Chicken Pesto Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pesto Pasta – Chicken and penne pasta tossed in a flavor packed creamy sun-dried tomato and pesto sauce. You are going to love this super easy flavor-packed pasta recipe!

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I used my super simple homemade pesto sauce recipe to make my pasta sauce but you can use store bought as well if you don’t have the time or ingredients to make homemade. For the sun-dried tomatoes, I used jarred sun-dried tomatoes that I bought at Trader Joe’s and it turned out great!

This pasta literally flew off the table! It was a major hit and I am so excited to share this recipe with you all. This recipe will serve about 4 people. If you are cooking for a large crowd, simply double this recipe.

Ingredients you need to make Chicken Pesto Pasta:

Chicken Breasts – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can also use chicken thighs.

Lemon Juice – Fresh is best.

Salt – I almost always use sea salt in my recipes, but you can use your favorite cooking salt.

Black Pepper – Fresh cracked or ground black pepper.

Heavy Cream – If you don’t have heavy cream, you can use half and half.

Pesto – Fresh homemade pesto or jarred pesto. I really like Costco’s pesto in the fridge aisle.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes – I used Trader Joe’s sun-dried tomatoes in oil and drain tomatoes from oil. You can use any store bought sun-dried tomatoes and separate from oil.

Penne Pasta – Any short cut pasta will work just fine!

Parmesan Cheese – Fresh grated parmesan off the block is best but you can use whatever you have on hand!

Oil – Olive, avocado or similar oil to cook the chicken in.

Butter – Salted or unsalted butter both work great.

How to make the best Chicken Pesto Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes:

Toss chicken in lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Cook penne pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Add butter and oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook for a few minutes until golden on bottom, flip over and cook another few minutes until cooked through.

Stir in heavy cream, pesto, parmesan cheese and sun dried tomato. Simmer over low heat for a few minutes until sauce lightly thickens. Add penne pasta and toss to combine.

Enjoy!

Side dishes to serve with pasta:

Simple Caesar Salad – My quick and easy caesar salad is made with homemade dressing, crunchy romaine, croutons and freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

Easy Homemade Garlic Bread – Classic garlic bread recipe with one secret ingredient that places this garlic bread above the rest.

Rustic French Bread – Dutch oven bread recipe you can easily make in the comfort of your home! There is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread. Serve homemade french bread sliced with warm butter or use as sandwich bread and more!

More pasta recipes you’ll love:

One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta – Easy flavor-packed one pot chicken parmesan pasta made simply with fresh herbs and melty mozzarella cheese. The best part about this comfort meal is that it is budget friendly, kid friendly and is so easy to make.

Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe – Delicious lasagna rolls made with Italian sausage, ricotta cheese and spinach rolled up and topped with meat sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. You are going to love this mouthwatering twist on the classic lasagna!

Southwest Chicken Alfredo – Creamy and delicious southwest style chicken pasta is the perfect easy dinner recipe. Made with seasoned pan seared chicken, onions, garlic and penne pasta tossed in a mouthwatering southwest style cream sauce.

Creamy Tomato Cajun Chicken Pasta – Cajun chicken and farfalle pasta tossed in deliciously creamy tomato sauce sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley and green onions.

This post was originally published on October 18, 2018 and updated on November 1, 2021.