Creamy Pesto Chicken Broccoli Pasta
Creamy pesto chicken broccoli pasta is easy to make in 30 minutes with chicken, broccoli, spinach, and pesto spinach, tossed in a cream sauce. This dish is what dreams are made of: comfort food still packed with lots of veggies. It will leave everyone wanting more! It's just that good!
Servings: 6
Equipment
- Pot
- Frying pan
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper or more to taste
Pasta
- 1/2 lb pasta of choice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ yellow onion
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ⅓ cup pesto
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cups shredded parmesan cheese
- 1-2 cups cooked broccoli
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- ½ tsp favorite seasoning blend
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the chicken: add oil to a large skillet over medium heat and cook seasoned chicken until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
- Cook pasta: cook your favorite pasta according to the package instructions. While the pasta cooks, start making your sauce. Reserve some pasta water to use for the sauce later.
- Sauté aromatics: To the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, add a bit more oil if you need to, and sauté the onions until soft and translucent. Then, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Then add the tomato paste and pesto.
- Make the sauce: Slowly whisk in the heavy cream. Don’t be afraid to deglaze the bottom of the pan. The bottom bits add extra flavor. Bring it to a simmer, then add seasonings and most of the cheese (leave some parmesan cheese to top the pasta with at the end).
- Assemble and serve: Return cooked chicken to the skillet. Add cooked pasta, spinach, and broccoli, and toss everything together in the sauce. Add some of the reserved pasta water to get the desired sauce consistency. Serve hot garnished with extra Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you find the sauce to be too thick, use some reserved pasta water to thin it out.
- If you like your pasta dishes a bit spicy, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes either into the sauce or on top just before serving.