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One Pot Chicken Caesar Pesto Pasta: made in no time at all, this one-pot, 35-minute pasta is one you’ll want to make on repeat! Pan-seared chicken, fresh arugula, and basil pesto are tossed with your favorite pasta in a creamy Caesar-Parmesan sauce. Stir in an extra spoonful of pesto and some fresh basil at the end for a simple but seriously delicious meal.
Lately, I’ve been all about sheet-pan dinners, skillet meals, and one-pot pastas—this time of year just seems to call for them. Everyone in my family has been on the go this spring (me included!), and with travel and packed schedules, I still want to keep home-cooked meals a priority…even if I only have 30 minutes to pull them off.
I’ve also been thinking about meals that are easy to make while traveling. I’m hoping to join my family for part of their month-long trip. My mom always books a residence-style hotel room instead of a regular one—it gives us more space and, most importantly, a kitchen to cook in! They love to stay in and make dinner most nights, and so do I.
When I visit, it’s so nice to have a go-to recipe like a one-pot pasta. They’re simple, quick, and perfect for feeding everyone without making a mess.
With warmer days finally in the forecast (New York is full of blooming flowers right now—I just love it!), I’ve been seriously craving Caesar salad. That’s when I had the idea to turn my homemade Caesar dressing into a creamy chicken Caesar pasta.
And let me tell you—it turned out so wonderfully! It’s the kind of dish I know I’ll be making and sharing all year long.
I used arugula for some fresh greens, but feel free to swap in whatever looks best at the market. Spinach or baby kale would be great too!
Here’s to simple dinners that taste like something extra. Hope this one brings a little joy (and a lot of flavor) to your table!
Here are the Details
Ingredients
- salted butter
- chicken breast or thighs
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- paprika
- chili flakes
- basil pesto
- garlic
- Short-cut pasta – I love sedanini pasta or bow-tie for this
- whole milk
- cream cheese
- Caesar dressing – make a homemade Caesar
- parmesan cheese
- arugula – or spinach/kale/whatever you enjoy
- fresh basil and fresh dill
Special Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need a large pot but not much else!
Steps
Step 1: cook the chicken
In a big pot, toss the chicken with butter, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the chicken to cook fully and brown around the edges.
Just before the chicken is finished cooking, I like to mix in a few spoonfuls of basil pesto. Now, remove the chicken from the pot.
Step 2: cook the pasta
To that same pot, add a pat of additional butter, then the garlic. Cook just a minute, maybe 2, until the garlic is fragrant and begins to turn golden. I like it when the butter starts to brown a bit too!
Okay, now is when you will mix in the pasta. Add water and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Add salt and stir often to ensure the pasta does not stick. If you do not stir often, the pasta tends to get stuck on the bottom of the pot.
Step 3: add milk and the caesar dressing.
Next, mix in the milk, Caesar dressing, and parmesan. Stir until the pasta is fully cooked and the sauce is creamy.
Slide the chicken back into the pasta. Add lots of fresh greens—I really like arugula. Then add the lemon juice and give it a stir.
Now, serve this up with freshly grated Parmesan and basil! It’s so quick and yummy! And while I know it’s different, the Caesar dressing is just delish when mixed with the pasta. It’s very Alfredo-like.
Looking for other one-pot recipes? Here are my favorites:
French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
One Skillet White Chicken Chili Bake
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Chicken Caesar Pesto Pasta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Chicken Caesar Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- salt, pepper, and chili flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped dill or parsley
- 2 cups milk
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup Caesar dressing
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2-3 cups arugula or baby spinach
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- 1. In a large pot set over medium-high heat, cook 1 tablespoon of butter with the chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Toss with 3 tablespoons of basil pesto. Scoop the chicken out of the pot and set aside.2. Add the garlic and a tablespoon of butter. Cook for 1 minute, until golden. Add the pasta and 2 cups of water. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Stir in the milk, cream cheese, Caesar dressing, the remaining pesto, and parmesan. Mix until creamy.3. Slide the chicken back in, add the arugula and lemon juice, and mix them into the pasta.4. Serve the pasta immediately with fresh parmesan and basil. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I really like this pasta dish and also have a hard time believing all these angry one-star reviews are real or all from different people who actually made the dish. The flavors blended well, and the end result was fantastic. The pesto added a flavor boost the same way fresh herbs would. The cream cheese and Caesar gave this a rich and smooth taste, which was heavenly.
Hey Melanie,
Fantastic! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Happy Wednesday! xx
This was excellent. It’s very obvious that the negative reviews are an orchestrated attack. Particularly since most of them sound the same, use the same names to attack every recipe on this blog, and fail to elaborate on how they botched such a simple and delicious dish.
There is no need to publish comments in which the commenter just leaves a one-line, snarky personal insult. It’s clear they haven’t actually prepared any of these dishes.
Hey Sara,
Fantastic! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Happy Wednesday! xx
Whew this one was bad. I won’t be making it again. Way too many issues with it.
Sorry to hear this, Barb. Can I ask what went wrong and if there is anything that I can help with? Please let me know!
I’m surprised by some of the negative reviews—my family actually enjoyed the flavor combination! The only issue I ran into was that the 2 cups of water weren’t quite enough to cook the pasta to al dente. The pasta box said 8 minutes for al dente, but I ended up needing to add about 1.5 more cups of water. Other than that, it turned out great. I’ll definitely make it again. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much, Sandra!! So glad to hear your family enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! Have a great week! xx
This was way too heavy. I’ve been a long time follower, but the dishes lately seem to be really dairy heavy…I miss the older recipes that were more healthy. 🙁
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Susie. So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed!
Well this was a waste of ingredients, the end result was terrible.
So sorry to hear this, Laurie. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know!
Too heavy, with too much dairy/oils. The result is no dominant flavor profile
Sorry to hear this, Lauren. Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your comment. Have a nice week!
This was so terrible, I can’t believe it was tested 4 times. Sad!
Hi Sharon,
Please let me know if there is something that I can help with. Have a nice week!
This was not good and so heavy. So much dairy!
Sorry to hear this, Joan. Next time, you could reduce the dairy or choose another recipe that has an amount more to your liking. Thanks for trying the recipe!
Could you provide some insight into how I would know if reducing something would alter the recipe too much, and it wouldn’t turn out as intended?
I’m willing to give it another try, but what dairy to remove?
You could omit the cream cheese and a lot of readers enjoy using coconut milk or another dairy free milk in place of regular milk. I hope this helps!
I wanted to like this, but this was a miss for me.
Hi Wanda,
Sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have a great week! xx
I loved the pesto/Caesar combo here – fun idea for a pasta dish! Really tasty and easy to make.
Hey Olivia,
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you! Happy Sunday!🌼🐰
Very tasty1 LOVE the one pot meals!
Thanks so much, Barb! So glad this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Happy Sunday!🌼🐰
This was fantastic—thank you. The flavors were a gorgeous combination, and it was a great meal for a big group. My kids had friends over for the night, so we fed six kids, plus my wife and me, and two of our friends. All we needed was a big side salad, and we were good to go!
Hey Doug,
Amazing! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try, so glad it turned out nicely for you! Have the best weekend!🌸
Caesar & basil pesto were certainly a choice. I did not care for the flavor profiles together at all.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Anna. Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the flavors. Have a nice weekend!
Will not make again.
Hi Brenda,
So sorry to hear this. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with!
Why not Brenda? What was your objection? This was a solidly good recipe and nobody in my family complained – which is miraculous because my teenagers complain about everything. 😅 Genuinely curious what went wrong for you.