Chicken Pesto Pasta Recipe
Chicken pesto pasta is my go-to pasta dish made with fresh homemade basil pesto and melted mozzarella cheese.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4
- 1 pound linguine, spaghetti, or penne
- 2 chicken breasts sliced into strips
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls or cubed ball
- 1 cup basil pesto
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved lenghwise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Extra chopped basil as garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Homemade basil pesto
- 3 loosely packed cups of basil leaves about 2.5 ounces
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 garlic clove
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- salt to taste
For the pesto
For the basil pesto, combine all pesto ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend/pulse until mixed and smooth. With the motor running, add olive oil in a slow stream until combined. Pesto should not be too soupy or fine. Set aside. Note: If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a standard blender or single-serve blender instead. Just don’t blend the ingredients too aggressively or it will turn into a creamy paste
For the pesto pasta
Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil. Add a big pinch of salt and cook pasta al dente. Once the pasta is done, strain well and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the chicken into bite-sized strips, season liberally with salt and pepper, and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 additional minutes.
Turn the heat off and add the strained pasta. Stir in one cup of pesto and toss until fully coated. Add more oil as needed if the pesto is too thick. Top with fresh mozzarella pearls and serve.
A cup of basil leaves is about 1 handful. It can be hard to judge but I typically use about 2.5 ounces of basil leaves per batch. This is usually labeled on the package.
Pesto is best made in a food processor, however, I’ve been making it in a single-serve smoothie blender for a long time. The key is to pulse the blender to not over-blend the pesto and turn it into slime. Shake the contents to help mix as needed.
Pesto should be thick and slightly granular in appearance. If it’s too thick, add more olive oil to help thin it out a bit. Pesto can be adjusted in a bowl by simply stirring in extra olive oil.
If your pesto is too thin or runny and you’ve run out of fresh basil, you can add some baby spinach. You can also stir in a little cornstarch. This will help to thicken the sauce without adding any flavor. I would only consider this a last resort.
Add salt to taste. Adjust pesto with additional salt afterward. The salt helps to bring out the flavor and makes the pesto pop.
Walnuts can be substituted for pine nuts. I prefer pine nuts, but walnuts work in a pinch. You can easily make nut-free pesto by omitting them altogether. It’s still delicious!
Serving: 1g | Calories: 842kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.1g | Protein: 43.8g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 14.3g | Cholesterol: 176mg | Sodium: 524mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 1g