Chicken pesto cream pasta with broccoli takes advantage of a few store-bought shortcuts for a quick, easy, and flavorful 30-minute stovetop dinner!
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If you’re looking for even more 30-minute recipes, don’t miss this Southwest ground beef and rice skillet, an easy red beans and rice recipe, and this basic spaghetti carbonara recipe, too!
Pesto Cream Chicken Pasta is an Easy Weeknight Dinner
My boys have loved pesto pasta for as long as they could chew solid foods, so I’m always looking for new and different ways to keep this family-favorite interesting, delicious, and easy! By adding some chicken and broccoli, then jazzing up the sauce with a touch of heavy cream and plenty of freshly-grated Parmesan, I landed on this winning pesto cream pasta!
Best of all, the meal doesn’t require much more time or effort than simply boiling a pot of noodles. You’ll love the shortcuts that get this weeknight dinner on the table from start to finish in about 30 minutes!
The Basil Pesto Cream Sauce Brings it all Together
If you have a garden full of fresh basil, then you might be very happy to whip up your own batch of homemade pesto from scratch in the blender or food processor. It’s just a simple blend of basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, grated cheese and (sometimes) butter.
If you’re looking for a shortcut, or if you don’t have access to fresh basil, then just grab a jar of store-bought pesto to use in this dish (we like this refrigerated Giovanni Rana basil pesto). To make the basil pesto cream sauce, you’ll cook the traditional pesto in a skillet with butter, garlic, chicken broth, cream, and Parmesan cheese. It’s obviously a delicious combination — and a great twist on the classic Italian sauce.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- I used penne pasta here, but you can substitute with another short pasta. Something with curves, ridges, or grooves — like elbows, rigatoni, rotini, cavatappi, orecchiette, medium shells, and fusilli — is great because the shape and texture helps the basil pesto cream sauce cling to the noodles.
- Instead of the fresh broccoli florets, you can use frozen broccoli florets when necessary.
- Do not substitute with half-and-half or whole milk in this sauce. The heavy cream provides the best texture and flavor, and is the least likely to separate or curdle when simmered in the skillet.
- Use freshly-grated Parmesan (not the canned pre-grated stuff), and make sure that it’s shredded to a very fine consistency on a microplane or on the smallest side of a box grater. This will ensure that the Parmesan melts smoothly into the cream sauce.
- You’ll need about 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken for this dish. I like to use a store-bought rotisserie chicken for convenience, but you can certainly boil your own chicken at home if you prefer.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Prep all of your ingredients in advance, because this meal comes together quickly on the stovetop! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Boil the pasta and broccoli in a pot of well-salted water, then drain. Make sure that you cook the pasta slightly less than al dente (about 1 minute shorter than called for on the package), because it will continue to cook in the skillet with the sauce. You don’t want to end up with overdone, mushy pasta noodles at the end.
- Simmer the basil pesto cream sauce in a large skillet. Make sure that the cream is at room temperature when you add it to the skillet. This will help to prevent it from curdling or separating in the pan.
- Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, and chicken to the sauce. Toss to combine.
- Simmer gently so that the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 2 more minutes.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Garnish with toasted pecans, lemon wedges (or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice), red pepper flakes, extra Parmesan or fresh herbs (like fresh basil leaves), if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Pair the chicken and pesto cream pasta alongside a simple green salad dressed in balsamic vinaigrette, this house salad with candied pecans, this homemade focaccia bread recipe, this easy baguette bread recipe, garlic bread, sauteed spinach with garlic, creamed peas, or roasted asparagus.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- This dish is best served immediately while the sauce is warm and the broccoli is fresh.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheat the creamy pesto pasta gently over low heat on the stovetop just until warmed through, or put individual portions in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and warm for about 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to boil the sauce. Overcooked pasta will also become gummy and mushy, while the chicken can be tough and the broccoli can get mushy.
- I do not recommend freezing leftovers, as the cream sauce may “break” or take on a grainy, undesirable texture when thawed.
Pesto Cream Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli
Ingredients
- ½ lb. uncooked penne pasta (or sub with another short pasta, such as rigatoni, rotini, farfalle, or fusilli)
- 1 cup fresh broccoli florets, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto (we like this homemade pesto or this store-bought Giovanni Rana pesto)
- ½ cup finely-grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups cooked, pulled or diced chicken (such as the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
- ¼ cup chopped, toasted pecans, optional
- Optional garnish: crushed red pepper flakes, lemon wedges, additional Parmesan, chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of well salted boiling water for 1 minute less than al dente, according to package instructions. During the final 2 minutes of the cooking time, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water with the pasta. Drain.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, increase the heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the liquid is at a gentle simmer. Stir in the cream, pesto, and Parmesan until smooth.
- Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, and chicken to the sauce. Let it bubble and thicken slightly, stirring frequently, until all of the ingredients are warmed through, about 2 more minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with toasted pecans and other optional toppings if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Add spinach or frozen peas at the end of the cooking time. Spinach and peas only need a couple of minutes to soften in the dish.
- Instead of chicken, use Italian sausage. Just make sure to brown and drain the sausage before adding it to the skillet.
- Add a can of drained, petite-diced tomatoes or swap out the broccoli for fresh cherry tomatoes. Sundried tomatoes would also be great in this dish.
- Sautéed sliced mushrooms would be a nice addition to the creamy pesto sauce as well.
- Fresh herbs add great flavor! Try extra basil, parsley, chives, thyme, or oregano.
- Add cooked, chopped bacon or pancetta to the pasta.
- Omit the pecans, or substitute with toasted almonds, pine nuts, hazelnuts, or walnuts.
More Recipes with Pesto
Shrimp Pesto Pasta
30 minutes mins
Sausage Pesto Pasta
25 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Pesto Alfredo Chicken Pasta
52 minutes mins
Originally published in May, 2021, this post was updated in April, 2025.
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