Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What goes well with creamy pesto pasta? ›

Serve the pasta with some crusty bread or freshly baked Rosemary Focaccia with Roasted Garlic to capture any creamy pesto left on your plate. For a side, I suggest staying light and fresh to balance the rich pasta sauce. A bright and crunchy Lemon Parmesan Lettuce Salad is this pasta recipe's perfect match.

What Is Creamy Pesto Made Of? Creamy pesto is basically regular basil pesto with the addition of heavy cream. This makes the sauce a bit milder but much creamier than regular pesto. You'll also need nuts (walnuts or pine nuts work well here), fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.

As a very rough guide, your pesto should weigh about 2/3 the weight of the dried pasta you are cooking. So, for a standard, single serving of 75g of dried pasta, we think that 50g of pesto is about right.

Additions - Some roasted or fresh cherry tomatoes would be delicious, I like to add fresh basil leaves to the top too. Pesto usually has pine nuts but you could add some extra toasted ones into the sauce. To add some greens you could mix through some chopped fresh spinach.

Now, thanks to the handy addition of spinach and breadcrumbs, you can jazz up that plain pesto pasta into something that's restaurant quality. This is the perfect dish for an intimate setting or entertaining a special someone. A glass of vino, some candles and music and you've got a winning date night.

According to Italian traditional eating habits, pasta al pesto is served as a first course; after it you can have any second (meat, poultry, fish) with or without side order. But AFTER it, not together! I agree with Paolo that alone it is enough but some fresh foccacia would go nicely and some good white wine too!

Pesto is incredibly flavorful and goes along way. It can be used in just about anything, from vegetables to a vinaigrette. Here is the ratio that I use: 4 ounces of uncooked pasta to 3 tablespoons of pesto.

Yes, pesto can be used straight from the jar and doesn't require cooking or heating. In fact, we actively discourage applying too much heat to pesto, as this will destroy many of the fresh flavours that producers work so hard to retain.

Italian Tradition

Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone. It can be mixed into tomato sauce to enhance the flavor of pasta dishes or used with fish fillets to make them more appetizing.

I usually use around 1/3 to 1/2 cup pesto per 1 pound of pasta. If you accidentally add too much pesto, just add in a bit more pasta water.

Do you put whole jar of pesto in pasta? ›

All personal taste IMO - I use about 1/3 - 1/2 jar but add extra olive oil, oh uses the whole jar and ruins it 🤷‍♀️ The kids prefer his way tbh! We serve the pasta and let everyone add however much they want.

Italian pine nuts are considered the finest in the world and are therefore eye-wateringly expensive. To make cost savings, many big producers source their pine nuts from China. Not a big issue, you might think, but these pine nuts are notorious for leaving a metallic aftertaste for some people, and that can last weeks.

The most common reason for pesto tasting bitter is that the olive oil is past its best and has started to turn rancid. If the pesto has been made in a food processor or blender, there's also the possibility that it has turned bitter from the crude, sheering action of the blades.

PESTO SHOULD NEVER BE “COOKED”. If you cook Pesto Sauce, you change the make up of the fresh basil and cause it to turn darker in color. It is best to warm it up and use it at room temperature. If it needs to be thinned out, you can do so by adding a little water, chicken stock, cream or white wine.

On pasta, as a base for pizza, use as a sandwich spread, on grilled cheese, atop roasted veggies or protein… pretty much anywhere that'd benefit from the addition of oil and herbs. Seconding the pizza suggestion; that stuff is fantastic! I like mixing pesto sauce with pasta, chicken breast and vegetables.

Chicken, sausage, and chickpeas are all delicious mix-ins. If you're in need of side dish inspiration, meanwhile, we've got you covered. Here are a few delicious recipes that pair well with pesto pasta: French Baguettes.

You are unlimited in choices for pairing proteins with pesto pasta. Some great options are chicken, shrimp, pork and beef. What is the secret to perfect pasta? Adding salt to the pasta cooking water and allowing the saucepan to come to the boil will help to ensure perfectly cooked pasta.