Pesto Chicken Pasta

30 minutes

Take the stress out of dinnertime with this easy Pesto Chicken Pasta!

Loaded with red and green peppers, onions, chicken, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese, this pasta is quick, easy, and SO delicious. Whether you’re a huge pesto fan or trying it for the first time, you’ll love the amazing flavor it adds to this pasta dish.

Perfect for busy weeknights, Sunday family dinners, or even date nights, this Pesto Chicken Pasta comes together quickly and is guaranteed to become a favorite!

HOW DO YOU MAKE PESTO CHICKEN PASTA?

1. Prepare 8 oz. linguine according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Cook 1.5 lbs. sliced chicken breast over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Remove from pan.
3. In the same pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and saute 1 sliced red pepper, 1 sliced green pepper, and 1/2 red onion, sliced,  and until tender-crisp.
4. Add cooked chicken, linguine, 6 oz. pesto, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1/4 c. pine nuts, and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese. Heat through.

WHERE DO YOU FIND PESTO?

Pesto can be found in the Italian food aisle of your grocery store. It is sold by the jar and you can often find different flavors. For this recipe I used basil pesto.

I clearly remember, back in the day, when I finally had my own apartment in college. And I could finally start making my own meals, instead of eating the same old dorm food all the time. And although most of what I made was by no means gourmet…I did like to try my hand at the occasional new recipe.

So I attempted things like homemade gnocchi and bruschetta (made with day old bread from Jimmy Johns). I hosted my first dinner parties and liked to pretend I knew what I was doing. And I made a LOT of pasta.

But not just any pasta. I mean, there’s nothing fancy about buttered noodles or jarred spaghetti sauce. No, from the very start, I had ideas. And this Pesto Chicken Pasta was one of them.

The truth is….once you try pesto, and realize how much flavor is packed into every. single. bite….you kind of want to put it in everything. Or maybe that’s just me.

Regardless, somewhere along the line I got my first taste of it, and from that point on I was hooked. I started adding it to sandwiches, like this Pesto Avocado Melt, and soups, like this White Bean Pesto Soup. I started adding it to salads and deviled eggs and pizzas and pretty much anything I could think of.

And I kept making this Pesto Chicken Pasta. Again and again and again.

There’s something about the peppers and onions and chicken that, to me, feels like a no-brainer. And when you add pine nuts and Parmesan cheese and PESTO…..not only is it a no-brainer, but it’s a completely delicious no-brainer!

This Pesto Chicken Pasta has the perfect blend of flavors and colors and textures, and it literally couldn’t be easier to make. It’s ready in 30 minutes or less, easy to prep in advance, and it requires very little hands on time. Which means it’s the ideal meal for busy people! In other words, all of us!

To make this Pesto Chicken Pasta exceptionally easy, I chose to use prepared basil pesto, which is available in the Italian food aisle at your local grocery store. Of course, you can also make your own pesto using this recipe, or you can mix things up by using sun dried tomato pesto.

Any way you make it, you’re going to love this Pesto Chicken Pasta. And, if you’re anything like me, you might just decide you need to start adding pesto to ALL THE THINGS. Because, just like bacon, pesto really does make EVERYTHING better!

Pesto Chicken Pasta

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Take the stress out of dinnertime with this easy Pesto Chicken Pasta! Loaded with red and green peppers, onions, chicken, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese, this pasta is quick, easy, and SO delicious. Whether you're a huge pesto fan or trying it for the first time, you'll love the amazing flavor it adds to this pasta dish. Perfect for busy weeknights, Sunday family dinners, or even date nights, this Pesto Chicken Pasta comes together quickly and is guaranteed to become a favorite! 

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Ingredients

• 8 oz. linguine noodles (1/2 box)
• 1.5 lbs. chicken breast, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 6 oz. jar pesto
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shaved

Instructions

1. Prepare linguine according to package instructions. Drain.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Remove from pan.
3. In the same pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and saute peppers and onions until tender-crisp.
4. Add cooked chicken, linguine, pesto, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, pine nuts, and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese. Heat through.
5. Top with remaining parmesan cheese before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 456Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 296mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 34g