Summer is the season of light bright flavors and minimal cooking, and this chicken pesto pasta is bringing all that—and more—to your weeknight table. Featuring store-bought pesto along with just six other ingredients, this 30-minute, one-pan meal is truly the lazy cook’s dream. Don’t be surprised if you end up (willingly!) eating the leftovers for lunch every day until they run out.
Recipe Tips
- Choose a pesto you love: While there are other ingredients to enhance the overall flavor, this pasta sauce is primarily pesto, so whatever pesto you use will have a big impact on the flavor. If you use store-bought pesto, make sure you’ve tasted it and that you like the flavor before adding it to your dish.
- Mix up the pasta shapes: Penne is great here—but if there’s another short pasta shape you love, feel free to try it out. Fusilli, rotini, or farfalle would all be great options.
Substitutions & Alternatives
- If heavy cream is hard to find, beyond your grocery budget or you’re watching your calorie intake, you may replace it with all-purpose cream instead. Just take note that this type of cream might be sweeter than heavy cream; adjust accordingly by adding or reducing salt and Parmesan. Remember to taste, taste, taste!
Storage
If you have leftovers, this pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you’re okay with cold pasta, I actually recommend eating the leftovers cold rather than reheating—it’s tricky to rewarm this pasta sauce without it turning into a greasy puddle. The cold leftovers, on the other hand, almost give pesto pasta salad vibes.