Creamy Pesto Chicken Rigatoni is a delicious 30 minute meal for those busy weeknights! Rich, creamy, and cheesy the pesto is dressed up perfectly in this dish with sour cream, parmesan, and heavy cream.
This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. For additional information, please view the site Disclaimers here.
Serving a healthy, delicious yet home-cooked meal can be a challenge, especially while trying to balance out busy work, school and extra-curricular activity schedules. Cooking a frozen dinner from a box is an option, but it feels satisfying when you can make something from scratch that everyone will love! Creamy Pesto Chicken Rigatoni whips up quickly and is delicious and restaurant quality. Pair with some warm garlic bread and a quick garden salad and you have an amazing meal!
No special kitchen equipment needed for this quick recipe, although I do prefer using an iron skillet. They heat more evenly for better results.
The bright, fresh pesto flavor is a perfect pair for chicken, however just pesto alone can seem to be missing something and the leftovers can be quite dry. The addition of heavy and sour cream really bumps up the flavor and creaminess in this dish!
I like the chicken to be diced to mouth sized bites. This primarily allows for speed to prepare the chicken, but also makes enjoying the dish easier to have the chicken already mouthful sized! Brown the chicken while allowing it to cook, using medium high heat and allowing that delicious browned surface to develop. This improves the overall flavor of the chicken in the pasta.
While this is not diet food, it is hearty, delicious, and homemade. No added salts or fats that come with prepared, frozen skillet meals. I like to know what goes into my food and be assured that I am serving my family the healthiest, most wholesome meals.
Looking for other quick and easy dinners? Check out my Chicken Piccata or Cheesy Baked Pasta!!
Creamy Pesto Chicken Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP Olive Oil
- 3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 TBSP Minced Garlic
- 1 Cup Pesto
- ¾ Cup Heavy Cream
- ½ Cup Grated Parmesan
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- 16 Ounces Rigatoni
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients. Prepare the chicken by dicing into 2 inch pieces.
- Prepare the rigatoni as advised on the package.
- While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in an iron skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken over medium high heat, until cooked through about 15 minutes.
- Once cooked, add garlic and pesto to the chicken and mix until the chicken is well coated.
- Add in parmesan cheese, heavy cream and sour cream. Stir until well combined. Allow to heat on low heat for about 5 minutes.
- Once pasta is cooked, combine pasta and chicken pesto sauce into a serving bowl and mix together. Top with shredded parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Live fully. Eat well.
Check Out These Other Great Recipes!
- Brown Sugar Ricotta Cheesecake
- Spiced Snowflake Sugar Cookies
- Irish Cream Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache
- Nutella Swirl Banana Bread
- Key Lime Cheesecake With Marshmallow Cream Topping
Peach Cheesecake Shortbread Bars
Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake with Shortbread Crust
