Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta is the kind of dinner I want on a busy night: chicken, penne, spinach, tomatoes, and plenty of pesto, all baked together in one dish. No boiling pasta separately, no sautéing the chicken, and no pile of dirty pans glaring at you from the sink. The pasta cooks right in the creamy pesto sauce, and everything gets topped with melted mozzarella and Parmesan. In other words, dinner has officially handled itself.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One-dish dinner. Everything cooks together in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- No pre-cooking the pasta. The penne cooks right in the broth, milk, and pesto.
- Creamy without being swimming in sauce. The pasta absorbs the flavorful liquid as it bakes.
- Lots of flavor. Pesto, Italian-seasoned chicken, tomatoes, spinach, and two kinds of cheese have this thing covered.
- Easy enough for a Tuesday. Which is important, because Tuesday has enough problems already.
How to Make Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
1. Prepare the sauce
First, preheat oven to 375°F, then lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Then, add the chicken broth, milk, and pesto directly to the baking dish. Stir until well combined.
2. Add the pasta
Add the uncooked penne and stir well, making sure the pasta is coated in the pesto mixture and mostly submerged.
Next, sprinkle ½ cup of the mozzarella evenly over the pasta.
3. Layer the vegetables and chicken
Layer the halved cherry tomatoes and the chopped spinach over the top.
Then, on the chopping board where you cubed the chicken pieces, season with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Arrange the seasoned chicken evenly over the top.
4. Bake Your Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
The foil is important here. It traps the steam and helps cook the pasta, including the pieces that aren’t completely submerged in the liquid.
5. Add the cheese
Remove the foil and check that the chicken has reached 165°F and the pasta is tender.
Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup mozzarella and the Parmesan evenly over the top.
Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 10–15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden.
Let the pasta rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Top with fresh basil, if desired.
Pro Tips
Don’t skip the foil. This isn’t just covering the casserole for fun. The trapped steam helps cook the pasta evenly and keeps the exposed pieces from drying out.
Stir the pasta into the liquid first. Before adding the toppings, make sure the penne is well coated and mostly submerged. This gives the pasta the best chance of cooking evenly.
Season the chicken separately. It gives the chicken better flavor and a little color instead of leaving you with a casserole full of sad, naked white chicken cubes.
Cut the chicken evenly. One-inch pieces should cook at about the same rate and make the finished dish easy to scoop and serve.
Let it rest. Those five minutes give the sauce a chance to settle into the pasta instead of running all over the plate.
How to Customize Your Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
Want a little heat? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the pesto mixture.
You can also swap the penne for another similar-sized pasta shape, such as rotini or ziti. Just keep the amount at about 12 ounces so the liquid-to-pasta ratio stays where we want it.
For extra fresh flavor, don’t skip the basil. A little fresh basil scattered over the top just before serving makes the pesto taste brighter and gives the casserole a nice pop of color.
Search the Site for More Recipes
Looking for more easy dinners? Search the site for chicken, pasta, casseroles, or dinners. There’s plenty more where this came from, because as a food blogger, feeding people is my personality now.
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Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3/4 cup pesto
- 12 oz. uncooked penne pasta (or rotini or ziti)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken breast, cubed into 1" pieces
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Optional: chopped fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the broth, milk, and pesto directly to the baking dish. Whisk until well combined. Add the uncooked penne and stir well, making sure the pasta is coated in the pesto mixture and mostly submerged.Sprinkle ½ cup of the mozzarella evenly over the pasta.
- Layer the tomatoes and spinach in an even layer.
- Season chicken with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Layer chicken on top in even layer.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove and sprinkle remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese on top. Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Remove and rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
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