One-Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

• 0.333 cup Barilla Creamy Genovese Pesto Sauce
• 1 lb Boneless skinless chicken breast filets
• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 4 cloves Fresh garlic (Minced)
• 0.5 lb Spaghetti
• 1 cup Pasta water (Reserved after cooking the spaghetti; add as needed)
• 1 cup Unsweetened heavy whipping cream
• 0.25 cup Freshly grated parmesan cheese (Used in the sauce)
• 1 tsp Black pepper (Used for seasoning the chicken and cream sauce)
• 1 tsp Paprika powder (Used in the chicken marinade)
• 1 tsp Garlic powder (Used in the chicken marinade)
• Salt (To taste; used to lightly salt the pasta water, season the chicken, and season the sauce)
• 1 tbsp Crushed red chili flakes
• 1 cup Cherry tomatoes
• Fresh basil (For garnish)
• Parmesan cheese (Grated, for garnish)

Steps

1. 1

   Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

2. 2

   Add the spaghetti and cook for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and set it aside.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, place the chicken in a bowl. Add the salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder, and marinate for 30 minutes.

4. 4

   In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.

5. 5

   Add the marinated chicken to the skillet and sauté until fully cooked.

6. 6

   Remove the cooked chicken filets from the skillet, slice them into strips, and set them aside.

7. 7

   In the same skillet, add the minced garlic and cherry tomatoes. Sauté for 1 minute.

8. 8

   Stir in the heavy cream.

9. 9

   Season the cream mixture with salt, black pepper, and crushed red chili flakes.

10. 10

    Add the creamy Genovese pesto sauce and grated parmesan cheese.

11. 11

    Add the cooked spaghetti and toss everything together.

12. 12

    Mix in the reserved pasta water as needed until the sauce is glossy.

13. 13

    Arrange the sliced chicken strips on top of the pesto pasta.

14. 14

    Garnish with fresh basil leaves and grated parmesan cheese, then serve.

Notes

The source calls this a one-pot pasta, although the instructions cook the spaghetti separately before combining it with the chicken and sauce. The amount of garnish is not specified.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• pasta
• chicken
• Italian-inspired
• creamy
• one-pot-style
• quick and easy