This Chicken Pesto Pasta is simple and delicious. It’s the perfect recipe for those nights where you can’t seem to figure out what to whip together. It’s sure to keep the whole family full and happy.
Every so often, when I’ve had a long week, I’ll get to Friday and realize I’ve forgotten to go to the grocery. Just this last week I found myself in this situation on a Friday night where I just wanted to relax and play boardgames with my kids. The thought of heading out to the grocery was the last thing I wanted to do, so I decided to play a little game for dinner that I like to call “what the heck do I have in the refrigerator”. Ever played this game before?
I love cooking and while I’ve gotten pretty good about planning meals ahead of time, I’m also very skilled at keeping my pantry and refrigerator well stocked with foods that will last us for weeks, even months. So, whenever I think I don’t have anything to cook, I in fact have plenty of amazing (and easy) choices right at my fingertips.
Anyway, back to my most recent dinnertime game. How did I “win” it that night? I grabbed some cheese from the fridge, some pasta from the pantry, some basil pesto (you could use Hemp Seed Pesto too) and leftover roast chicken from the freezer and got to work. Before the hubs and kids were coming downstairs, ready for our family night, the pesto and chicken were defrosted and dinner was moments away.
Pesto is so versatile, I use it in tons of recipes like Turkey Pesto Meatballs, Chicken Pesto Wraps and Halibut Pesto Kabobs to name a few!
This Chicken Pesto Pasta is one of those meals that’s seriously fast. It’s even faster if you buy rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, but at times like these, I’m all about what I’ve got on hand. Remember, the whole point of this game is to not have to get back in the car to head to the market!
If you’re looking for more super simple pasta recipes try our Wild Mushroom Pasta, Lemon Shrimp Pasta or Lightened Up Spaghetti Carbonara. They’re some of my go-tos!
Chicken Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta (you can also use shells, campanelle or elbow macaroni)
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Drain pasta and add back to the pot.
- Mix in the pesto, chicken, parmesan, mozzarella cheese, and salt, and serve.
This dish was a hit tonight! My very picky 3 year old loved it!
I make a similar dish for my uber picky 14 month old. Instead of basil; which is tough to find sometimes in the winter time, I use 1 cup of toasted pine nuts, 2 cups cooked chicken, 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 garlic gloves, 1/4 cup grated parmasen cheese and 6 sundried tomatoes (in oil). I stick all of these ingredients in the food processor and put it on cooked rotini and he loves it warm or cold.!
I love Trader Joe’s for almost everything! You can also make other types of pesto! http://b12.ba4.myftpupload.com/2011/02/22/pistachio-pesto/
Hi Katherine. Not sure if you have a Trader Joe’s near by but I highly recommend their pesto. It’s in a jar near the dry pasta and canned tomatoes. It is the best jar pesto I’ve tasted.
Does anyone have any suggestions for tasty store-bought pesto. I love making my own, but basil isn’t always available where I live, or it’s $2.00 for a few stalks, not really enough to make pesto!
Made this for my daughter and I. It was tasty. I think next time I will throw in some chopped zucchini!
I bet if you add some cherry tomatoes, this would make a fantastic cold summer pasta salad!
With the 2 cups of cheese and the super flavourful pesto, isn’t the extra 1 teaspoon of salt a bit much? I know that everyone has different tastes but I don’t think I’ve ever added that much salt to a non-baking dish before, especially if I was feeding children. Is it regular table salt that you use?
I’m not doubting that the recipe could taste fantastic, I just tend to cook with much less, or even no salt if at all possible.
Looks yummy!
Oops! I corrected it. Everything gets mixed together at the end after the pasta is drained!
I was wondering what the extra 1/2 cup of mozzarella and salt are used for?
thanks!
You hardly need a recipe for this, but thanks for the reminder. My kids haven’t even woken up yet, and already lunch is handled! Thank you for the inspiration.
Pesto is my favorite go-to topping when I’m short on time. On fish, chicken, egg pesto melt, pizza and more!
I always have a jar of pesto in the fridge, you never know when you might need it! Makes anything posh and tasty in seconds!