Pesto Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Pesto Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken is a colorful and delicious pasta dish that comes together so quickly for a weeknight meal that your whole family will enjoy. Nutty pesto coats al dente spaghetti, dotted with burst cherry tomatoes and perfectly grilled chicken will help you get a high-protein, high-flavor meal in minutes.
Isn’t pesto one of the best foods ever created? The flavor is so bold and vibrant, and when it’s homemade it’s just bursting with fresh flavor. It makes for one of the easiest and best pasta sauces, plus it’s healthy! Add it to spaghetti with some sweet roasted cherry tomatoes and some perfectly grilled chicken strips and you’ve got a meal worth remembering!
I was actually so surprised; I was planning on eating this chicken pesto pasta for the next few days myself. I didn’t think my husband would like it and I thought the flavors would be a little too fancy for my kids. They all loved it! My four-year-old was asking for more, and normally she’s the toughest critic for stuff like this. She’ll always say “I don’t like that green stuff, could you take it off please” whenever there is anything like spinach, basil, cilantro, etc. Not this time and it was covered in green stuff. Success! Thank you, pesto sauce!
I loved it so much that I’m planning on making this pesto chicken pasta again in the next few days! All the best Italian flavors in one delicious pesto spaghetti dinner. And you’ll love what the roasted tomatoes bring to this, it was hard for me not to eat them all straight from the baking sheet. They can take all of your pasta recipes to the next level. Roasting veggies, or fruits in this case, always brings out the most irresistible flavors in them and it just brings out that delicious natural sweetness that sugar simply cannot duplicate.
Ingredients for Pesto Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken
The quality ingredients really make this dish, but there are some shortcuts you can take if you’re in a pinch!
- Fresh basil leaves make the best basil pesto
- Almonds or walnuts can be used instead of pine nuts, but the flavor will be more dry
- Swap your spaghetti for penne pasta
- Cut your pasta with heavy cream or chicken broth for a lighter flavor
- Use shrimp or sausage in place of grilled chicken thighs
- Add vegetables like zucchini to your pesto
- Use a jar of store-bought pesto
- Add mushrooms for more flavor and nutrients
Try this one soon, trust me you’ll love it!
Follow Cooking Classy
Pesto Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes and Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts , grilled
- 10 oz dry spaghetti
- 12 oz grape or cherry tomatoes , halved
- 7 Tbsp olive oil , divided
- 1 cup (45g) packed fresh basil
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese , plus more for serving
- Red pepper flakes , for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pasta in a pot of salted water according to directions listed on package, reserve 1/4 cup of the water before draining. Toss tomatoes with 1 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and spread tomatoes into an even layer on baking dish and roast in preheated oven 10 - 15 minutes, until soft.
- In a food processor pulse together basil, garlic and pine nuts until minced. With processor running, slowly pour in 6 Tbsp olive oil in a slow stream. Pulse until finely minced and well blended. Add in parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper (about 1/4 tsp of each) and process about 1 minute longer.
- Toss drained pasta with pesto and a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with chicken and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with parmesan and optional red pepper flakes to taste.