Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake (Printable Version)
Baked penne with tender chicken, creamy basil pesto, and golden melted mozzarella cheese.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz penne or rigatoni
→ Chicken
02 - 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 10 oz), diced
→ Sauce
03 - 3/4 cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
04 - 2/3 cup heavy cream
05 - 3 tbsp whole milk
→ Cheese & Topping
06 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
07 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
08 - 1 tbsp olive oil
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Optional Add-ins
10 - 3.5 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
11 - 2.5 oz baby spinach
# Method:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray.
02 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain well and set aside.
03 - While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, toss together the drained pasta, seared chicken, basil pesto, heavy cream, milk, and half of the shredded mozzarella. Fold in cherry tomatoes and baby spinach if using. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
05 - Transfer the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it into an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and all of the grated Parmesan evenly over the top.
06 - Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly golden on top.
07 - Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired.
# Chef's Tips:
01 -
- The creamy pesto sauce coats every single piece of pasta and tastes like you spent hours on something that takes barely ten minutes of real work.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, which means lunch is already sorted and somehow tastes even better.
02 -
- Do not skip salting the pasta water because this is your one real chance to season the pasta itself and bland noodles will drag down the entire dish no matter how good the sauce is.
- If you overbake it the cream sauce can break and become grainy, so pull it out the moment the cheese is golden and bubbly rather than leaving it in longer just to be safe.
03 -
- Reserve a small ladle of pasta cooking water before you drain it, because if your assembled mixture looks a little dry, a splash of that starchy water loosens everything up without diluting the flavor.
- Shred your own mozzarella from a block rather than buying pre shredded bags, since the anti caking agents on pre shredded cheese prevent it from melting into that smooth, stretchy layer you are after.