This Creamy Chicken Pasta is a simple dinner of delicious homemade comfort food. Even better, this chicken pesto pasta makes delicious leftovers, and that makes you a meal prep legend.
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Just a few bites of this creamy chicken pesto pasta and the whole family will beg you to make this cozy pasta dish over and over again.
And “technically” this is not a one-pan dinner because I do recommend boiling the pasta separately. But it’s one-pan(ish) and worth the extra dish to wash.
Ingredients
This recipe has:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts (I order from Butcher Box)
- Noodles – I used farfalle, but rotini or penne would also work well.
- Italian seasoning* – store-bought works great here. Yeah, it’s definitely not authentic, but it’s readily available and works great in this recipe.
- Garlic powder
- Unsalted butter
- Olive oil
- Grape tomatoes
- Fresh garlic
- Shallot – I love them but if you don’t have any on hand, use finely diced white or yellow onions.
- A pinch of flour – gluten-free is ok!
- Chicken stock
- Heavy cream
- Pesto
- Shredded Parmesan
- Baby spinach
*If you need or want to make your own Italian seasoning, you’ll find those measurements in the notes section of the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Pasta
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Start by cutting the tomatoes in half, lengthwise. A serrated bread or cheese knife makes the cleanest cuts for slicing the small delicate tomatoes without squishing them.
Next up, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and evenly season both sides with kosher salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Pro tip: if your chicken breasts are thick, butterfly them so that they’ll cook more quickly.
In a large deep skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat.
Add the seasoned chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side and then carefully flip to cook the other side (~3-5 minutes).
Once you have flipped the chicken, add the grape tomatoes to the skillet, cut side down (if possible). Cook chicken and tomatoes until the chicken is fully cooked through (165˚F). Transfer the chicken and tomatoes to a plate.
Next up by bringing a saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta to al dente. Drain all but ¼ cup of water from the pasta. Transfer the noodles back to the saucepan with 1/4 cup of pasta water.
While the pasta is cooking, you’re going to start making the sauce, because you’re efficient and awesome. In the same skillet you used for the chicken, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat.
Add garlic and the shallots. Stir until the garlic and shallots are starting to soften, and a few of the pieces are starting to brown. ~2-3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the top of the garlic, and whisk to combine. Cook for 2 minutes.
Slowly whisk in chicken stock, heavy cream, and pesto, whisking constantly to incorporate. Increase the temperature to medium-high heat and whisk constantly while the sauce cooks at a near boil for 2 minutes, or until thickened.
Reduce heat and add the cooked farfalle noodles, 1/4 cup pasta water, shredded Parmesan, baby spinach, and tomatoes.
Stir to combine the pasta and sauce. Cook for 1 minute. Slice the chicken against the grain and place on top of the pasta.
Go ahead and top it with more Parmesan if you’d like. I’ve made a suggestion for how much to use in this recipe, but we all know that cheese should be measured with your heart.
How to Store and Reheat
Storing Leftovers: Allow the chicken pesto pasta to fully cool before storing it in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating Leftovers: You can reheat the pasta for 60-90 seconds in the microwave, or eat it cold like a pasta salad.
Freezing Leftovers: I do not recommend freezing this dish.
What to serve with chicken pesto pasta
A side dish of veggies like Chopped Cabbage Salad, Roasted Frozen Broccoli, Air Fryer Asparagus, or Green Pea Salad are all great.
And for more carbs (yes please!), Cheesy Garlic Bread, Air Fryer Texas Toast, Stuffing Biscuits, or No Knead Dutch Oven Bread are delicious options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free pasta. The cooking times will vary based on the pasta brand.
Gluten-free pasta tends to dry out more than wheat pasta when reheating. If you plan to reheat this for leftovers, I would increase the amount of pasta water used to 1/3 cup and the heavy cream to 2/3 cup.
You would also need to use a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
Yes!
You can use your favorite non-dairy butter and cream. Plant-based unflavored creamer would work well as would a cashew cream base. If you need instructions on how to make your own cashew cream, you can find them in this post on vegan aioli.
Leave the Parmesan cheese out or replace it with a plant-based option. And check out our vegan pesto recipe.
If you consume dairy but need a lactose-free option, lactose-free milk or cream will also work beautifully in this dish.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- The sauce is thick and creamy. If you prefer a thinner sauce, set aside 2/3 cup of pasta water instead of 1/4 cup.
- Garlic – if fresh garlic is too strong for you, cook the butter and garlic on low for longer to soften it, or replace it with some Air Fryer Roasted Garlic or Instant Pot Roasted Garlic.
- For easy prep, use garlic paste or pre-chopped frozen garlic.
- If you have leftover pesto, check out my tutorial on How to Freeze Pesto.
More pasta recipes that you’ll love
Creamy Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts {butterfly in half if they are thick)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt {plus more for pasta water}
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 cups grape tomatoes {sliced in half}
- 16 oz dry farfalle noodles
- 3 cloves garlic {finely minced}
- 2 tbsp shallot {finely minced}
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup chicken stock {sub in vegetable broth if needed}
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup pesto
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan
- 3 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and evenly season both sides with kosher salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Pro tip: if the chicken breasts are thick, butterfly them to reduce the overall cooking time and to prevent them from drying out.1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- In a large deep skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the seasoned chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side and then carefully flip to cook the other side (~3-5 minutes).
- Once you have flipped the chicken, add the grape tomatoes to the skillet, cut side down. Cook chicken and tomatoes until the chicken fully is cooked through (165˚F).2 cups grape tomatoes
- Transfer chicken and tomatoes to a plate.
- In a large saucepan bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil.
- Add farfalle noodles and cook until al dente, ~10-12 minutes. Make the sauce while the pasta cooks.16 oz dry farfalle noodles
- Drain all but ¼ cup of water from the farfalle. Keep noodles in the saucepan with 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- In the same skillet you used for the chicken, heat the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add garlic and the shallots. Stir until the garlic and shallots are starting to soften, and a few of the pieces are starting to brown. ~2-3 minutes.3 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp shallot
- Sprinkle flour over the top of the garlic, and whisk to combine. Cook for 2 minutes.1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Slowly whisk in chicken stock, heavy cream, and pesto, whisking constantly to incorporate.1 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup pesto
- Increase the temperature to medium-high heat and whisk constantly while the sauce cooks at a near boil for 2 minutes, or until thickened.
- Reduce heat and add the cooked farfalle noodles, 1/4 cup pasta water, shredded Parmesan, baby spinach, and tomatoes.1/3 cup shredded parmesan, 3 cups baby spinach
- Stir to combine the pasta and sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
- Slice the chicken against the grain and place on top of the pasta.
Notes
- Whole wheat farfalle noodles will work great. They generally need an additional 1-3 minutes to cook in boiling water.
- Gluten-free – use gluten-free pasta and sub in gluten-free flour OR cornstarch instead of all-purpose flour for the sauce.
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I could tell when I read the ingredients, my family would love this! It was a great weeknight meal (first day of school) that I stretched with more chicken and pasta to provide plenty of leftovers for school heat-up lunches! My mistake was not adding more tomatoes and spinach. We won’t talk about the amount of cheese I added. So delish! Thank you for another tasty, simple winner!
Aww, so glad to be part of your back to school this year! And yes, cheese should be measured with your heart, and only your heart.
Absolutely going to make this! Also sent the recipe to my daughter.
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it, Terry!