter to a deep skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook over medium heat until the chicken is slightly browned on the outside.
- While the chicken is cooking, mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the skillet with the chicken and continue to sauté for one minute more.
- Add the uncooked pasta and chicken broth to the skillet with the chicken and garlic. Stir to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the broth up to a boil.
- Once the broth comes to a full boil, give the pasta a quick stir, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let the pasta simmer over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed. Stir the pasta briefly every two minutes as it simmers, replacing the lid quickly each time.
- Once the pasta is tender and most of the broth absorbed, add the milk, cream cheese (cut into chunks), and pesto. Stir and cook over medium heat until the cream cheese has fully melted into the sauce. Finally, add the grated Parmesan and stir until combined.
- If using, add the fresh spinach and sliced sun dried tomatoes. Stir until the spinach has wilted, then remove the pasta from the heat. Top the pasta with freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Video
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
Love one pot pasta? Check out my One Pot Meals category for more!
How to Make Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Cut one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1-inch pieces. Add 2 Tbsp butter to a deep skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and sauté until the chicken is slightly browned on the outside. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté for one minute more. (I’m using an OXO 4-quart covered skillet)
Add 1/2 lb. uncooked penne pasta and 1.5 cups of chicken broth to the skillet. Stir briefly to dissolve any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a full boil.
Once the broth comes to a full boil, give the pasta a brief stir, replace the lid, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it continue to simmer for about 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the broth absorbed. Stir the pasta every two minutes or so as it simmers, replacing the lid each time.
Add 3 oz. cream cheese (cut into chunks), 1/3 cup pesto, and 1 cup milk to the skillet. Stir and cook the mixture over medium until the cream cheese has fully melted and the sauce is creamy.
Once the cream cheese has fully melted in, add 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and stir to combine.
If you’re adding spinach and sun dried tomatoes, like I did, add them once the sauce is finished and stir just until the spinach has wilted, then remove the skillet from the heat.
Whether you are using spinach and sun dried tomatoes or not, finish the creamy pesto chicken pasta off with some freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. The little pops of flavor that these two bring to the dish really take it to the next level!
Dive in! :)
This was AMAZING, but I wouldn’t even add the chicken next time! You don’t need it because the dish is full of flavor on it’s own and filled me up. If you do use the chicken, I suggest seasoning it so that it doesn’t get lost in the rest of the ingredients.
Beth,
I’ve done a similar recipe in the past but love the one pot plan. Do you think I can use no fat Greek yogurt in place of the cream cheese? I would like to cut out some fat.
We haven’t tested it that way yet Terry, but you can certainly try. It may give it a bit more tang.
What does replace the lid mean?
Simply put it back onto the pot for the remainder of the cooking time.
This was delicious! This was the first recipe that I tried from budget bytes and I loved it, it has inspired me to try more. I followed the recipe exactly except the tomatoes. I think it tastes even better the next day when the sauce has thickened up a little. I like to sprinkle a little extra Parmesan on top of my individual serving.
Absolutely fantastic! I added a little bit more of everything mentioned in the recipe plus cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and sprinkled mozzarella cheese…mmmhmm.
That sounds awesome!
Is this with shredded cheese you’d find in the cheese aisle or the one in the container? Either way I’m excited to try this!
I’d use the grated parmesan in the containers it’s better :)
So thankful for your recipe! In the middle of Covid19 lockdown and i had one chicken breast, 1/2 a box of penne, 2 TBS of cream cheese and pesto each, plus a bounty of frozen spinaci! So happy you helped me put it all together to feed the gang. Happy weekend! jen
Do you think this would come out good with vegan cream cheese?
My husband loved this dish! So easy to make and minimal cleanup. Will make again.
ugh this is one of my favorites now
Budget bytes pulling through as always! You’re the best Beth!
Well, I did a really weird thing.. I didn’t have any pesto, and given the whole “social distancing” thing (thanks, COVID-19), I wasn’t inclined to brave the grocery store. I did have some chimichurri leftover & frozen, so I tossed that in instead, and HOLY COW this is delicious! Thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try it with pesto!
So good! I’m trying new recipes every week and it’s very simple. I added a little more cheese and pesto than it called for to suit our taste, but I’m definitely putting this in our dinner rotation :)
Wow – simple and delicious!! Prepared as written but I did end up adding more pesto (because it’s just that good)!! With ingredients on hand, this comes together quickly in one pot (BONUS)!! My entire family enjoyed this and I will definitely make this often.
Super easy and turned out really well! My friend and I are learning how to cook a new thing each week for a project and this was the best thing we’ve made so far :)
I used 1 tablespoon of butter in the first step, 2 oz cream cheese, and Aldi protein pasta. One serving turned out to be 580 calories (48 g protein) and is amazing!!