Creamy Pesto Hen Pasta (One Pot!)

Pesto is that one little trick that may instantly elevate the flavour of a dish. It packs an enormous punch in a comparatively small package deal, making the whole lot from grilled pizza to cheese and pesto stuffed zucchini, and this creamy pesto hen pasta that a lot tastier. 

My model of creamy pesto hen pasta is a one pot recipe, which suggests you prepare dinner the dried pasta noodles proper within the sauce. Like my different one pan pastas—Mexican spaghetti and creamy hen pasta are two favorites—this recipe is improbable for weeknights as a result of not solely is it simple to make, it’s simple to wash up afterwards!

One Pot Pesto Hen Pasta

A little bit bit indulgent. Between the cream, the Parmesan, and the pesto, this recipe tastes like one thing you’d order at a restaurant with a glass of white wine. (And don’t neglect the crusty bread and olive oil dipping sauce to sop up the sauce!)

Straightforward to customise. You should use this recipe as a springboard to create your personal model catered to your loved ones’s tastes. So long as you retain the proportions of liquid to pasta the identical, it’s exhausting to go flawed!

Fast and straightforward. The one pan cooking technique means this creamy pesto hen pasta is a breeze to make, nevertheless it has high-end taste that’s certain to impress.

Ingredient Notes

• Hen breasts: Boneless, skinless hen breasts make prep simple. Lower them into uniformly-sized cubes. 
• Olive oil: I take advantage of olive oil for cooking the hen and sautéing the aromatics. Different sorts of oil will be substituted for those who want.
• Diced onion and garlic: These two aromatics create a base of taste for the sauce.
• Low-sodium hen broth: As an alternative of cooking pasta in plain water, broth infuses taste into the pasta because it cooks. and it additionally types the bottom of the sauce. Use home made if in case you have it readily available!
• Pasta: Both penne or rotini work nicely and maintain the sauce superbly. Different sorts of pasta can be utilized however you might have to regulate the cooking time a bit.
• Heavy cream: A little bit trick is to let the cream come to room temperature. Heat cream blends higher into the sauce and received’t cool the whole lot down whenever you add it in.
• Pesto: I typically use my basil pesto recipe however store-bought pesto works completely tremendous. A jar of pesto is handy to have in your pantry. You can even use it for flavoring soups, like this hen tortellini soup, one in every of our favourite soup recipes.
• Grated Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated cheese is greatest, as it’s going to soften into the sauce extra easily (however I typically use the shelf-stable grated Parmesan and it’s completely tremendous!).
• Contemporary basil: An non-obligatory garnish, nevertheless it actually does add a pleasant enhance to the basil taste on this pasta dish.

How one can Make Creamy pesto Hen Pasta

Cook dinner the hen. Heat the oil in a big skillet set over medium-high warmth. As soon as it’s shimmering, add the hen and season it with salt and pepper. Cook dinner the hen items till they’re flippantly browned on all sides; this could take 6 to 7 minutes. The hen ought to be totally cooked with no pink remaining. Switch the hen to a clear plate.

Cook dinner the aromatics. Discard any juices from the pan; cut back the warmth to medium and add a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Cook dinner the onion till it softens, then stir within the garlic and prepare dinner, stirring consistently, till it’s aromatic, about one other minute.

Simmer. Pour within the broth and add the pasta. Improve the warmth to excessive, after which as soon as the broth involves a boil, cut back to a simmer. Cowl and prepare dinner for 12 to fifteen minutes, stirring often, till the pasta is al dente. It’s essential to stir it to ensure the pasta cooks evenly and doesn’t follow the underside of the pan.

Add the remaining sauce elements. Stir within the cream, pesto, and Parmesan cheese, together with the hen. Simmer over low warmth to permit the sauce to thicken a bit. Don’t boil the sauce; hold it to a low simmer.

End. Take away the pan from the burner, cowl it, and let the pasta cool for five minutes. It’s going to proceed to soak up the sauce and thicken up a bit. Season to style and garnish with extra Parmesan and basil earlier than serving.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

• Veg it up. Add your favourite veggies to amp up the diet and taste. Add thawed frozen peas or child spinach on the finish of the cooking time, sauté mushrooms with the onion, or steam broccoli and stir that in simply earlier than serving.
• Swap in hen thighs. In case you want hen thighs to hen breasts, you should utilize these as a substitute. I like to recommend boneless skinless hen thighs.
• Use leftover hen. Leftover spatchcock hen and even rotisserie hen would additionally work on this recipe. You may skip step one of cooking the hen, and easily stir within the cooked hen with the cream, pesto, and cheese.
• Attempt one other pesto selection. Arugula pesto and cilantro pesto each are good variations.

Serving Recommendations

Refrigerate: You probably have any leftover creamy pesto hen pasta, retailer it in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. As a result of this recipe is made with heavy cream, it shouldn’t be frozen; cream-based sauces are susceptible to splitting after freezing. In case you’d prefer to attempt a creamy sauce you can freeze, attempt my cauliflower alfredo sauce. It’s actually fairly wonderful!

Reheat: You may heat up the pasta in a pan on the stovetop over medium low warmth, including a splash of cream or broth to loosen up the sauce if wanted. The microwave additionally works so long as you’re cautious to not overheat it. The hot button is to maintain the warmth low regardless of which technique you select.