Chicken Pesto Pasta

Preparing a hearty homemade meal doesn’t get much easier than this one-pot chicken pesto pasta recipe. It features tender chicken thighs, al dente pasta and veggies (broccoli florets and peas) and is seasoned with an herbaceous pesto sauce. Best part? You’ll need no more than 30 minutes to make it from start to finish and you can prepare the entire meal in one large, nonstick skillet.

Although relying on store-bought pesto helps get dinner on the table even faster, you can always up the ante by making a batch of homemade pesto if time allows. Not to mention, making fresh pesto is easy—and so worth it—especially if you have an abundance of fresh basil. Just follow our step-by-step homemade pesto recipe. The result is a brighter, fresher-tasting pasta dish.

Ingredients for Chicken Pesto Pasta

• Chicken thighs, seasoning blend and olive oil: Seasoned boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into one-inch pieces, are quickly browned in sizzling hot olive oil. 
• Chicken broth and lemon juice: The chicken broth and lemon juice help remove any brown bits left in the pan from the seared chicken thighs. These liquids also help flavor and cook the pasta until it’s tender.
• Gemelli or spiral pasta: The pasta absorbs the flavor from the brothy mixture. These short pasta shapes hold the pesto sauce well in their nooks and crannies.
• Broccoli: The broccoli florets cook in the same broth as the pasta until tender and vibrantly green.
• Peas: The peas come into play during the final step of this pasta and chicken pesto recipe. Due to their tender texture, the peas only need a quick few minutes of reheating to soften up.
• Pesto: This chicken and pesto pasta recipe is easier to make using store-bought pesto. However, a batch of homemade pesto can level up this simple recipe for even more flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Brown the chicken

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Toss chicken with the seasoning blend. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown it evenly and remove it from the pan.

Step 2: Cook the pasta in the broth

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In the same pan, combine the broth and lemon juice and bring them to a boil, stirring to loosen the browned bits from the pan. Stir in the pasta and return it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Prepare the vegetables and add the pesto

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Add the broccoli and cook while covered for five minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and cook, covered, until the pasta is tender and the chicken is no longer pink. This will take about two to three minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Add the peas and heat through. Stir in the pesto.

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Chicken Pesto Pasta Variations

• Use homemade pesto: For brighter and fresher-tasting pasta, prepare a homemade pesto rather than using a store-bought one.
• Add more vegetables: For an even heartier meal, add more broccoli, peas or the vegetable of your choice.
• Make it creamier: To make this pesto chicken pasta recipe creamier, add a few dollops of cream cheese or a splash of heavy cream and stir until melted into the pesto sauce.
• Use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs: You can swap chicken thighs for chicken breast. However, you may need to adjust the cooking times to accommodate this change; chicken breast may take slightly longer to cook than the boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
• Use other types of protein: While chicken thighs are a flavorful meat, you can easily substitute them for pork chops instead. If you’re a seafood lover, try adding large, shell-on shrimp. Just skip the browning step and add them during the last five minutes of cooking to avoid overcooking them.
• Add a handful of cheese: For a saltier and nuttier flavor, add a handful of grated Parmesan cheese before serving each dish.
• Add additional aromatics: For more depth of flavor, add additional aromatics like garlic or onions.

How to Store Chicken Pesto Pasta

Store this pasta dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three to four days.

How do you reheat chicken pesto pasta?

Surprisingly, we’ve found the microwave reheats pasta well. Spoon a single portion into a microwave-safe bowl, cover loosely and microwave at medium power until heated through for about two to three minutes. If you need to heat all the leftover pasta at once, place it in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through. You may need to add a little water if the pasta is too dry. Check out these other pasta reheating tips.

Chicken Pesto Pasta Tips

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Is pesto better with penne or spaghetti?

Gemelli isn’t the only pasta you can use in chicken pesto pasta. Other short noodles—which hold pasta sauce better due to their shape—such as campanelle, penne, rotini, gomiti, orecchiette and casarecce, would work just as well. That said, we don’t suggest using long noodles like spaghetti and fettuccine since this recipe calls for several mix-ins such as cut-up chicken, broccoli and peas. The dish will be easier to eat if the size of the noodles matches the size of the mix-ins.

What goes well with chicken and pesto pasta?

Pesto pasta dishes are incredibly versatile and pair well with tons of ingredients. We suggest adding other vegetables to the mix. In this case, you’ll want to pick vegetables that have a similar texture to raw broccoli so the cooking time stays consistent. Some good options include cauliflower, thinly sliced carrots or Brussels sprouts. Onion lovers can also add pearl onions or coarsely chopped white or yellow onions.

How to make store-bought pesto better?

For a heartier store-bought pesto sauce, add a splash of heavy cream, cream cheese or mascarpone and mix until melted. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice can also help brighten and highlight the herby flavors in this sauce.