Description
This one pot chicken pesto pasta is a quick and easy weeknight dinner with tender chicken, penne pasta, and a creamy basil pesto sauce all cooked together in one skillet. Ready in 30 minutes with minimal cleanup!
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted works fine)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound penne pasta (8 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (low-sodium is best so you can control the salt)
- 1 cup milk (whole or 2% – don’t go skim, trust me!)
- 3 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks (let it soften a bit on the counter)
- 1/3 cup basil pesto (homemade or store-bought – I love Costco’s Kirkland brand!)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (freshly grated melts better than the pre-shredded stuff)
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but highly recommended!)
Optional Add-Ins (But So Good!)
- 3 cups fresh spinach (adds color and nutrition without changing the flavor)
- 1/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes (the oil-packed ones add amazing depth)
- Sautéed mushrooms (cook these separately and stir in at the end)
Friendly Notes:
- If you can’t find penne, farfalle (bowties) or rotini work beautifully too!
- Store-bought pesto is totally fine here. Save yourself the extra work unless you’re really feeling ambitious.
- Full-fat dairy is key—the sauce gets silky and luscious. Low-fat versions can get grainy.
Instructions
Cut your chicken into chunks about the same size so they cook evenly. Melt the butter in your skillet over medium heat, add the chicken, and let it cook for 5 or 6 minutes until it’s got some color on it.
It doesn’t need to be cooked through yet. Toss in the garlic, stir it around for a minute until it smells amazing, and you’re good.
Dump in the uncooked pasta and pour in the chicken broth. Stir everything around—make sure you scrape up those browned bits on the bottom.
Put the lid on, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let it come to a full boil. Once it’s boiling, give it a quick stir, put the lid back on, and turn the heat down to medium-low. Let it simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. The pasta should be tender and most of the broth should be gone.
Add the milk, cream cheese, and pesto. Stir everything over medium heat until the cream cheese melts completely. This takes a couple minutes.
Stir in the Parmesan until it’s all combined. If it looks too thick, add a splash more milk. If it’s too thin, let it cook another minute.
If you’re using spinach or sun-dried tomatoes, stir them in now. The spinach wilts in like 30 seconds. Take it off the heat, add some cracked pepper and red pepper flakes, and you’re done.
Notes
Pasta stick-prevention hack: After you add the pasta and broth, give it a really good stir before putting the lid on. Run your spoon along the bottom of the pan to make sure no pasta is stuck. Then stir every 2 minutes. This is non-negotiable if you want perfectly cooked pasta that’s not clumped together!
Even cooking secret: Make sure your burner size matches your pan size. If you use a huge pan on a tiny burner, the edges won’t heat properly and your pasta will cook unevenly.
Invest in good cookware: I know, I know—not everyone wants to buy expensive pans. But a heavy, thick-bottomed skillet with even heat distribution makes ALL the difference in one-pot pasta recipes. It’s worth saving up for if you make these kinds of dishes often.
The two-minute stir rule: Set a timer! It’s so easy to get distracted and forget to stir. Those two-minute intervals are the sweet spot—frequent enough to prevent sticking, but not so often that you’re letting out all the steam.
Common mistake to avoid: Don’t add the cream cheese and pesto too early! If you add them while there’s still a lot of liquid broth in the pan, they’ll separate and get oily. Wait until the pasta has absorbed most of the broth first.
Time-saving shortcut: Use rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken breast! Just shred it and add it at the very end with the spinach. You skip the whole browning step and dinner’s done even faster.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Italian-American