10-Minute Pesto Pasta Chicken (Print Version)

Bright pesto pasta with shredded chicken and fresh basil, ready quickly with simple ingredients.

# Components:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried short pasta (penne, fusilli, or farfalle)
02 - Salt, for pasta water

→ Chicken

03 - 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded or chopped (approx. 8.8 oz)

→ Sauce & Finish

04 - ½ cup high-quality store-bought pesto (4.2 oz)
05 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
06 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (1.4 oz), plus extra for serving
07 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
08 - ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn (approx. 0.4 oz, optional)
09 - Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water, then drain.
02 - While pasta cooks, shred or chop the rotisserie chicken and set aside.
03 - Return the drained pasta to the pot over low heat. Add olive oil, pesto, and 2–3 tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Stir to coat thoroughly.
04 - Incorporate the shredded chicken and Parmesan cheese. Toss until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce reaches a creamy consistency, adding more pasta water if necessary.
05 - Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. If desired, mix in fresh basil leaves and lemon zest.
06 - Serve immediately, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese as preferred.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's genuinely ready in ten minutes, which means you can actually relax instead of stress-cooking after work.
  • The pesto clings beautifully to every strand of pasta when you use reserved pasta water, creating this silky sauce that tastes indulgent without any cream.
  • Rotisserie chicken does all the heavy lifting, so you're really just assembling dinner rather than cooking it.
  • It's flexible enough to adapt on the fly—add vegetables, swap the pesto, or skip ingredients you don't have.
02 -
  • The pasta water is everything—it's not a last resort, it's the secret to a sauce that feels creamy without cream, so don't skip it or add it all at once.
  • Undercooking the pasta by just one minute makes a real difference because the residual heat and the warm sauce will finish cooking it, preventing that mushy texture that ruins everything.
  • Buy pesto you actually like eating straight from the jar, because if it tastes mediocre on its own, it won't magically improve when mixed with pasta.
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before you drain the pasta, not after—I learned this the hard way by draining first and then desperately trying to boil more water at the last second.
  • If your pesto is cold straight from the jar and your pasta is hot, the temperature difference actually helps the pesto break down and emulsify rather than clump together.
  • Taste the pesto before you add it to the pasta so you know if it's salty enough—some brands are bolder than others, and this saves you from over-salting the entire dish.
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