Chicken Pesto Pasta
This chicken pesto pasta is the perfect dinner recipe for a special date night, or whenever you need a creamy bowl of Italian-style comfort in your life. Keep basil pesto on hand and it’s ready to go in just 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 poundboneless skinless chicken breasts, (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 teaspoonitalian seasoning
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 8 ouncespenne pasta, (preferably with ridges)
- 2 tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil
- ½ cupheavy cream
- ¼ cupparmesan cheese, (plus more for serving if you like)
- ¼ cupsun dried tomatoes, (drained if packed in oil)
- ½ cupbasil pesto, (homemade or quality store-bought, plus more if you like)
- ½ teaspoonred pepper flakes
- handful of torn basil leaves, (for garnish)
Directions
- 1
Season the chicken. Add the chicken to a bowl and season with the Italian seasoning and a big pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper. Toss to coat.
- 2
Cook the pasta. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it well with about 1 tablespoon of salt. Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente according to package instructions (about 8 to 9 minutes).
- 3
Cook the chicken. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil to a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- 4
Drain the pasta. When the pasta is ready, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water and drain.
- 5
Combine. To the pan with the chicken, lower the heat and stir in the cooked pasta, heavy cream, parmesan, and sundried tomatoes. Stir until everything is well combined. If it looks a bit dry, add a splash of the pasta cooking water (a couple tablespoons at a time) until the pasta is glossy and coated in the creamy sauce.
- 6
Add the pesto. Turn off the heat and take the pan off the burner. Stir in the basil pesto and finish with a sprinkle of grated parmesan, red pepper flakes, and basil leaves. Serve.