Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake

This one-pot quick and easy creamy pesto chicken pasta bake is filled with delicious Mediterranean flavours everyone loves.  It contains a moderate amount of fat and no heavy cream. Ready in under 40 minutes.

Try also chicken tomato pasta bake!

This creamy pesto chicken pasta bake is a one-pot dish, simple and speedy despite being made from scratch.  It contains a handful of ingredients, most of which you probably have in your fridge or pantry right now.

One huge advantage to making a one-pot dish is that the it becomes infused with all the flavours.  The pesto ingredients together with the juices from the chicken and the creamy sauce create a truly delicious dish, which just wouldn't be the same if all these components were prepared separately and assembled on the plate.

Creamy pesto chicken pasta bake ingredients

• Pasta: It is important to cook it al dente (approx. 4 minutes) as it will finish cooking inside the casserole.
• Chicken: I used skinless, boneless diced chicken breast, which I partly cooked before assembling this chicken pasta bake.
• Basil: Use fresh basil leaves avoiding the tough stems.
• Garlic: Gets added into the pesto sauce.
• Olive oil: This gets added into the pesto mixture (along with some water so the sauce is not too oily). I also used 1 tablespoon of oil for cooking the chicken.
• Parmesan cheese: Use ⅔ in the white sauce and sprinkle the rest over the casserole.
• Pine nuts: I didn't want to 'hide' these in the pesto and decided that scattering them over the casserole worked better.
• Butter: Used to make the white sauce.
• Flour: Used to thicken the sauce.
• Stock: Adds more depth of flavour to this chicken pesto pasta.
• Quark: Improves the flavour of the white sauce (but won't make it sour).

Can I use pesto from a jar

Pesto from a jar is really not the same as freshly made and never tastes as good.  Which is why for best results I recommend using fresh basil to make the sauce, but the choice is yours, of course.  If you do decide to use pesto from a jar add about 3 tablespoons or to taste.  As this kind of pesto is usually well seasoned and contains cheese use less salt and parmesan in the sauce.

Good to know

You can sometimes get ready made fresh pesto in good delis which tastes (almost) like homemade.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C/ gas mark 5.

1.To make this creamy pesto chicken pasta bake start by boiling the pasta in salted water for 4 minutes (it needs to be a little undercooked), strain and place in a 28/20 cm (11/8'') casserole dish. While the pasta is boiling make the pesto sauce.

2. To make the quick pesto to the food processor add the basil, 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 tablespoons of water and garlic. Blend until the basil is finely chopped. Season lightly and set aside. 

3. In a large non-stick pan heat up 2 teaspoons of oil (or use oil spray), add the diced chicken, season lightly and cook over a medium heat for about 4 minutes turning occasionally (the chicken should not be cooked completely at this point).  Transfer the chicken into a bowl (along with the juices) and set aside while you make the sauce.

4. To make the sauce in a saucepan melt the butter then add the four and whisk until the mixture is smooth.  Gradually add the milk and the stock whisking until the sauce thickens and starts bubbling.  Remove from the heat, whisk in the quark and ⅔ of the parmesan and add pepper to taste.

5. To assemble this pesto chicken pasta bake to the casserole dish add the chicken (along with the juices), pesto and white sauce and stir thoroughly with the pasta.  

6. Scatter the pine nuts and the remaining parmesan over the top and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Serving suggestions

This pesto pasta chicken bake is delicious with steamed vegetables, such as broccoli or green beans, as well as a crispy salad. 

Top tips

• It is important to only partly cook the pasta as well as the chicken before assembling the casserole, otherwise you'll end up with soggy pasta and tough chicken.
• Season the different components of this dish, i.e. the chicken as well as the pesto and boil the pasta in salted water.  You may not need to add any salt into the sauce as it contains stock but be generous with pepper.
• Do not leave the chicken in the pan you cooked it in as it will continue cooking.  Make sure you add the juices from cooking the chicken along with the meat into the casserole.
• Best served immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.  Add a splash of water to loosen the sauce when reheating it.

Can I freeze this chicken pesto pasta

I don't recommend it.  Since you have to cool this dish completely before freezing the pasta will absorb a lot of the sauce and may become soggy even before you can place it in the freezer.  You can wait for the ingredients to cool before combining them and then freezing the casserole, but as I haven't actually tried this myself I can't guarantee 100% success.

Can I make this dish ahead

You can prepare the separate parts of the recipe ahead (the day before) and assemble it just before placing in the oven.  Cook and combine the pasta with the chicken, cover (once completely cooled) and refrigerate overnight. 

You can also make the pesto ahead but add a few drops of lemon juice to it, keep refrigerated in an airtight container (so it doesn't lose its bright green colour) and stir into the dish the next day. 

The sauce can also be made ahead, refrigerated (once completely cooled) and reheated just before assembling and baking this pesto chicken pasta. 

Substitutions

• I used fusilli pasta shapes but penne would work well, too.
• If you can't get quark use Skyr or fromage frais/fromage blanc (both very low in fat) instead, alternatively use creme fraiche (high in calories).
• Either vegetable or chicken stock are fine to use.
• You can use any Italian hard cheese, not necessarily parmesan.

You might also like

• Avocado Basil Pesto Pasta Sauce (Low Fat)
• Roasted Asparagus Pesto Pasta
• Pasta Bake with Fennel and Cherry Tomatoes
• Healthy Creamy Spinach Chicken
• Ground Chicken Pasta Casserole

Check out also this collection of healthy chicken recipes as well as easy vegetarian pasta meals.

Keep in touch!

Have you made pesto pasta chicken bake?  How did it turn out for you? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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