Chicken Pesto Pasta is a quick, easy, and creamy pasta loaded with juicy chicken and tender asparagus. It’s a quick 30-minute meal that’s both satisfying and delicious. Everyone in our family adores this meal, so I know it will become a staple in your meal rotation as well.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Loved this quick and easy recipe. Had my son, wife and their young daughter for dinner and she ate 5 helpings. Think this recipe is a keeper. I loved the crisp tenderness of the asparagus most of all. From 8 servings-no leftovers” – Judy ★★★★★
Chicken Pesto Pasta Video
Watch me create this 30-minute meal using simple ingredients for a spectacular dinner in just a few easy steps. You’ll love the simplicity!
Easy Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe
I love the story of this Pesto Chicken Pasta dish! It was actually shared by one of our readers, Katie N., and it was love at first bite – an instant hit! Thank you, Katie, for generously sharing your amazing recipe with all of us.
This Pesto Pasta is simple with a very short list of ingredients, but the flavor is delicious. All you need is heavy whipping cream and Basil Pesto for the sauce, and then I cook the chicken, asparagus, and sauce in one skillet. It doesn’t get any easier, and clean up is a breeze.
My family and I love creamy pastas like our Cajun Chicken Pasta, Baked Feta Pasta, or Creamy Shrimp Pasta. This chicken pesto pasta recipe takes a cream sauce to the next level.
Ingredients for Pesto Chicken Pasta
You’ll need just 5 Ingredients for my chicken pesto pasta recipe, along with olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s that simple to make a complete and satisfying 30-minute dinner.
- Chicken Breasts – or chicken thighs, chicken tenders, or swap with 2 cups of pre-cooked rotisserie chicken or leftover Spatchcock Chicken (skip step 2 if already cooked).
- Asparagus – to clean and trim the asparagus, first rinse in water, and then cut the ends where the green begins to turn white. Cut the stalks into 3rds.
- Heavy whipping cream – the basis of the rich and creamy sauce. You can swap with dairy-free (one of my readers reported great results using canned coconut milk).
- Pesto sauce – Pesto is a creamy, blended, bright green sauce originally from Italy, typically made from basil, nuts (often pine nuts), parmesan, garlic, and olive oil. Homemade Pesto tastes best, but store-bought pesto works fine (I like Kirkland Signature Pesto from Costco). Pesto sauce is freezer-friendly, so if you make or buy a big batch, you can freeze portions of it for later.
- Pasta – I prefer fettuccini for this recipe since it holds the sauce nicely, but any kind of pasta will work (try my Homemade Pasta), like rigatoni, spaghetti, penne pasta, or pappardelle.
Substitutions
The ingredients for this chicken pesto pasta recipe are so easy to swap to fit what you have on hand. Try these easy variations:
- Protein – use pan-seared steak, pork, shrimp, or tofu, or omit the meat for a vegetarian dish.
- Vegetables – use whatever fresh veggies you have on hand, or leave the veggies out. Try frozen peas, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, blanched green beans, or mushrooms. Also, try adding halved cherry tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes at the end.
- Pasta – go low-carb or gluten-free! Replace the pasta with Spaghetti Squash or with zucchini noodles made with a spiralizer.
How to Make Chicken Pesto Pasta
Whip up this quick chicken pesto pasta for dinner tonight. It’s quick and easy and can be served right in the same pot!
- Cook the pasta – boil salted water in a large pot and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Do not rinse the pasta – the starchy exterior will cling to the sauce better.
- Cook the chicken – season the chicken and slice it into two cutlets. Cook in a large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side. Then remove and slice in half, and then into strips.
- Saute asparagus – add olive oil and asparagus pieces and cook 2-3 minutes.
- Make the Sauce – heat the heavy whipping cream to a simmer for 3 minutes. Toss in the pesto and cooked chicken, and then cook for 2 more minutes to warm through. Do not boil the sauce or the sauce can separate. Season the sauce with salt to taste.
- Add the pasta – add the cooked pasta, stir, and serve immediately!
Natasha’s Tip for Salting Pasta Water
To flavor the pasta, from the inside out, salt should be added to the pasta cooking water so that the water tastes like ocean water before adding the pasta. This will season the pasta from the inside out. Plan on 1 1/2 Tbsp fine sea salt per 6 quarts of water, or 2 Tbsp Morton kosher salt, or 1/4 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. I learned this tip from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat, and it’s a game-changer.
What to Serve with Chicken Pesto Pasta
I love serving Chicken Pesto Pasta with a Crusty French Bread, Garlic Bread, or Sourdough bread to soak up all the delicious pesto sauce. Since it’s very hearty on its own, I like to pair it with one of these simple salads:
Make-Ahead
This pasta is best served right away, but it makes for great leftovers as well. Be sure to allow the dish to cool and then package it in an airtight container.
- To Refrigerate: refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days (per USDA guidelines for storing cooked chicken).
- Freezing: You can freeze up to 1 month, but cook the pasta al dente so it doesn’t get too mushy when reheated. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- To Reheat: Warm the pasta on low heat, stirring often. If you overheat, the cream can separate and seem oily. You can add a splash of cream, broth, or milk to bring the sauce back together.
My 30-minute chicken pesto pasta recipe is the perfect meal for any night when you need a quick, flavorful, and satisfying meal. Wow–it’s delicious! I know you’ll love this recipe and make it over and over again!
Chicken Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts, trimmed
- 1 tsp salt, (divided)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 Tbsp pesto sauce
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz fettuccini pasta, (or linguine)
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water* according to package instructions to your desired doneness. While pasta is cooking, proceed with the recipe then add drained cooked pasta to the sauce in step 5.
- Cook Chicken – Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise and season all sides with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat with 2 Tbsp olive oil. When oil is hot, add chicken in a single layer and saute until fully cooked through (3 min per side). Remove from pan and rest 5 minutes, then slice into bite-sized strips.
- Saute Asparagus – Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the same pan with asparagus pieces. Sautee stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes or until crisp tender.
- Make the Sauce – Add 2 cups heavy whipping cream, bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 4 Tbsp pesto then add chicken breasts and cook 2 minutes. Season sauce with 1/2 tsp salt or to taste.
- Combine and Serve – Add cooked pasta, stirring to coat noodles in sauce. Remove from heat and serve right away. Garnish with basil or parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More 30-Minute Meals to Try
If you love this chicken pesto pasta recipe, you have to try these other quick and tasty meals:
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta with Asparagus
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Beef Chili
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Monterey Chicken
- Sloppy Joes
OOPS, forgot to rate it.
Thank you for rating Deb!!
Made this for dinner last night and it was FABULOUS. It went together quickly and the flavor was creamy and just plain yummy. Recipe in rotation forever.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I’m afraid I cannot eat nuts of any kind now. Will the pesto suffer much without the nuts?
Hi Vincent! I have not tried making one with the pine nuts but that should work out! Simple omit the pine nuts and add more of the other ingredients.
You can make pesto with sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts and the flavor is similar. No nuts and you’ll save a lot of money.
I used more asparagus then pasta. The entire family loved it and I loved the simplicity of it! I doubled the recipe up too because left overs are super good.
Natasha you are a life saver! You are my to go girl for dinner ideas. I have done so many of your recipes. They are easy and tasty. Please keep them coming.
Awww that’s the best, Ana! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I’m all smiles!
This recipe is very easy and it tastes amazing, the only thing I changed was the pasta I used penne, I highly recommend you try it or any other recipe on Natasha’s site I have made a lot of them
You are so nice! Thank you for sharing this awesome review with us, Gail!
This looks delicious! If I’m increasing the recipe by 1.5 times, do you think it would be ok to literally 1.5 times everything?
Hi Katrina, I would increase everything proportionally in the recipe. I hope you love it!
Hi Katrina! yes, that should work! I hope you love this recipe!
This recipe is fantastic! I wonder if anyone has tried freezing the leftovers? If so, what was the outcome? Thank you for any recommendations.
Hi Katherine, I haven’t tested that so I can not advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I made this pasta, everyone in my family loved it!!, so tasty, soooo goood!!!! The only thing is the sauce, I don’t know why it wasn’t creamy like you say, maybe I need that magic you have!!!, can you tell me why my sauce wasn’t creamy?
Thanks again for another yummy recipe, I already made so many!!, is like you are in my kitchen almost every day!! Blessings!!!
Hi Cristina, I’m so glad your family loved it!! Did you change anything in the recipe? If you use heavy whipping cream, the sauce should be rich and creamy – subbing with a lighter cream would give you a less creamy consistency. Also, adding more pasta can make the sauce seem less creamy since there are more noodles to coat. I hope that helps and thank you for the wonderful review! 🙂
I added more noodles, next time I will do it with no changes, and how many grams is 12 oz of noodles?, as your recipe says.
Thanks for the reply!!!
Hi Cristina, we have that posted in the recipe for you 🙂 It is 340.2 g of fettuccini pasta (or linguine)
Could we add Parmesan to the pasta dish?
That would give it an extra kick!
I don’t see why not! I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
This is an amazing recipe, i love it, thanks Nataha, you´re #1
You’re so nice! Thank you, Pablo!
I just made this tonight for the family and it was a huge hit. Full of flavor. Thank you so much for sharing this.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
This was a HIT! So quick to make and so delicious! Per my 5 year old “mom this was the most delicious mea EVER!” I added small bella mushrooms. Definitely will repeat this dish!
Oh that makes my day!! Thank you for sharing your amazing review! I love your idea to add mushrooms!
Hi, I’m one of your millions of fans and want you to know you come across so adorably. Thank you for these recipes and your hard word. It’s appreciated.
You are so nice, Patricia! Thank you for that amazing feedback and thoughtful comment! I’m so happy you are enjoying our blog.
Natashas. I look forward to any and all your recipes, can i request some low carb recipes as I am trying toloose weight. I have given up bread, potatoes, diet coke, thank you
Hi Terry, many of our readers have altered our recipes to be diet and Keto friendly limiting carb count. Recipes like this one here are very popular for low carb options. Salads like this one here are perfect for a diet.
Looks really good it’s on my to make list!!! If it’s not a secret what brand is your pan?
Hi Diana, we don’t believe in kitchen secrets and share all good things with our readers :). The brand of this pan is Staub and it really is so versatile and one of those things that last a lifetime.
This is one of my favorites!! I love asparagus, chicken, & pasta together & pesto is so delicious!! Always a hit!
Hi Kristyn, Isn’t that the perfect combination?! Thank you for sharing your great review!
This was seriously so good! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
I can’t wait to try this pasta. Looks amazing!
Thank you Amy! I hope it becomes a new favorite for you 🙂
Yum this was so good! Thank you so much!
Hi Jesica, You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I am a huge pesto fan and this pasta is amazing!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Good job. So I can share recipe with you and you will post it as well? well I have so much recipes but I think no blogging for me 🙁
Hi Ann, I would love to try your recipes. Some of our favorite recipes have been ones that readers, friends and family have shared. Feel free to email me: natasha @ natashaskitchen.com (no spaces) and thanks so much for thinking of me! 🙂