Garlic butter chicken pesto pasta
This garlic butter chicken pesto pasta recipe with juicy chicken bites cooked with paprika, lemon and garlic is a delicious, easy dinner idea.
Ingredients
The beauty of this pasta dish is that it needs minimal effort and delivers huge on flavor. The garlic butter chicken bites are seared in a hot pan before adding butter, garlic, paprika and lemon and served with the pasta that has been tossed in the chicken’s juices and fresh basil pesto. To make creamy pesto sauce, add a half cup of heavy cream. You could add vegetables like baby spinach, zucchini, red peppers, cherry tomatoes or asparagus too.
For the garlic butter chicken
- Chicken. I used boneless skinless chicken breast but chicken thighs can be used too.
- Olive oil.
- Lemon juice.
- Garlic powder.
- Smoked paprika. Other seasonings like Italian seasoning, onion powder, red pepper flakes, etc. can also be added.
- Salt and black pepper.
- Butter.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
For the pesto pasta
- Pasta. I used spaghetti but penne pasta, linguine or rigatoni will all work.
- Fresh basil pesto.
- Parmesan cheese, to serve.
How to make chicken pesto pasta
- Cook the chicken: Chop chicken into bite-size pieces then place in a medium bowl. Drizzle over olive oil and season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic powder and paprika. Mix to combine. Heat a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat then add the chicken and cook in batched to avoid overcrowding the pan, until the chicken is golden brown on all sides and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then add the pasta. Cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water then drain.
- Combine: Stir the basil pesto into the remaining garlic butter you cooked the chicken in then add the pasta and chicken to the basil pesto sauce. Add a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and toss to combine. Serve with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Can I make this ahead?
This pesto chicken pasta recipe is definitely best served immediately but leftovers can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat, transfer to a large pan set over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of chicken broth and simmer until the chicken is hot throughout. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the pasta and sauce but you can marinate the chicken and transfer to a freezer bag then freeze for up to 3 months before thawing and cooking as instructed.
Chicken pasta recipes
Garlic butter chicken pesto pasta
Ingredients
- 500 g (1lb) chicken breasts I used boneless skinless chicken breast but chicken thighs can be used too.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp butter
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 500 g (1lb) pasta I used spaghetti but penne pasta, linguine or rigatoni will all work.
- ½ cup fresh basil pesto
- Parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Chop chicken into bite-size pieces then place in a medium bowl.
- Drizzle over olive oil and season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic powder and paprika. Mix to combine.
- Heat a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat then add the chicken and cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes then add the butter and crushed garlic and continue cooking until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
- Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil then add the pasta.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water then drain.
- Stir the basil pesto into the remaining garlic butter you cooked the chicken in then add the pasta and chicken.
- Add a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water and toss to combine.
- Serve with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
I made this for dinner this evening. It was so simple and delicious. I had a question about the garlic and butter. I did not see when to add them, so I added them to my skillet while the pasta was finishing. I brought the butter and garlic to a simmer so they could mix a little and added the pasta and chicken as written. It was amazing, I was just curious if I missed a step somewhere. Thanks for a new add to my dinner rotation.
I’m so glad you liked this recipe. I fixed the instructions, trying to make it more clear when to add the garlic butter. 🙂