Basil Pesto Chicken Pasta
When you think of fresh summer flavors, you certainly think of pesto, right? Right. Bright, bold pesto adds herbaceous earthiness to nearly any dish. Typically made with aromatic basil, pine nuts, and a hint of citrus, it absolutely screams summer. We love incorporating homemade basil pesto in a variety of our family’s seasonal meal plans, like weekend favorites Healthy Pesto Chicken Kebabs with Cool Quinoa Pilaf and Pesto Pizza with Burrata Prosciutto and Microgreens recipe. For an unbelievably quick, refreshing, and utterly delicious summer weeknight dinner that’s ready in less than 30 minutes, you’ve got to try this Basil Pesto Chicken Pasta!
The Best Homemade Pesto Pasta Recipe
Basil pesto is positively the star of this otherwise simple chicken pasta dish. I mean, aren’t pasta dishes with chicken a pretty common combination for any busy household? There are so many ways to jazz up these staples with great flavors and textures, but adding homemade pesto is probably my favorite. I just love the light, zesty, familiar yet still exciting taste of a perfect Basil Pesto Chicken Pasta! Not only is this a great recipe for summer because it includes seasonal ingredients, but chicken pasta with pesto is also actually meant to be served at room temperature or cold. It’s so wonderfully refreshing and filling, without being too heavy.
What Ingredients You Need
Every home chef needs to have a basic homemade pesto recipe on hand. Our easy version of classic basil pesto might just be your new go-to recipe!
Here’s what you need to make the Best Basil Pesto from scratch:
Fresh basil leaves – brings in the lovely green pesto color and bold herbaceous flavor Pine nuts – the blended texture provides thickness and a light nutty essence Pecorino or parmesan cheese – adds a little sharpness to the flavor Garlic – add a little or a lot: You can always add more if you like extra garlicky flavor. Lemon juice – to brighten and balance the pesto Extra-virgin olive oil – neutralizes the acidity in the lemon juice and offers a subtle flavor Salt and pepper – always
PRO TIP: You can turn this traditional basil pesto into a brilliant creamy pesto sauce by adding ½ – 1 cup of heavy cream at the end. It’s important to mention, people tend to want to overdo the garlic in pesto. Typically the more garlic the better, but that’s not necessarily the case for this recipe. Because the garlic is raw, it can have a very sharp flavor that does not complement the sweet basil. One raw clove is usually plenty!
To make the pasta portion of this Pesto Chicken Recipe, all you need is:
Small pasta, such as ziti, fusilli, or gemelli Shredded cooked chicken (boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs)
This is a terrific quick recipe to include in a weeknight meal plan. It’s perfect for using chicken breasts cooked during your weekly meal prep session, or leftovers from a previous roasted chicken dinner.
How To Make Homemade Basil Pesto
It is so incredibly easy to make fresh pesto from scratch in only a few minutes! Here’s how: This basil pesto will keep well for up to 4-5 days total in the fridge when stored in an airtight container. It is great for making a day or so ahead of the complete chicken pasta dish.
How To Make Pesto Pasta
Once you’ve got your pesto made from scratch, on hand, the rest of this Pesto Chicken Pasta dish comes together very quickly.
Get the Complete (Printable) Homemade Basil Pesto Chicken Pasta Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Looking for More Scrumptious Pasta Recipes?
Skinny Pasta Primavera Recipe One Pot Chicken Pasta with Light Basil Cream Sauce Shrimp Scampi Greek Pasta The Best Italian Pasta Salad Recipe Pesto Chicken Baked Tortellini No-Boil Chicken Parmesan Pasta Recipe Spinach Artichoke Pasta Recipe Cilantro Lime Shrimp Pasta Recipe Chicken Piccata Pasta Recipe
Share This Recipe With Friends!
