This Chicken Pesto Pasta is one of those everyday dishes I make from my head using the recipe as a guide with store bought pesto sauce. I can whip it up quickly with all sorts of vegetable and meat combinations; grilled, baked or leftover from just about anything.
I think everyone needs a handful of recipes with a sauce that is different from a typical tomato based sauce. The sauce makes dinner taste different and being able to vary all the other ingredients is what makes these recipes golden.
These are my three go-to pasta dishes and what makes the sauces uniquely different.
- Soupy White Wine Sauce: The sauce in this Pasta with Fresh Sorrel is soupy and delicious. Substitute chicken stock if you don't have wine and fresh spinach if you don't have sorrel.
- Olive Oil Sauce: The original version of my Sausage Vegetable Pasta is called Marg's Hot Hot Pasta. Marg is famous for never using a recipe but I made one from her instructions. The base is olive oil, lots of it, and I love this recipe. I just throw a pan on the stove and start grabbing things out of the fridge.
- Pesto Sauce: This Chicken Pesto Pasta adds an assertive flavour that works well with all sorts of vegetable and meat combinations; grilled, baked or leftover from just about anything.
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Store Bought Pesto Sauce
Gluten free store bought pesto is readily available and will last for months in your fridge as long as you always use a clean utensil. Classico brand is gluten free (at the time of writing) and easy to find in the grocery stores I frequent.
Pesto sauce is a northern Italian specialty traditionally made with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan cheese. It has many uses and people also vary the basil and nuts to make many variations of pesto sauce.
Homemade Pesto Sauce
There's nothing like homemade pesto sauce but that's a once a year project for me. In the summer when basil plants are abundant you should try it, even if you only do it once.
Grab a mortar and pestle, use the best quality Italian olive oil available, splurge on pine nuts and real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and make pesto. Even if you make it in a food processor it will be amazing!
I highly recommend enjoying that homemade pesto sauce with this recipe. I hope it's on a hot summer night, with good friends and an excellent bottle of Italian red.
Tips for Cooking Gluten Free Pasta
- Timing is key so have your pasta sauce hot and ready to go.
- Have the pasta strainer waiting in the sink resting on a large measuring cup to catch the pasta water you need for the sauce.
- Start by setting your timer for the shortest cooking time suggested on the package. There are so many kinds of pasta available now that you must read the package directions before you start.
- After the minimum time, taste a noodle every 30 seconds until you learn how you like it cooked. If your kitchen timer doesn’t display in seconds use your phone.
- Drain the pasta and rinse briefly with cool water to stop the cooking process.
- Quickly toss pasta with hot sauce and serve immediately.
- You can even create a system to warm your bowls before you serve pasta if you think it's helpful. This can be done in a sink of warm water or in a warm oven. I don't do this often but sometimes it's a key step.
- Rinse with cold water for cold pasta salads.
Kudos to all you cooks who are making gluten free pasta dishes the whole family enjoys, gluten and gluten free eaters alike. It's something to strive for!
Let me know in the comments below if you make any version of this Chicken Pesto Pasta. I'd love to hear if you have a favourite tip for making perfect gluten free pasta every time?
Originally posted 2016, updated May 2023.
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Chicken Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb gluten free pasta
SAUCE
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes
- 8 oil-packed, sun-dried tomato halves, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
- 8 oz asparagus, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
- salt and pepper
- 6 tablespoon pesto
- ¼-½ cup liquid (pasta water, gluten free chicken stock or white wine)*
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- freshly grond black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large sauté pan or wok on medium-high heat.
- Sauté peppers and asparagus stirring frequently until lightly charred and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan.
- Season chicken slices with salt and pepper.
- Sauté chicken stirring until all meat is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to bowl with vegetables and set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Drain pasta saving some of the pasta water if desired. Return pasta to the pot. Add pesto and liquid and gently stir to create a sauce.
- Add chicken and vegetables, toss and serve.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper.
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