The Lazy 5-Ingredient Chicken Pasta I Can’t Stop Making

Pasta is the food I turn to when I don’t feel like cooking. I always keep noodles in my pantry and a few ingredients to pull together a sauce. While the convenience of pasta is one reason I love the dish, it’s also one of my favorite comfort foods.

A great pasta recipe, no matter the style, is nourishing, wholesome, and delicious. Like stew, a pasta dinner always makes me feel better. But if there’s one pasta recipe I turn to week after week, especially in the summer when I’m looking for a pasta that matches the season, it’s one that uses chicken and pesto.

With an average rating of 4.5 stars, our pesto pasta with chicken is a recipe that proves you can cook, regardless of your skill level. With only a handful of ingredients, this recipe is one of the best—and easiest—pesto dinners on Allrecipes.

How to Make Pesto Chicken Pasta

Pasta can take less than 30 minutes from start to finish, or it can take an arm and a leg. It all depends on the number of ingredients and how many store-bought products you choose to use. 

Thankfully, this recipe prioritizes convenience with great success by opting for store-bought pesto. From there, you’ll just need bow tie pasta, garlic, skinless, boneless chicken breasts, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, and crushed red pepper flakes, if you like a bit of heat.

“Made this dish last night regardless of my daughter’s protest that she didn’t like pesto. Her comment with her first bite? ‘Can we have this every night?’” shared an Allrecipes member who tried the recipe. I’m telling you, it’s that good.

To make the recipe, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Next, sauté garlic in olive oil, then add chicken and red pepper flakes. While a spicy kick may not be for everyone, red pepper brings more great flavor to the recipe. Reduce the quantity if you’re concerned about the heat level.

Once the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, transfer to a mixing bowl and toss with pesto sauce, pasta, and sun-dried tomatoes. Generally, I use more pesto than the recipe calls for because I love a saucy pasta, especially when I’m using pesto. Top with cheese or nuts if desired. 

Tips for Making Pesto Chicken Pasta

1. Choose your pesto wisely. Since the pesto is the star of the show, your choice of sauce matters. Several store-bought brands offer a quality pesto, like Costco’s Kirkland brand, which won our taste test. And, if you have the time and don’t mind a little extra effort, why not try to make pesto sauce from scratch? It requires few ingredients and can be whizzed together pretty easily in a food processor or blender.
2. Consider additional ingredients. I am a purist, so I like my pesto pasta on the simpler side, but if you want to fill out the recipe, consider adding ingredients like onion, zucchini, fresh cherry tomatoes, or cheese. Pine nuts, or even pistachio nuts, are a great topping for this pasta, too.
3. Take advantage of the sun-dried tomatoes. Rather than sautéing your garlic and chicken in olive oil, plenty of reviewers use the oil from their jar of sun-dried tomatoes, which tastes sweeter, tangier, and richer than olive oil.
4. Marinate your chicken. This simple step will help chicken retain moisture and impart flavor, resulting in a more juicy, tender cut. A little salt and pepper will do the trick, but one reviewer marinated the chicken with Italian dressing and pesto vinaigrette dressing. While a full day of marinating will bring the best results, a couple of hours or even 30 minutes helps create a tender chicken breast.

Praise From the Allrecipes Community

With over 600 5-star reviews, this pasta recipe steals the show with its simplicity and pesto goodness. Here’s why this is a go-to dinner for many.  

• “For how simple this is, and how quickly it comes together, it was really good!! This is a GREAT weeknight meal,” says reviewer DREGINEK. “All in all, super happy with this and can’t wait to make again!”
• “Great dish. My husband loved it! Very easy to make after a long day at work (and it is good the next day for lunch too),” says one Allrecipes member. “When I have more time, I may try to make my own pesto, but Contadina worked for me!”
• “We’re a pasta kind of family. This was so easy to make for a family of 8, fairly budget friendly, and tastes amazing. I tend to cook different dinners for fussy eaters, but this pleased everyone, so it’s going on our meal’s menu,” adds another Allrecipes member.