Chicken Pesto Pasta with Artichokes

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Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta with Artichokes…an easy comfort food recipe perfect for busy weeknight dinners. You can have it on the table in 30 minutes!

Chicken Pesto Pasta with Artichokes

There is a pizza place near our ski condo that has this oh-so-delicious pesto and artichoke pizza that I absolutely love.  It’s right off the ski slopes in the main lodge, and the slices are huge. Every once in a while, we stop in and have lunch there as a treat.

Unfortunately for me, I no longer ski due to a fracture in my neck that they discovered a few years ago during some testing. (Don’t worry, I’m fine. It’s been there a long time, and we have no idea how it happened, but I avoid certain activities that could be deemed risky now).

But that means, I no longer visit that pizza restaurant, unless I get in my car and drive over by myself. (Sad face)

I got to thinking the other night, why don’t I turn that same combination into a pasta dinner? I have no idea what took me so long to think of this…it’s only been about ten years. Okay, I’m exaggerating a little bit. But considering we all love that pizza, pesto is a staple in our house, and my kids and I love artichoke hearts, I should have thought of this sooner.

The pizza itself doesn’t have chicken on it, and you certainly could omit it, but I like the fact that it makes it a more substantial meal.

We always have pesto in the freezer, because we make it non-stop all summer long while we have fresh basil, but you can certainly pick up a container at the grocery store as well. Once you make your own though, you may never go back…just sayin’. I have two versions you can check out if you’d like: Garlic Scapes Pesto and Basil Pesto with Lemon.

Chicken Pesto Pasta really easy dinner to throw together, which is perfect for us because most of our weeknights are pretty busy with sports. And just look at that creamy goodness! This will be a family favorite, I promise!

Let’s get started with the directions!

I like to use a deep pan so I can make the whole dish in one pan from start to finish, but you certainly can cook your pasta separately. Start by heating your olive oil in the pan, then add your cut chicken. Go ahead and give the chicken a liberal grinding of salt and pepper, and give it a few minutes to brown. Once your chicken has been browned, you can remove it from the pan.

Cook your pasta to al dente. If you’re using a one-pan no-boil pasta, you’ll be cooking it about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the water is absorbed. If you’re cooking your pasta the traditional way, you’ll need to drain the excess water, then add your pasta back into the pan. Add the pesto and light cream to the pan and stir until well mixed. Next you’ll add back in the chicken pieces, along with the drained artichoke hearts, and the shredded parmesan, stirring until the parmesan melts. You can turn the heat on low for this, but you shouldn’t need much heat with the hot pasta. Top with your julienned basil for garnish.

Dinner is served! How easy was that?!

 

 

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Chicken Pesto Pasta with Artichokes

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta with Artichokes...an easy comfort food recipe perfect for busy weeknight dinners. You can have it on the table in 30 minutes!

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Ingredients

• 1 - 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 12 oz penne pasta
• 1 cup of pesto
• 1 cup light cream
• 14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
• 1/2 cup shredded shredded Parmesan
• handful of basil, julienned
• salt and pepper

Instructions

2. Heat olive oil in pan; add cut chicken. Give the chicken a liberal grinding of salt and pepper, and brown.
3. Remove chicken from pan.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.
5. Add pesto and light cream and stir until well mixed.
6. Add chicken back in, and artichoke hearts.
7. Stir in shredded parmesan, stirring until melted.
8. Top with julienned basil.

Other chicken recipes you may enjoy:

• Sticky Honey Mustard Chicken
• Chicken Paprikash

For more great chicken recipes, check out my Chicken Pinterest board: