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My Asparagus Pesto Chicken Pasta recipe is an easy and delicious one-pot meal that the entire family will enjoy. It comes together in less than 30 minutes and is made with a few simple ingredients.
Hear me out. Cooking can be easy and tasty without having to add a ton of ingredients. I love pasta and I loved coming up this chicken pasta dish in which i added asparagus and tomatoes and used a pesto base. It is packed with juicy chicken slices for some added protein which will make this into a complete well balanced meal. Easy to make, filling, and ready in just 30 minutes. To make this gluten-free, you may use gluten-free pasta instead of whole grain pasta.
Ingredients you will need
A little bit of info about the ingredients you will need to make this recipe. If you want to get straight to the recipe, just click the below “jump to recipe” button.
Jump to Recipe- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, sliced in half lengthwise: if you prefer using chicken thighs you can do that, or you can swap it with shrimp.
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces: If you do not like asparagus go ahead and use any veggie you like.
- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
- Basil Pesto: You can make pesto at home too. Check out my post on how to make homemade pesto sauce.
- Garlic Cloves: use fresh garlic for the best flavor.
- Olive Oil or you can use avocado oil
- Dry Whole Grain Fettuccine, or linguine: use any other pasta of your choice.
How to make Chicken Asparagus Pasta
- Cook pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
- Prep Chicken: While the pasta is cooking, season the chicken on both sides with half of the salt and pepper.
- Cook Chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken in a single layer and sear for 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through. You may have to cook the chicken in batches. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes, before slicing it into strips.
- Sautee veggies: While the chicken is cooling, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet, and add the asparagus and cherry tomatoes. Sauté, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender-crisp.
- Combine pasta with veggies: Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet, pesto, and the sliced chicken, and bring the liquid to a simmer. As soon as it starts bubbling, add the cooked pasta, and toss with tongs to coat the noodles in the sauce. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tip
- Don’t want to use chicken breast? Use any other protein like shrimp
- Do not overcook the asparagus. Also, if you aren’t a fan of asparagus you can use other veggies like broccoli, green beans, or zucchini.
- There are many different types of pasta out there. Use what best suits your needs.
- Add in some spice if you like your food spicy. A touch of sriracha or hot sauce will go a long way.
- Do not overcook the pasta. It is always best to cook the pasta al dente.
Storage and Reheating
- Storing: If you have leftovers, store them in a container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: I love using the microwave to reheat most of my meals and I prefer doing that for this dish too. It will need about 1-2 minutes to heat through in the microwave. If not, then add to a sauce pan and reheat on your stovetop. Pour in about 1/4 cup of warm water and leave it under medium to low heat to heat through. Should take about 5 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover Asparagus chicken pasta in a container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat simply microwave in a microwave-safe bowl.
There are several ways to cook your chicken if you are adding it to your pasta. You can either saute it, bake it or grill it.
This Chicken Asparagus Pasta is a complete dish and doesn’t require a side dish. But, it can be served with more roasted veggies, a side of veggie soup, or a cold salad
Some people like their chicken prepared with just salt and pepper, whereas some like adding some herbs to give it some flavor. Depending on the dish you are making, some herbs that can be used on the chicken can be rosemary, thyme, oregano, Italian seasoning, cajun or paprika, garlic powder, tarragon, sage, or cilantro.
Recipes you may also like
- Spicy Chicken Stir Fry
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Healthy Broccoli Shrimp Alfredo
- Vegan Spinach Avocado Pasta Recipe
- Butternut Squash Mushroom Risotto
More Pasta Recipes
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Asparagus Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Stainless Steel Skillet
- cutting board
- Medium Pot to cook pasta
- Sharp Chef's knife
Ingredients
- 1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 Tsp Kosher Salt, divided
- ½ Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper, divided
- 1 lb Asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 Cups Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
- ¼ Cup Basil Pesto
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided
- 12 oz Dry Whole Grain Fettuccine, or linguine
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
- While the pasta is cooking, season the chicken on both sides with half of the salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken in a single layer and sear for 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
- You may have to cook the chicken in batches. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes, before slicing it into strips.
- While the chicken is cooling, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet, and add the asparagus and cherry tomatoes. Add in the garlic, remaining salt, and pepper, and sauté. Stirring often, for 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender-crisp.
- Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet, pesto, and the sliced chicken, and bring the liquid to a simmer.
- As soon as it starts bubbling, add the cooked pasta, and toss with tongs to coat the noodles in the sauce. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Use any pasta of choice
- If you don’t like asparagus, use broccoli or zucchini
- Any other meat like shrimp will work well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you have a substitute for pesto sauce?
Hi. You can replace it with any sauce you like if you do not like pesto. like this, Alfredo sauce will work just fine.
I am going to try this, but I don’t see where the remaining salt & pepper go in. Is it at the end b4 serving?
Hi Sandy. That will go in step 5 when you start to cook the veggies. Add it in with the garlic.
Excellent!!!
This was amazing! Only changes were adding a splash of white wine & used capellini, not whole wheat pasta. It’s what I had! Having fresh asparagus & cherry tomatoes took it to the next level. Toooed with grated Parmesan. I halved the recipe just my husband & me. He loved it. Will make a few more time while fresh asparagus is in season.
I agree with adding fresh ingredients when you can. Thanks for the feedback. So Glad you loved it.
Rena, you knocked it out of the ball park with this one…was getting ready to make as I had ingredients, then realized I didn’t have any tomatoes!!! Had everything else ready, so jumped in car to Fresh Market and got some wonderful organic cherry tomatoes (they’re the bomb). So since its only me, I halved this recipe (easy peasey) and used gluten free pasta (a must for hypo people). I was going to post a pic for you as it was so divine, but guess we can’t post pics on comments anymore. Anyways followed easy directions, and only different thing I did was add a little feta cheese on my plate 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe and now I’ll even have leftovers for a few days 🙂 So refreshing
Thanks, Wanda. Send me a pic on Instagram. So glad you loved it
Delicious! Quick and Easy!
Thank you!
Can I half this recipe?
How do you make the pesto?
Hi Judy. I have a post on how to make homemade pesto. https://healthyfitnessmeals.com/homemade-pesto-sauce/ Check it out
Loved this recipe! One of my favorites!
Thanks!
This was SO delicious! I used my homemade pesto that I found in the freezer from last fall. A good pesto is essential for this dish. I also added a cup of fresh green peas, and I used whole wheat fusilli for the pasta. I ate two big servings it was so good!
Wow. Great susbtitutions. Sounds amazing.
The pasta looks scrumptious , pinning !!
Thank you!
Salam, Thank you for sharing the delicious recipes. Awesome taste!