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! :)
Really enjoyed this as written. Added the spinach and sundried tomatoes. Will be making this again, thank you!
I was looking for a way to use up some homemade pesto. I have cooked this twice in the last week. My friend who came to dinner wanted to drink the sauce. It reheats wonderfully and is lovely cold.
It was amazing! It made me realize that i can cook
Hi Beth. I am not a sophisticated cook and have been following your recipes for years without issue, but I really struggled with this one. First, the chicken just would not brown. With the butter and the juice run off, it cooked through and then just kind of steamed in the liquid. Then the pasta absorbed all of the broth in the first 2 minutes and started to burn to the bottom of the skillet. I added another 1/2 cup of broth and found the same issue 2 minutes later. I used my inherited copper bottom skillet, as you advised using quality cookware.
We still ate it and it was still delicious! I just struggled and normally don’t have any issues with your recipes.
Hi Colleen, If the chicken doesn’t brown and it’s sitting in too much water, you might just need to increase the heat a bit so that liquid evaporates as soon as it’s expelled. Since every stovetop and cookware combo cooks a little differently, sometimes you’ll need to adjust according to what you’re seeing in the pan. I’m stumped with the broth being absorbed in the first two minutes, though. I’ve never seen liquid be absorbed so quickly. So without being there to see the process and what’s going on I, unfortunately, don’t have any recommendations for that part! One pot pastas can be a bit like riding a bike, though. You have to feel them out and roll with the process, and making adjustments as you go. But once you get the hang of it, they’re super easy. :) I hope it works better for you next time!
Would Mascapone cheese work with this instead of cream cheese?
Yes, that would probably work well.
Omg so I made this tonight with Mascapone, and was absolutely delicious 😋 thank you so so much!! Winner!!!!!!
Awesome!! Thanks for reporting back on how that worked. :)
Excellent dish! I used both spinach and the sun dried tomatoes from our garden and it was fantastic!
Hey Beth! Wondering if subbing frozen chopped spinach for fresh will be ok here? A little worried about the water that’ll come out
Yes, but I would definitely thaw it and squeeze out the extra water first. And just keep in mind that the texture and appearance will be very different from using fresh. :)
Used whole wheat pasta so just used the box cook time as an indicator for how long in step 4. Didn’t have parm but some mozzarella was just as yum!
Absolutely delicious, quick and easy. I added the sundried tomatoes. Next time will add the spinach too. All measurements were perfect. Will definitely make this on a regular basis.
this was delicious. i used fresh tomato instead of sundried and it was great. It was quick and easy.
Is also great cold as a pasta salad!
Great recipe it made my pesto pasta dish more tasty.
This was such an easy one-pot recipe. Definitely a favourite. If you can used homemade chicken stock it will be worth your while.
This recipe is easy to make and easy to clean. A stable dish when I’m in a jam.
Thank you for a great quick recipe that the whole family enjoyed.
Can I substitute nonfat yogurt for cream cheese? I’m on a low-cholesterol diet and I’m hoping this will work.
That will definitely change both the flavor and texture, but without testing first, it’s hard to say how different it will be.
I used a fat free cream cheese and it had less than 5mg of cholesterol per 2 Tbsp (normal cream cheese has about 30mg per 2 Tbsp). I have made this recipe many times and today was the first time I used fat free cream cheese and it turned out just as great as before. Hope this helps.