Is it weird that the best pasta I ever ate in my life was in Taiwan? Keep in mind, I live outside of Boston (North End), have eaten on Federal Hill (Providence) and in Little Italy (NYC). But for me, hands down, best pasta: Taipei. It was a hole-in-the-wall place near where I worked some years ago. Their recipe was the inspiration for my chicken bacon pasta and my inspiration for this creamy cheesy chicken pesto pasta as well. So let's get into this.
This Pasta is Unbutton-Your-Pants Fantastic
You know when you eat something so delicious you can't stop? Like, you just keep going until you're so stuffed you simply must unbutton your pants? Tell me I'm not alone here. This pasta is like that. It took me a while to get this recipe, which is really a copycat, just right. I wanted it to be as close to the pasta in Taipei as possible.
I'm so sorry I don't remember the name of the place in Taipei. Actually, I don't know if I ever knew it now that I think about it. When you live in a foreign country, you eat a lot of the local food and it's incredible in Taiwan. Some of the best dumplings of.my.life. And the fried rice? Absolutely incredible!!
I ate Taiwanese/Chinese food every day while there, but when I wanted something more Westernized, I always went to this awesome pasta shop near my work. I alternated between their chicken bacon pasta and the chicken pesto pasta. It was the best!
Few Ingredients, Big Flavor, Stuffed Belly
You will most likely have many of the ingredients on hand for this already. Common kitchen staples like garlic, onion, spaghetti, salt, pepper, chicken, bouillon cube - these are part of most home pantries. I don't always have heavy cream and pesto on hand so that went on my grocery list. For me, it is normal to always have a block of fresh parmesan cheese on hand. You can use a block of cheese and shred it yourself or you can buy the bagged stuff - that works too.
Pesto can add a big flavor punch so you want to be careful how much you add to this recipe. I found that ¾ cup worked really well. However, if you are a pesto superfan, then you could definitely add more. I recommend starting with ¾ cup to the sauce and tasting it. Then add another tablespoon at a time until it's to your liking.
We're using only a handful ingredients for this recipe, but they pack an incredible punch of flavor. It's so important to season as you go and doing so contributes to the overall consistency and flavor of the dish.
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Cook at Home, Cook with Leftovers in Mind
One of many incredible benefits to cooking at home is you can build leftovers into your meal planning. No more expensive lunches out! I realize this recipe is six portions. And if you're cooking for a dinner party or large family - it will all be gone. But if cooking for only 3-4 you will have leftovers. Take it for your lunch or freeze it for another night when you don't fee like cooking. If you're making dinner anyway, why not make a little more than you need?
Recommendation for Leftovers for Lunch:
- Portion out your leftovers in covered containers. I always use the glass kind because I prefer that.
- When reheating for lunch, remove the lid and add a splash of water to the pasta.
- Cover with plastic wrap and heat in microwave.
- Remove from microwave and toss gently with a fork to re-constitute the sauce (that's where the splash of water comes in handy).
- Add shaker Parmesan cheese to top if you want. Enjoy!
Recommendation for Freezing:
- Portion pasta into containers (serving size up to you: portion for 1, 2, or three depending on your needs).
- Be sure to use containers that secure the lid tightly. I usually use plastic containers when freezing.
- Place in freezer for another night when you don't feel like cooking. Use within two months.
- To defrost: place in refrigerator overnight and eat the next day.
Easy Steps to Making Creamy Cheesy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Creamy Cheesy Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 portions 1x
Description
Do you want to make amazing, unbutton-your-pants creamy cheesy chicken pesto pasta? Yeah, thought so. Let’s begin!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast (3 breasts)
- 1 tablespoon of garlic, finely diced (approx. 3 cloves)
- ¾ cup onion, finely diced
- 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese (fresh or pre-bagged)
- 1 cup chicken broth (boxed or dissolve bouillon cube in hot water)
- 1 small package of cherry tomatoes (about 40)
- 1 1-pound box of thin spaghetti (penne works well too)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup pesto (one 6.5 ounce container will work - get more if you think you’ll want it)
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Fresh basil garnish, optional
- Fresh grated parmesan, for topping, optional
For the slurry
- 1 ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons water
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Instructions
- You should start heating a big pot of water on low near the beginning of the cooking process and turn it up to boil near when you need to start cooking the pasta. I usually put two teaspoons of salt in the water. This really does matter in terms of what your pasta will taste like in the end so don’t skip it.
- Trim the fat from around the edges of the boneless breast of chicken. This is a very lean cut, but there is still a little fat around the edges. Using kitchen shears works best for this.
- After the fat is trimmed, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. I cut the chicken breast in half across the middle, then into small strips from there. You can cut how you want as long as the pieces are around the same size so they cook evenly.
- Transfer cut chicken to a small sheet pan or plate and season on one side with salt and pepper. About ½-¾ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper works here. Set aside to do other prep.
- Finely dice the garlic. I usually slice the garlic into thin rounds and dice it down from there.
- Finely dice the onion. Cut into strips first, then dice down into smaller bits from there.
- Shred fresh parmesan cheese with a box grater. You can use the already-packaged shredded parmesan cheese as well.
- Get your chicken broth ready. If you’re using boxed broth – you don’t need to do anything. If you’re using chicken bouillon, heat 1 cube in 1 cup of hot water until dissolved.
- To thicken the sauce you’ll need a small slurry, you can make this at any time. Measurements above.
- Transfer a small package of cherry tomatoes (wash them first, obviously) to a medium-to-large pan and drizzle a little olive oil in the pan. Season with a pinch or two of salt and toss to coat. Put this off to the side, but have it ready to go when the time comes. Blistering tomatoes only take 4-5 minutes to cook on high heat. Plan your time and make it when you’re preparing the sauce.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan and let the oil get hot. Heat should be on high and add the chicken, spreading it across the bottom of the pan. Let it cook for about 4 minutes on one side. Then turn and cook another few minutes on the other side.
- By the time you are turning the chicken, your water should be boiling and you should add the box of spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions. Toss the pasta with kitchen tongs a few times to make sure it’s not sticking together.
- When the chicken is finished, transfer to a large bowl and don’t clean that pan – we’re using it to make the sauce.
- Turn heat down to medium, add tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and cook the onions until they are slightly translucent – about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the pan too for any brown bits that might be there from the chicken.
- Add the garlic with another splash of olive on top of that, if needed. Cook in middle of pan for a moment, then mix with onions and cook until fragrant – about a minute.
- Add the chicken broth to the onion and garlic and stir a minute or two.
- Next, add the heavy cream and stir a minute or two and then add the shredded parmesan cheese. Spread the cheese on the bottom of the pan and don’t do too much. Just let it melt and simmer. It will come to a very slight boil.
- Your tomatoes should be cooking by now so give the pan a toss. Remember – for the tomatoes, cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes, tossing a few times. If you cook too long they will turn to mush.
- Once the cheese has melted, add the slurry to the sauce to thicken it a bit. Use a plastic whisk to stir if you’re using a Teflon pan.
- Last step for the sauce is to add the pesto and whisk together to combine. The sauce should be light green. Be sure to taste and if you want a little more pesto, add a tablespoon at a time and test it until it’s to your liking. Remove from heat and let sauce sit a couple of minutes.
- Strain your pasta using a colander and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken, then the pesto cream sauce. Mix together with kitchen tongs until the pasta is well coated.
- Let people serve themselves from the large bowl or transfer the pasta to a platter and garnish with the blistered tomatoes and fresh basil if you have that on hand. My video shows the presentation.
- Either way, be sure to serve the blistered tomatoes on the side so everyone can take what they like. You can serve with grated parmesan cheese too.
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