Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
This Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta is not only packed with whole food ingredients but also restaurant-quality flavor. Chicken breasts, sun-dried tomatoes, a little cream, basil pesto, and Parmesan are tossed to create a silky, creamy, complex-tasting sauce. Fresh, comforting, and just a little fancy for a weeknight dinner.
What We Love About This Dish
- Fresh & Easy: The perfect mid-to-late summer dinner if you ask me! You’ll boil pasta (use high protein or whole grain for a healthier version), saute chicken, make a quick homemade pesto (or use store-bought), and then toss a few ingredients together for a HUGE party in your mouth.
- Wholesome Ingredients + Restaurant Flavor: Each ingredient is nutrient-dense, satiating, and absolutely mouth-watering when combined! The pesto, heavy cream (not too much!), Parm, and pasta water work together to create an addicting sauce.
- Weeknight Dinner: 40 minutes from start to finish for this one-dish-wonder.
- Beautiful Dish: I love the pops of green from fresh basil and red from the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Would be a great meal to serve to guests.
Ingredients Needed
Here are the 7 main ingredients you will need to get started…
- Chicken breasts – Or boneless, skinless chicken thighs will work.
- Pasta – We like whole wheat rotini or you can use gluten-free pasta. My favorite is gluten-free Banza brand rotini made from chickpea flour.
- Pesto – Either buy high-quality, store-bought pesto (16 ounces) for a short-cut or whip up our super fresh and flavorful homemade pesto (only 5 ingredients).
- Heavy cream – We don’t use a lot, but if you want to go a little lighter you can use half and half.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – I love the pop of color and the tanginess this high-impact ingredient adds. I recommend buying the olive oil packed ones, draining them, and chopping these finely for this recipe.
Testing Notes from Our Kitchens
This was originally an older recipe of ours that needed a refresh. If you like the older one, you can find a link to it in the recipe card below. But we’re in love with this lighter, yet creamy version that brings in fresh pesto and some color.
Polly, our photographer/trained chef Whitney, and I all tested it in our homes, and here’s what we found:
- I (Rachel) created this recipe to be a well-balanced meal for a family, so I used lighter chicken breasts as the protein, a little less pesto than the original recipe, and just a splash of heavy cream to provide creaminess. While this is high in protein and moderate in calories, I suggest using whole grain pasta for a fiber boost.
- Using well-salted pasta water at the end creates a silky sauce that clings to the pasta. Add a little at a time until it reaches the consistency you like.
- Tasting at the end and adjusting the salt and pepper amounts is crucial. I also found that adding finely slices or torn fresh basil, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and some freshly shredded Parmesan cheese take this to restaurant-quality.
- Eat this right away. If you let it sit too long, the pasta will soak up the sauce and loose some of it’s moisture and creaminess.
- If you prefer more pesto flavor, feel free to add a little more at the end.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
In just five simple steps and only 40 minutes, you’ll create a one-dish-wonder that feeds the whole family. Find the full, printable recipe at the bottom.
5) Finish & Serve: Taste and adjust seasoning. Top with extra Parmesan, red pepper flakes, and torn basil. Serve warm.
Side Dish Ideas
While this is a one-dish-wonder, it can’t hurt to serve your pasta meal along with any of these delicious side dishes.
Recipe FAQs
While Homemade Pesto will always taste better, it’s often not feasible year-round. We suggest buying the refrigerated pesto rather than the jarred kind.
Leftovers in the refrigerator will last 3-4 days. We don’t recommend freezing the leftovers as they will be mushy when thawed.
Yes, but the sauce will be thinner. You may need to reduce it a bit longer.
Using our 10+ years of experience, we think this is one meal that would NOT taste very fresh if frozen. You can certainly do it if you have leftovers that you’ll throw away, but just know that it will likely be somewhat dried out and more mushy when rewarmed.
BUT…you can totally make the pesto ahead of time and freeze it! In fact, it’s a great use of your time to make pesto in a big batch to freeze. Read about How to Freeze Pesto.
More Recipes with Pesto
If you’re already making your own pesto or have leftovers, here are some fantastic ways to use it:
- Turkey Pesto Paninis – Make extras to freeze for later.
- Cheesy Pesto Bread
- 3-Ingredient Pesto Potato Salad – This is an awesome and easy side dish.
- Stir a little into Tomato Bisque at the end
- Freeze pesto for later
I hope you enjoy this Pesto Chicken Pasta as much as we do!
How to Video
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- Salt and pepper
- 8 ounces penne or rotini pasta (sub: gluten-free pasta)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces – about ½ inch)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (drained and finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- 1/2 cup basil pesto (use our homemade pesto or a high-quality pesto from the store)
- Optional for serving: red pepper flakes, torn basil leaves
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions (about 8–9 minutes). Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain.
- Cook Chicken: While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in an even layer and season generously with salt and pepper on all sides and then with the Italian seasoning. Cook until golden on the outside and cooked through, about 6–8 minutes. Stir occasionally and break up pieces as needed. Chicken should be bite-sized and well browned for best flavor.
- Build the Sauce: Reduce heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream and sun-dried tomatoes and let warm for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan until melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Combine: Remove the pan from the heat. Add the drained pasta and basil pesto and toss to coat in the sauce. Add about ¼ cup pasta water and stir until the sauce becomes glossy and clings to the pasta, adding more as needed.
- Finish & Serve: Taste and add more salt if needed (this is important for flavor). Top with extra Parmesan, red pepper flakes, and torn basil, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes/Tips
- Chicken Shortcut: Skip step 2. Dice rotisserie chicken from the store and add to the dish during step 3, although with the Italian seasoning.
- About the Pesto: We tested this with various kinds of pesto, including our homemade pesto. Guess what the winner was? Our homemade was for sure the best flavor, however store-bought can work and save you time and money. So if you can’t make your own, look for high-quality, refrigerated pesto from the store. Check the ingredients and try to find one with basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil, and garlic (or something close to that).
- Gluten-Free Version: Simply substitute your favorite gluten-free pasta in this recipe. I really like Banza brand rotini.
- Tasting at the end and adjusting the salt and pepper amounts is crucial. I also found that adding finely slices or torn fresh basil, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and some freshly shredded Parmesan cheese take this to restaurant-quality.
- Eat this right away. If you let it sit too long, the pasta will soak up the sauce and loose some of it’s moisture and creaminess.
- If you prefer more pesto flavor, feel free to add a little more at the end.
- This is an update of an older recipe for Chicken Pesto Pasta. You can get the download for it here.
Nutrition
Photos and video by Whitney Reist of Sweet Cayenne.
Is there a substitute for the pine nuts? We have an allergy in the family. Thanks!
Yes, some good options would be raw cashews, macadamia nuts, or walnuts.
We really loved this. Half a recipe was plenty. Good hot or cold. We added lits more tomatoes and used store sauce.
So glad you liked it and that you took the time to leave a review. I always add extra tomatoes too!
Rachel, I am also a basil fanatic… I add it to smoothies for an extra kick of freshness. So good!
Wow, bold move with the smoothie. You are a fanatic! Love it.