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You are here: Home / Recipes / Philly Pesto Chicken Pasta

Philly Pesto Chicken Pasta

Published on May 14, 2011 by Helen Best-Shaw 19 Comments
Last Updated on March 17, 2021

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Chicken with Philadelphia pasta recipe close up, topped with rocket and tomatoes.

This comforting creamy chicken Philadelphia pasta with pesto is big on flavour, but easy on effort and time. Adaptable and ready in less than 20 minutes for a fuss-free weeknight supper, all made with a few simple ingredients. Philadelphia chicken pasta close up, topped with rocket and tomatoes.

Everything You Need To Know

  • Chicken Philly pesto pasta
  • How to make chicken Philly pesto pasta
  • Hints, tips and variations to Philly Pesto Chicken Pasta
  • Philly pesto chicken pasta
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Notes

Chicken Philly pesto pasta

This is a deliciously creamy Philly pasta dish, but one that would horrify an Italian (Italians generally never eat chicken with pasta). I’m still going to keep cooking it, though, as I love this chicken and Philadelphia pasta. For me, it’s the perfect after-work midweek comfort food. I find it so quick and easy to make that it’s great way of serving a delicious meal that cooks in minutes. It’s even quicker if you use leftover roast chicken from Sunday’s dinner.

Like so many of my favourite recipes, you can try endless variations with different veg. My top tip for adding green veggies is to add them to the pasta pan towards the end of its cooking time and cook them along with the pasta, to keep them green and fresh, as well as saving on the washing up!

How to make chicken Philly pesto pasta

Measure out and prepare the ingredients – dice the chicken and grate the cheese. I always find that spending a couple of minutes measuring everything out saves so much time later. It makes it far less likely that I’ll leave out a vital ingredient. Also, I find it so easy to cook far too much pasta. Measuring out portions solves this problem completely!A topdown collage of 6 images shwint step by step instructions for Step one – Boil a large pan of water, add a good pinch of salt, and start cooking the pasta according to the packet instructions.

Fuss-free tip – I always use a kettle of boiling water for the pasta pan, as the kettle heats the water faster than a saucepan. Do a comparison test and you’ll know for certain which is quicker in your kitchen.

Step two – Heat a small frying pan and add the olive oil (one good glug will be fine) and the diced chicken breast. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes, turning the pieces frequently so that they don’t burn. If the chicken isn’t colouring, add a teaspoon of butter to the frying pan to help it along.    

(If you are using leftover roast chicken, just fry it for a minute to warm it through.)

Step three – When the chicken is cooked through and has some colour, add the Philadelphia cream cheese and pesto – one heaped tablespoon of each. Stir together with the chicken.

Scoop out an espresso cup of the pasta water (about 75 ml). Stir the pasta water into the chicken mixture, together with half the grated cheese to make a sauce. Adding pasta water to sauces gives a deliciously smooth, velvety texture that evenly coats the pasta, without adding loads of extra butter or oil!

Step four – When the pasta is nearly cooked, add the peas to the pan to cook.

Step five – Drain the pasta and peas, and add to the sauce. Stir well and serve immediately, garnished with the remainder of the cheese. Making Philadelphia chicken pasta – the finished dish ready to serve

Hints, tips and variations to Philly Pesto Chicken Pasta

This dish is SO forgiving, so use what you have!

  • Use any pasta shapes you have. Because of the chunks of chicken, short pasta shapes work better than spaghetti or other noodles.
  • Use leftover roast chicken or turkey – just heat through for a minute in the frying pan.
  • Add some chopped bacon and fry with the chicken. 
  • Use red pesto for a colourful twist. 
  • Swap the peas for sweetcorn, or a mix of the two.
  • Add extra veg with our handy hints for adding extra vegetables to pasta dishes.

You may also love our everyday creamy Philly pasta recipe! 

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A close up of a serving of chicken philly pasta, topped with rocket and tomatoes.
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5 from 11 votes

Philly pesto chicken pasta

This comforting creamy pesto chicken pasta is big on flavour, but easy on effort and time. Adaptable and ready in less than 20 minutes for a fuss-free weeknight supper, all made with a few simple ingredients.
Servings: 2 small servings
Author: Helen Best-Shaw
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time15 mins
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Ingredients

  • 100 g pasta shapes
  • 1 small chicken breast ((diced))
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 40 g Philadelphia cream cheese
  • 40 g pesto
  • 100 g frozen peas
  • 25 g cheddar cheese ((grated))

Instructions

  • Boil a large pan of water, add a good pinch of salt and start cooking the pasta according to the packet instructions.
  • Heat a small frying pan on a medium ring. Add the olive oil (one good glug will be fine), and add the diced chicken breast. Cook the chicken breast for 5 minutes, turning the pieces frequently so that they don’t burn. If the chicken isn’t colouring, add a teaspoon of butter to the frying pan.
    (If you are using leftover roast chicken fry it for a minute to warm it through.)
  • When the chicken has cooked through and has some colour, add the cream cheese and pesto – one heaped tablespoon of each. Stir together with the chicken.
    Scoop out an espresso cup of the pasta water and stir into the chicken along with half the grated cheese to make a sauce.
  • When the pasta is nearly cooked, add the peas to the pan to cook.
  • Drain the pasta and peas, and add to the sauce. Stir well together and serve immediately, garnished with the remainder of the cheese. 

Notes

Hints, tips and variations to Philly Pesto Chicken Pasta
This dish is SO forgiving, so use what you have!
  • Use any pasta shapes you have. Because of the chunks of chicken, short pasta shapes work better than spaghetti or other noodles.
  • Use leftover roast chicken or turkey – just heat through for a minute in the frying pan.
  • Add some chopped bacon and fry with the chicken. 
  • Use red pesto for a colourful twist. 
  • Swap the peas for sweetcorn, or a mix of the two.
  • Add extra veg with our handy hints for adding extra vegetables to pasta dishes.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.
Nutrition Facts
Philly pesto chicken pasta
Amount Per Serving (2 servings)
Calories 499 Calories from Fat 198
% Daily Value*
Fat 22g34%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 68mg23%
Sodium 392mg17%
Potassium 446mg13%
Carbohydrates 47g16%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 25g50%
Vitamin A 1180IU24%
Vitamin C 20.6mg25%
Calcium 165mg17%
Iron 1.7mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Light Meal
Cuisine: Pasta
Keyword: Pesto Chicken Pasta
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Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2011, but was rewritten and republished with new photos, step by step instructions and hints & tips in March 2019

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Filed Under: Dairy, Pasta, Poultry, Quick & Easy, Recipes Ingredients: Chicken, Cream Cheese, Pasta, Peas, Pesto

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Trevor Ball

    5 stars
    I mustn’t have Italian blood in my veins because I often have chicken and pasta together. This looks delicious and nice and easy to make any day of the week.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Really easy to make and very tasty.

      Reply
  2. Imogen

    5 stars
    A great comforting meal that would take no time to make. Ideal for busy days and still lots of flavour.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Small effort and time is always a bonus on busy days.

      Reply
  3. Dannii

    5 stars
    You can’t beat a creamy pasta dish. Total comfort food. Love the addition of pesto too.

    Reply
    • Helen

      The pesto is a lovely addition of flavour.

      Reply
  4. Veena Azmanov

    5 stars
    This Pasta is totally the best Dinner option ever. Looks too creamy and too delicious.

    Reply
    • Helen

      The Philly does make a lovely sauce.

      Reply
  5. Becca

    5 stars
    This is exactly the kind of supper I make when I get in, easy and good and filling. I throw olives in for extra flavour.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Olives would be delicious added in.

      Reply
  6. Margaret

    5 stars
    Pasta dishes are so good for feeding the masses, for hungry kids and husbands alike. This looks delicious and so easy to make.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Ideal for a family meal.

      Reply
  7. Danielle Wolter

    5 stars
    I am a huge fan of pesto – it adds so much wonderful flavor to a dish. This recipe sounds incredible, can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
    • Helen

      We love pesto, so good to add to dishes like this.

      Reply
  8. Neli Howard

    5 stars
    I love anything with pesto, but especially chicken. This is going on my meal plan for next week. Looks incredible.

    Reply
    • Helen

      Pesto is ideal with chicken and pasta.

      Reply
  9. kim

    5 stars
    So easy and such yummy flavors! This is a new favorite!

    Reply
  10. Jane Reed

    5 stars
    Creamy pasta is always popular in our house. So easy to make and really tasty too.

    Reply
  11. Jamie Leigh

    5 stars
    a handy and helpful idea for a good meal. The pesto is a nice addition, gives that extra bit of flavor.

    Reply

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