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. ;)
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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 ($6.25)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.28)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb. penne pasta ($0.67)
- 1.5 cups chicken broth ($0.20)
- 1 cup milk ($0.19)
- 3 oz. cream cheese* ($0.80)
- 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.
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Notes
Nutrition
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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! :)
Looks great, going to be trying this Sunday with some homemade pesto. Could you tell me though, how big is a serving size?
Thanks
How do you think this dish would go in the freezer if I made a big batch?
You can freeze it, but just know the pasta may get a little chewy.
Another great recipe! Thank you.
This is going to be a regular recipe for me from now. It was so easy and the sauce was perfectly rich and creamy.
This was so good! Everybody love it! Thanks, Beth
This recipe is amazing! The tang of the tomato is a great contrast to the creamy pasta, and I highly recommend everyone include it. My only complaint is the recipe title. Creamy chicken pesto pasta rolls off the tongue almost as well as it pleases it!
We had this tonight. I doubled it, so we’d have leftovers, and it was a big hit! We’re vegetarian, so I subbed Morningstar Farms “chicken” meal starter strips and cooked them separately. (Veggie meat-style products tend to absorb extra liquid, and I didn’t want them stealing water from the pasta) Also used a fake “chicken” broth instead of the real (obviously.) Other than that, I followed the recipe, and times and flavor were spot-on! I added about two big crowns worth of steamed broccoli florets and about 1/3 of a head of cauliflower all chunked up, also steamed, and about a cup of frozen peas. Everyone loved it! This is definitely going into regular rotation. Thanks so much for the great recipe! Keep them coming!
Really yum recipe that the whole family enjoyed. Fed 4 adults and two children perfectly! I would suggest cooking the chicken in batches so that it browns and doesn’t stew.
Would I be able to use fresh linguini that I made and froze with this recipe ?
Also, do u think I can use ricotta instead of cream cheese or split the two (I’m trying to. Get ride of my ricotta before it goes bad #nowaist)
Thanks so much !
I think fresh would be delicious! And the ricotta could be great too. You may want to blend it first to give it that creamy texture.
going to try this tonight with ricotta ( and maybe some fresh tomato) – thanks for some much needed dinner inspiration!
This was delicious! I had to sub a mix of ricotta & sour cream (approx 3 tbsp each) for the cream cheese but otherwise followed the recipe exactly with the added spinach. Thank you for sharing! This was a quick & easy to prepare one-pot dinner. We will definitely have this again!
Just made this one pot pasta and it’s absolutely delicious! I also added 2 tablespoons of full cream and it was amazing! Thank you so much!
I made this tonight, minus the spinach and sundried tomatoes. It was a hit! My men ate every bit. And it was so easy, my gosh! I have also made cajun chicken pasta, same idea. Both recipes are gold. I buy a block of cream cheese and use half on the cajun, and half on the pesto a couple of weeks later. Thank you, Budget Bytes!
This was so good!! I had foraged for some wild leeks/ramps out in the yard recently and made a pesto from it. It was delicious, but, also extremely pungent :) Too strong to eat it full strength. This was the perfect recipe to make with it, since it’s diluted with the milk and cheese. I did sub out roasted garlic chicken sausage for the chicken, because #covid pantry life. Thank you for making such accessible and delicious recipes.
Hello! Would this recipe freeze well? Thank you :)
Hi Hannah! It should be okay but the pasta may get a little soggy.
We had this last night. It was delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, but I do like the thought of adding some cherry tomatoes. My 4 year old, husband, and I devoured it. I wish I had made a double recipe so we could have leftovers.