Pesto Chicken Pasta

Cheesy, delicious and full of flavor, Pesto Chicken Pasta is a recipe you must try!  This yummy pasta dish is a recipe your entire family will enjoy.

Last week I was totally craving pasta and cheese. I thought about making this yummy Baked Ziti with Spinach and Sausage but I didn’t have any sausage and I had some chicken that needed to be used.

I also wanted something a little different, not a tomato based dish, so I decided to use pesto and balsamic vinegar instead!  With some store bought pesto this dish is easy to put together.

How to Make Pesto Chicken Pasta

• Pound the chicken breast to 1/2 inch thick and then cover with pesto and allow to marinade for at least two hours.  Flattening the chicken allows the it to cook faster and more evenly.
• Cover both sides of chicken with pesto.  Place in refrigerator for a couple of hours if possible.  I have also cooked it right away and it still tastes delicious.
• After the chicken is done marinating, brown the chicken in a pan on the stove top for about 5 minutes until cooked through.  You can also bake it in the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.

• Cook your pasta according to your package directions.  Make sure not to overcook.  You want the pasta to still be firm, al dente, because it will continue to cook a bit in the oven.
• While the noodles cook, combine the tomatoes, oil, basil, and balsamic vinegar.  Dice the pesto chicken and add to the mixture.
• Drain the noodles and combine them with the other ingredients.  Pout the pesto chicken pasta into a 9 x 13 and cover with mozzarella cheese.  Then bake at  300 degrees until the cheese is melted.

Check out more of my easy pasta dinners:

Roasted Cherry Tomato Garlic & Chicken Pasta

Penne with Spinach and Chicken Sausage

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Pesto Chicken Pasta Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Pesto Chicken Pasta

Deliciously cheesy and full of wonderful balsamic and pesto flavor.

Course Main Course, Pasta Main Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword balsamic pesto chicken, chicken pasta, pesto chicken

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Leigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
• 1 lb penne pasta
• 3/4 c pesto
• 2 c tomatoes diced
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 4 Tbs fresh basil chopped
• 2 C mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Place pounded chicken breasts and pesto in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a few hours.
  
• Cook chicken in the skillet until the outside is browned and the chicken is fully cooked.  Then dice the chicken breasts into bite size pieces.
• Cook pasta according to package directions.
• In a bowl, mix together tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and basil.
• Combine the tomato mixture, diced chicken, salt and pepper and cooked pasta and pour into a 9x13 pan.  Cover with shredded Mozarella.
• Bake at 300 until cheese is melted and bubbly and mixture is heated through. Approx. 20 minutes.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 531mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1070IU | Vitamin C: 6.7mg | Calcium: 205mg | Iron: 1.7mg

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This recipe was originally shared on November 19, 2003