This Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta for Two looks and tastes great but couldn’t be easier to throw together.
I feel like it’s been a long time since I last posted a creamy, cheesy pasta recipe. I looked back in the archives and my last was my Bacon Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, four months ago, and my Mac and Cheese for One months before that. That’s too long!
So today, Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta for Two With Oven-Roasted Tomatoes.
You should make this pasta for dinner tonight. It’s really good.
Like, really, really good.
Also really easy.
Like, really, really easy.
This is my very favorite sort of dish, the sort that looks and tastes so good that the world is going to be convinced you have your life together, but really it’s faster and more delicious than getting takeout delivered.
How to Make Pesto Chicken Pasta
Here’s the process: slice a cup of cherry tomatoes in half. Use this method; it will take you 30 seconds. Then you mince a clove of garlic, 30 more seconds. Chop up a chicken breast–it doesn’t have to be pretty, and you can do it on the same cutting board as the garlic because they’re going to be cooking together in a minute anyway. You have now finished all the cutting there is to do.
Then you roast your tomatoes while you boil your pasta, and you boil your pasta while you cook your chicken and sauce. Stir everything together in the end, and done! 20 minutes, and now you are tucking into a fab pesto chicken pasta for two. You’re welcome. 😉
More Easy Pasta Dishes
Pesto Chicken Pasta Recipe Notes
- As written, this Pesto Chicken Pasta recipe serves 2. To change the recipe yield, hover over the number of servings in the recipe card (or click if you are on mobile) and slide the slider–no cooking changes are needed.
- If you have leftover pesto after making this recipe, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Pesto for ideas for using up the rest. And for leftover half and half: What to Do With Leftover Half and Half.
Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta for Two With Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Pasta
- 4 ounces (1 1/3 cup) penne pasta
- 8 ounces (about 1 small) boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- 1/4 cup (1oz) shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for topping
Instructions
Oven-Roasted Tomatoes
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease. Toss cherry tomato halves with olive oil and spread out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until nicely roasted.
Pasta
- Once your tomatoes go into the oven, bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions and set aside.
- While your pasta is cooking, lightly grease a medium skillet with cooking spray or a drizzle of olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until the chicken is well-browned.
- Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 4 to 6 minutes, until thick and saucy and chicken is cooked through. Stir in drained pasta and then gently stir in roasted tomatoes. Top with additional Parmesan cheese if desired, serve and enjoy!
Adapted from Buzzfeed
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