This Simple Creamy Basil Pesto Pasta with Chicken is rich, creamy, and filling! Cubed chicken is sauteed with fresh garlic and seasonings, then a simple pan sauce is made with pesto, cream, and loads of parmesan cheese. Everything gets tossed together with cooked pasta. Serve this simple pasta dish with warm bread or garlic knots for a family friendly meal!
This pesto cream sauce is soooo good! Homemade or store-bought pesto is simmered with heavy cream, parmesan, and a little reserved pasta water to create a rich, thick herby sauce. Not only is this sauce good over noodles, but it’s great spooned over steak, grilled chicken, or mashed potatoes!
Try my creamy chicken alfredo, creamy butternut risotto, or this creamy lobster pasta.
Find all of my pasta recipes here along with my other dinner recipes for more weeknight meal inspiration!
Why This Will Be A Hit
- Rich creamy sauce– the sauce is velvety smooth with a rich, herby flavor. You’ll want extra sauce I promise!
- Restaurant quality at home – this dish feel like something you’d order at your favorite local pasta shop, but made in the comfort of your own kitchen!
- Great for fresh pesto – have a surplus of fresh basil or extra basil pesto on hand, this is the perfect use for it.
- Versatile and customizable – the pasta itself can be customized, add in extra aromatics like onion, sun dried tomatoes, or capers. You could also just make the basil cream sauce and serve over meat or seafood!
- Great as leftovers: make a big batch of this past and enjoy is all week long! It is just as good reheated as it is fresh.
What Is Basil Cream Sauce
Basil cream sauce is a rich sauce made with heavy whipping cream, basil pesto, and shredded parmesan cheese. The cream gives the sauce a velvety texture, while the pesto adds a fragrant, herby flavor. Garlic is added for extra flavor and we use reserved pasta water to thicken the sauce up nicely.
Basil pesto is typically made with fresh basil (lots of it), pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, and parmesan cheese. It’s easy to make your own pesto at home or use jarred pesto.
Key Ingredients
This pasta is made with simple ingredients, many you probably already have on hand. If there is a substitution for an ingredient, you’ll find it below:
- Pasta: any shape of noodle will work here, I recommend a tube shaped or shell shaped pasta to hold the cream sauce. Examples would be elbow macaroni noodles, rigatoni, penne, mini shells, ziti.
- Garlic: add as much fresh garlic as preferred. Jarred minced garlic can work in a pinch.
- Butter: salted or unsalted butter will work. I don’t recommend using margarine as it can be to watery. Olive oil can work.
- Seasonings: I keep the seasoning simple since the pesto is so flavorful. I use kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Add extra spices as desired.
- Heavy cream: I like the richness of the heavy whipping cream, it creates the best texture. Or use half and half, whole milk, or 2%milk (note, the sauce may not be as thick).
- Parmesan: I highly recommend a fresh grated parmesan cheese. Pecorino Romano or asiago cheese can be a substitute.
- Pesto: homemade or store-bought jarred basil pesto will work.
- Chicken: boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or tenders will all work.
- Fresh herbs: fresh basil or fresh thyme add a touch of color and finish the dish nicely.
How to Make The Chicken Pesto Pasta
Let’s talk a little about how to make the Simple Creamy Basil Pesto Pasta with Chicken (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick Overview:
- Cook dry pasta, reserve past water.
- Sauté garlic and chicken with seasoning. Remove cooked chicken.
- Make cream sauce with pesto, cream, and parmesan.
- Toss everything together.
- Bring a large stock pot of salted water to a boil, cook dry pasta according to package instructions. Once pasta is done, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, and drain the noodles.
- In a large Dutch oven melt butter over medium-high heat. Add in the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add in the cubed chicken and seasonings. Sauté chicken until fully cooked, stirring often. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and set aside. Tip: I like to use the lid of my Dutch oven to hold the chicken while I make the sauce.
- Reduce heat to medium and add in the pesto, reserved pasta water, and cream. Stir to combine. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in the parmesan cheese.
4. Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken back in along with the noodles. Toss to combine. Serve topped with fresh basil or thyme and extra parmesan cheese.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy pasta goes great with fresh salad, veggies, or bread. Try the side dish ideas below to create a balanced meal the whole family will love:
- Spinach Salad – light and refreshing, perfect for the rich pasta.
- Kale Salad with Avocado – the cream avocado and hearty kale pair great.
- Scalloped Sweet Potatoes – tender sweet potatoes in a herby cream sauce.
- Green Bean Almondine – crisp fresh green beans with bacon and almonds.
- Potato Au Gratin – thinly sliced potatoes baked until bubbly.
Tools I Recommend
- Large Braising pan: I love this non-stick sauté pan for several things, it is oven safe making it perfect for skillet meals that need to cook on the stove and bake in the oven. I like the high walls of the pan for keeping messes at bay.
- Wooden Spoons – perfect for sautéing and mixing, and great for not scratching your pans. Remember to deep clean your wooden utensils once a month!
- Wire Colander – I love this big strainer for draining past, steamed veggies, or canned goods!
Recipe FAQs
A tube shape pasta like penne or rigatoni works best for this dish as it holds the cream sauce and is easy to pick up with the other ingredients. Some other good options are shells, ziti, mostaccioli, or orecchiette noodles.
Absolutely Italian sausage, salmon, shrimp or steak bites all go great with this Simple Creamy Basil Pesto Pasta with Chicken.
If the sauce thickens too much, stir in a little extra reserved pasta water, chicken broth, or cream to loosen it without diluting the flavor.
Allow cooked pasta to cool completely and transfer to an airtight container, store in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, warm pasta in a skillet over medium-high heat or in the microwave until warm.
Recipe Tips
- Mix in veggies like roasted squash, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, frozen peas, or asparagus.
- Use cheese tortellini instead of regular pasta noodles for extra cheese flavor.
- Cook pasta until just al dente so it holds up to the cream sauce and other mix-ins.
- Add in bacon or pancetta for extra texture and saltiness.
- Make extra sauce if you like extra with your pasta or for dipping.
Simple Creamy Basil Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Dry pasta of choice, cooked, 1 cup of pasta water reserved
- 3 tbsp Unsalted butter, softened
- 3-4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 large Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 8 oz. Homemade or store-bought basil pesto
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy cream
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Fresh basil or thyme
Instructions
- Bring a large stock pot of salted water to a boil, cook dry pasta according to package instructions. Once pasta is done, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, and drain the noodles.16 oz. Dry pasta of choice, cooked
- In a large Dutch oven melt butter over medium-high heat. Add in the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add in the cubed chicken and seasonings. Sauté chicken until fully cooked, stirring often. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.3 tbsp Unsalted butter, 3-4 cloves Garlic, 2 large Boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 tsp Kosher salt, Fresh cracked black pepper, 1 tsp Garlic powder, 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Reduce heat to medium and add in the pesto, reserved pasta water, and cream. Stir to combine. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in the parmesan cheese.8 oz. Homemade or store-bought basil pesto, 1 1/2 cups Heavy cream, 1 cup Parmesan cheese
- Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken back in along with the noodles. Toss to combine. Serve topped with fresh basil or thyme and extra parmesan cheese.Fresh basil or thyme
Notes
Nutrition
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