This gluten free Pasta with Chicken and Pesto is perfect for those nights you’re looking for a quick, tasty all-in-one dish. Pasta, chicken, and broccoli are tossed in a light sauce seasoned with pesto.
I love quick meals that can be made with ingredients I already have on hand, and this gluten free Pasta with Chicken and Pesto fits that description perfectly. I often stock a variety of pasta in my cupboard, because you never know when the need for a batch of creamy Mac & Cheese might hit. And having spaghetti and a jar of pasta sauce on hand has saved me from the dreaded last-minute “What’s for supper?” question more than once.
This meal goes together in less than 30 minutes, but has a lot of flavour considering the few ingredients that it has. I’ve seen a few similar recipes, but they all used heavy cream in the sauce. Instead of having a heavy, Alfredo-style sauce in this dish though, I lightened it up by using milk and chicken broth.
The pesto adds a really nice flavour to the pasta as well, and if you are growing your own basil, I’d suggest you try to make your own pesto. It really is easy to make, and you have complete control over the flavour.
Feel free to switch out the broccoli with other vegetables, like peas or asparagus. Either would taste great with the chicken and pesto.
If you like this gluten free Pasta with Chicken and Pesto, you may also like:
- Roasted Pesto Potatoes
- Gluten Free Skillet Chicken Parmesan
- Thai Chicken & Sweet Potato Noodle Bowls
- Gluten Free Caprese Pasta Salad
Gluten Free Penne with Chicken and Pesto
This gluten free Pasta with Chicken and Pesto is perfect for those nights you’re looking for a quick, tasty all-in-one dish. Pasta, chicken, and broccoli are tossed in a light sauce seasoned with pesto.
Ingredients
- 1 (340 g or 12 ounce) package gluten free pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup gluten free chicken broth
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/3 cup pesto
- 1 cup broccoli, cut up (asparagus or peas would be good as well)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, or until al dente; drain (I like to rinse my gf pasta with hot water, just so it's not too sticky).
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken and garlic until chicken is almost cooked.
In a small bowl, stir together chicken broth, milk & cornstarch. Pour into skillet with chicken & garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until it comes to a boil.
Add pesto and half of the Parmesan cheese.
Add broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender. Stir in cooked pasta, toss to coat. Top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and serve.
This recipe and images for the gluten free Pasta with Chicken and Pesto were updated in February 2018.
betty r says
Okay I need a fork or is that a spoon I need:) Oh Jeanine that looks ever so delicious!!
Jeanine says
Thanks, Betty! A fork works really well. 🙂 AND…no onions! Perfect for you guys! 😉
Susan says
Oh my that does looks good and what a great supper. Great job seeing you didn't know what was for supper..
gfe--gluten free easily says
That looks incredible! I want to reach through the screen and grab a mouthful right now. Hubby likes pasta even more than I do … he'd probably do flips over this one. I'll see if I can make a dairy-free version soon. 🙂
Thanks!
Shirley
Jeanine says
Thanks, Shirley!
I'd love to see a dairy free version done! 🙂 Let me know if you get around to it, and what changes you made.
Eliana says
It looks super delicious. I would probably prefer it without the cream as well.
Angela says
I’m newly gluten free and found a gf fusili at Costco that was perfect for this. Even with the milk and parmesan and didn’t taste too rich. Can’t wait to try the leftovers. Thanks for a great recipe!
Linda says
Oh yum! That's my kind of food. I need to make some pesto since I have a basil plant growing. I'll keep this recipe in mind. Thanks for participating in Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
Kristina says
I made it dairy-free tonight, and I can vouch that it's delicious! Unsweetened soy milk in place of the dairy milk, and then vegan Parmesan in place of the dairy Parmesan.
My brand of pesto was already dairy-free.
I was disappointed that I was out of broccoli to use, but I did try out peas and it worked beautifully! Very tasty. Thank you! 🙂
Anonymous says
whats pesto (i know that sounds stupid)
Jeanine says
Pesto can either be made at home, or bought in a jar at the store (near the pasta sauces in my grocery store). Here's a recipe to a homemade recipe, it is delicious! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pesto-Sauce/Detail.aspx
Queen of the Hill says
Wow! This was delicious! My kids are sooooo picky, but they all raved about it.
Merritt says
What is your favorite kind of gluten free pasta?
Jeanine says
I’m not really sure if I have a favorite brand, but I do know that my family & I all like using corn pasta instead of brown rice pasta. We just like the texture quite a bit more.
Amy says
Our favorite brand is Tinkyada.
Lisa says
My favorite gluten free pasta is Barilla.made with corn
Corey @ Family Fresh Meals says
Jeanine, this is an amazing gluten free pasta recipe. They sure are hard to come by! I could also make this easily vegetarian for my husband, and still do a meat version for my children and I. Love that!
I would be honored if you would share it on my Recipe of the Week #2 PASTA post! There is a gift card giveaway 😉 Hope you come join in the fun! Feel free to post any of your pasta dishes.
http://familyfreshmeals.blogspot.com/search/label/recipe%20of%20the%20week
PS… thanks for making me super hungry at 10:00am in the morning! HA 🙂
Amy says
Making it tonight for my moms birthday. Though I wish it said how many it serves, I’m cooking for 8!! Can’t wait to taste it!! 🙂
Amy says
Making this right now with asparagus. It smells heavenly!!!! Can’t wait to tear into it 🙂
Anneka says
We have made this a number of times and absolutely love it! We double the pesto, use peas, and have even used turkey instead of chicken and it’s great! We use whatever noodle we have on hand (tonight we used garden rotini). Thank you for sharing such a yummy recipe!
Jeanine says
That is awesome, Anneka! So glad that it’s a favorite. 🙂
Lyn says
I am off to Central Market to get some of this amazing pesto we sampled last weekend. After reading this recipe, I am convinced it will be fabulous in this dish. Now to make the choice between broccoli or asparagus… Thanks for tonight’s dinner extravaganza!!
Jeanine says
That pesto sounds really good, Lyn! Hope you enjoyed your dinner! So, what did you decide on, broccoli or asparagus? 🙂
Ashley says
This really looks good, but I have a question. My friend is a Vegan and loves pasta. Can you substitute the chicken and Chicken stock with more veggies and Veggie stock?
Jeanine says
Absolutely!! Totally flexible recipe. 🙂
Lacey says
How many servings is this?
Jeanine says
I would think it would serve 4-6. I usually serve our family of 4, plus leftovers.
Donna says
This dish is awesome! I made this for my family over the weekend and it was a BIG hit. Such great flavors blended together with a delicate sauce, and easy to make. Great comfort dish…will defilnitely make this again! Thanks!
Lacey says
How many people did you serve?
Donna says
I served this dish for 4 adults with plenty for each and enough for leftovers. I think this dish could serve up to 6 people. It made alot!
Donna says
I also added a little chopped Roma tomato and basil on top before serving. Yum!
Dawn says
I have to tell you this is now one of my go-to dinners to make! IT’s so good! Thanks for sharing!!!
Jeanine Friesen says
I’m so glad to hear that, Dawn! It is such a quick, flavouful dinner, it’s hard to go wrong with that. 🙂
Holly says
I made this tonight with mushrooms instead of broccoli, and i added toasted pecans. It was awesome!! tagging for future reference! 🙂
Jeanine says
Oh – that sounds fabulous, Holly! Thanks so much for sharing how you changed it up!
Jill says
Looks like a lovely quick meal to get to the table on those nights when time is not in your court. Do you have a fave brand of pasta?
Jeanine Friesen says
Thanks, Jill! I like the Barilla or Catelli gluten free pasta – decent texture and readily available for a decent price.
Jean says
This was delicious! I will definitely make it again. Thank you for the awesome recipe,
Haley says
Absolutely delicious! Even my SUPER picky sister like it! It was quite an orchestra and high heat was a little too much though. I ended up burning a round of olive oil and garlic.