Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
Al dente pasta tossed with seared chicken in a rich, pesto-swirled cream sauce. Ready in 30 minutes — tastes like a restaurant dish, comes together like a weeknight one.
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
2
Ingredients
- 170 g pasta (penne)
- 200 g chicken breast
- 110 ml heavy cream
- 2 tsp pesto
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan (optional)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 100 ml reserved pasta water
Method
- 1
Boil the pasta in salted water until just al dente — don't overcook it. Before draining, set aside about 100ml of the pasta water.
- 2
Cut the chicken breast into small cubes. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken with salt and pepper for 6-8 minutes, until fully cooked through.
- 3
Lower the heat slightly, add the finely chopped or grated garlic, and stir for 30-45 seconds until fragrant.
- 4
Pour in the cream and let it simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.
- 5
Stir in the pesto. If the sauce looks too thick, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta water.
- 6
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss until well coated in the sauce. Stir in the parmesan now, if using.
- 7
Finish with black pepper, a pinch of chili flakes if you like, and a few fresh basil leaves.
Nutrition per serving
740kcal
Calories
46g
Protein
66g
Carbs
31g
Fat
3g
Fiber