Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Updated Jun 27, 2025
This pesto pasta with chicken is made with spaghetti noodles and seared chicken breasts tossed in a pesto sauce and is ready in 20 minutes.
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My Pesto pasta with chicken is soo good!
This chicken pesto pasta is one of my go-to meals. It’s a quick and easy, comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Pesto is one of my all-time favorite sauces. It’s so flavorful and versatile and goes great with just about anything. I especially love it paired with chicken and pasta. I have my own recipe for pesto that I prefer to use for this recipe, but you can use any pesto you like.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Pesto Pasta With Chicken Ingredients
- Spaghetti: I like classic spaghetti for this recipe, but if you’re not a fan of white pasta, you can use wheat, gluten-free, or a veggie mix (in any shape).
- Pesto: I’m all for making my own homemade pesto, but store-bought pesto is totally fine.
- Parmesan cheese: Use grated Parmesan so it mixes in with the pasta.
- Butter: I like unsalted butter here, but whatever butter you have in the fridge should be good!
- Chicken: I usually go for chicken breasts for this recipe, but you can definitely sub in thighs if you prefer dark meat.
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika make up the chicken seasoning for me, but feel free to mix and match your seasoning to taste.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is best, but bottled will do!
- Olive oil: Any cooking oil you have on hand is great.
How to Make Pesto Pasta With Chicken
Pesto Pasta with Chicken Recipe
This pesto pasta with chicken is made with spaghetti noodles and seared chicken breasts tossed in a pesto sauce and is ready in 20 minutes.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- ½ cup pesto
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 6- ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain.
- Return drained pasta to the same pot over low heat and add the pesto, Parmesan cheese and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add in reserved pasta water gradually until the sauce is glossy.
- Preheat a grill pan to medium high heat. Add the olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika and transfer to the heated skillet. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes, then slice into strips and add on top of the pesto pasta.
- Add the lemon juice on top and garnish with fresh basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Storage: If you have extra pesto sauce, store it in a jar or airtight container in the fridge for one week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. To prevent oxidizing in the fridge, you can pour olive oil on top or wrap with a plastic wrap directly touching the surface. Store leftover pasta with chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 465kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 573mg, Potassium: 293mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 631IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 151mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Tips
- Cook your pasta al dente. My favorite pasta is cooked al dente, which means it’s cooked through but still has a bit of bite to it. If you strain your pasta just before the cook-time on the box, it’ll prevent the pasta from becoming mushy and overcooked!
- Shock the pasta. After your pasta is cooked, “shock” it in cold water to stop the cooking process. This will help you get that perfect al dente texture!
- Make sure your chicken is fully cooked. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness!
Serving Ideas
- Pair with fresh Italian veggies. If you’re looking to balance out a classic, protein-heavy pasta dish like this one, why not bring in a classic chopped Italian salad? Full of crunchy zest, it’s the perfect spaghetti complement.
- Garlic! Bread! When I’m in the mood for a proper Italian supper, the only perfect side to a big plate of pesto pasta is a loaf of homemade garlic bread, to sop up all the extra sauce.
- Pivot to pasta salad. When I’ve got chicken pesto pasta leftovers, I love to transform the dish into a cold pasta salad. Just cube your chicken, add a little red wine vinegar, and toss in sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and feta. Instantly, you have a whole new meal!
Comments
Tried the recipe exception- I cut chicken in cubes – it “was” delicious – I did not have any lemons – did not miss it. Excellent recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this one!
Made this tonight and it was fabulous!!! Wish I could add my photo.
I know me too! You can share it with me on Instagram!
How much pesto ?
Hi Leticia, it’s 1/2 cup of pesto. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you’ll find the recipe card with all the exact measurements. Enjoy!
This is not a dairy free recipe – store bought pesto contains cheese, and this recipe also uses butter (dairy) and cheese (dairy). If you served this to someone who has allergies or religious reasons for avoiding dairy, they would be very upset.
To make this dish vegan or dairy-free, simply omit the Parmesan cheese from the pesto. You can also use a vegan pesto recipe.
I don’t believe the recipe stated it was dairy free. Either substitute or omit the cheese and butter and don’t serve it to people with religious reasons or dairy allergies.
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Thanks for sharing..
Thank you!
Big fan of pasta and pesto, nice recipe!
Thanks Ali!
It is all about pasta with pesto sauce. Yummy.