Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

This easy Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta recipe combines creamy sauce, roasted tomatoes, and tender chicken for a weeknight-friendly meal everyone will love.

I don’t know about you, but I love a quick and easy pesto and pasta meal. It’s a tried-and-true pairing that never lets you down on a busy weeknight. Today we’re taking that time-honoured classic and giving it a little twist by making it creamier and a touch heartier, yet keeping it almost as quick and easy.

Cherry tomatoes are in peak season right now, and this recipe takes full advantage of that in the most delicious way. If you don’t have any growing in your garden, run and grab some at the farmer’s market —sweet and juicy, they are begging to be thrown into pasta! Here, the tiny tomatoes are sliced in half, then roasted until the juices dry up a little and their flavor intensifies.

To make it a full, satisfying meal, and a wee bit richer, we’re adding tender chicken pieces and a little heavy cream. I always hesitate to add heavy cream to any dish because so many people find it too decadent or are trying to avoid dairy. But I enjoy it occasionally and in moderation, and after testing this recipe many different ways, I decided the way the creamy pesto sauce melds with the acidic tomatoes was just too sublime not to add it.

This is a low-effort, maximum reward pasta dish. Serve it with crusty bread on the side, and revel in the best of late-summer cooking.

If you LOVE tiny tomatoes in pasta as much as we do, be sure to check out this reader favorite Summer Pasta with Tomato and Shallot Confit or this practically viral Roasted Eggplant Pasta.

Key Ingredient Notes

• Pasta: I like to use a short-shape pasta because then the chicken, pasta and tomatoes are all bite-size.
• Chicken: For creamy pasta dishes, I always go for lean boneless, skinless chicken breast. If you prefer to use thighs, that’s fine too. For this recipe, I like to lightly dust the chicken with all-purpose flour. This is optional, but it gives the chicken a nice golden color.
• Heavy cream:  A 1/2 cup of heavy cream goes a long way to make a rich, flavorful sauce. If you prefer not to use cream, you can use a little bit of milk and more pasta water instead.
• Tomatoes: You can use any variety of small tomatoes. I used grape tomatoes but cherry tomatoes will also be great. Even plum tomatoes will work — just cut them into quarters and try to squeeze out as much of their liquid insides as you can first, or else it’ll take a lot longer for them to dry out in the oven.
• Pesto: If you have a good amount of basil in your garden, this would be a good time to use it up and make my homemade basil pesto. However, a good quality store-bought pesto will work just fine. I prefer refrigerated pestos because they taste fresher. This Kirkland pesto is very popular and tastes pretty close to the real-deal.

How To Make Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

1. Roast the cherry tomatoes. Place the sliced cherry tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Spread out evenly on the sheet pan, cut-side up and roast for 35 minutes.
2. Cook the pasta in a large pot with generously salted boiling water, until very al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain in a colander.
3. Cook the chicken. Gently pound two chicken breasts to thin them out to an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. Pan-fry over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate. Once cool enough to handle, slice into cubes or thin strips.
4. Make the sauce. In the same skillet you cooked the chicken, heat a little olive over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Lower the heat and stir in the heavy cream, scraping any burnt bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the parmesan cheese, cooked pasta, chicken pieces, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine and let this simmer gently for about 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and roasted tomatoes; toss to combine.
5. Add the basil pesto. Remove the pan from heat and add the basil pesto. Stir, adding more pasta water as needed, until a silky sauce coats the pasta.
6. Finish and serve. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Drizzle with juice of half a lemon, garnish with basil leaves and serve warm with more grated Parmesan on the side, if desired.

Do I Have To Roast The Cherry Tomatoes?

I love slow-roasting cherry tomatoes. The low oven heat draws out their natural sweetness and caramelizes their sugars for the most incredible flavor. For this recipe, though, I wanted to keep things weeknight-friendly. Instead of a long roast, we use a quicker method that still brings out their sweetness and gives them a deliciously rich, hearty texture.

If you prefer not to roast the tomatoes, you can simply add them to the skillet right after the garlic has finished cooking. Sauté the tomatoes in the skillet until they soften and their juices have been released, then proceed with the recipe.

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Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

Author: Sandra Valvassori

This easy chicken pesto pasta recipe combines creamy sauce, roasted tomatoes, and tender chicken for a weeknight-friendly meal everyone will love.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients  

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For the Roasted Tomatoes

• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano

For the Chicken Pesto Pasta

• 12 ounces short pasta, such as penne, gemelli, bow-tie or fusilli
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced (can omit if using homemade pesto)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought basil pesto
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional- see notes)

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 400°F.
• Place the sliced cherry tomatoes on a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Spread out evenly on the sheet pan, cut-side up and roast for 30 to 35 minutes.
• While the tomatoes cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain in a colander.
• Meanwhile, gently pound the chicken breasts to thin them out to an even thickness (see notes). Season with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook until golden and no longer pink, about 2 to 3 minutes a side. Once cool enough to handle, slice into cubes or thin strips.
• In the same skillet you cooked the chicken, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Lower the heat and stir in the heavy cream, scraping any burnt bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the parmesan cheese, cooked pasta, chicken pieces, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine and let this simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes; toss again to combine.
• Remove the pan from heat and add the basil pesto. Stir to combine, adding more pasta water as needed, until a silky sauce coats the pasta.
• Taste and adjust seasoning with a little more salt or a bit more basil pesto, if needed. Drizzle with lemon juice, if using, and serve warm with more grated Parmesan on the side, if desired.

Notes

• • Lemon juice: A bit of lemon juice helps add some bright, fresh flavor to creamy pasta dishes but it’s certainly not essential. Feel free to leave it out, if you wish.   
  • Pounding the chicken: I find browning the whole chicken breasts easier than browning cubed chicken. But you have to pound the chicken to a 1-inch thickness or less, so it cooks evenly and all the way through. If you prefer, you can skip the pounding, cut the chicken into cubes, then brown it. 
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  • Don’t overcook the pasta. I like to cook it 1 minute less than what the package instructions call for. This way, it’s perfectly al dente after cooking a little more in the pan.  
  • Make sure you save some pasta water. The starchy pasta water will add flavor and help keep the sauce nice and silky. 

To Store: Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat the leftovers, add a splash of water, heavy cream, or chicken broth to revive the sauce. 

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