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Chili Pesto Pasta with Chicken

Closeup top view of tomato and chili pesto pasta with chicken garnished with grated parmigiano reggiano cheese and basil on a plate.
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Spicy, savory, creamy and full of bold tomato flavors, this Chili Pesto Pasta with Chicken featuring store-bought red chili pesto is ready in 30 minutes and next level DELICIOUS!

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken:

  • 9 ounces / 260 grams Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless – cut into bite-sized pieces
  • ¼ + ⅛ TSP Fine Sea Salt (use ¾ TSP if using kosher salt), to taste
  • ¼ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper
  • ¼ TSP Italian Seasoning
  • ¼ TSP Garlic Powder
  • 1 TSP Olive Oil, for cooking

Chili Pesto Pasta:

  • 5.3 ounces / 150 grams uncooked Orecchiette Pasta (or any short-cut pasta shape)
  • ¼ medium / 50 grams Yellow Onion – finely chopped
  • ½ medium / 100 grams Red Bell Pepper – finely diced
  • 2 cloves / 15 grams Garlic – minced
  • 5-6 pieces / 20 grams fresh Red Chilies (optional, I used Thai Bird’s Eye red chilies but any variety can be used, omit for milder dish – note 1*)
  • 10 pieces / 100 grams Cherry Tomatoes – halved
  • ≈ ½ cup / 10 grams fresh Italian Basil Leaves – finely sliced into thin strips
  • ½ TBSP Olive Oil, for cooking
  • 3.5 TBSP / 50 grams Chili Pesto (note 2 – substitute with sundried tomato pesto or red pepper pesto if unavailable)
  • 1 TBSP / 15 grams Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
  • ¼ TSP Fine Sea Salt, to taste
  • ¼ TSP Dried Oregano
  • ½ TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
  • ¼ TSP ground Cayenne, to taste
  • ⅓ cup / 79ml Single Cream (also known as table or light cream in the USA – note 3)
  • Reserved Pasta Cooking Water, as needed

To Serve:

  • Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese), to taste
  • Reserved sliced Basil

Instructions

Prep:

  1. Season the chicken: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to a medium bowl. Season with fine sea salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Mix well to coat and set aside.
  2. Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop/slice the yellow onion, red bell pepper, garlic, red chilies, cherry tomatoes and basil as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section.

Chili Pesto Pasta with Chicken:

  1. Cook the pasta: Cook the pasta al-dente according to package instructions in a large pot (or the same medium-sized deep sauté pan you’ll use to make the pasta dish) of boiling salted water. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. (I like to run water cold water over the pasta to prevent it from sticking and cooking further but this is optional.)
  2. Cook the chicken: Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium-sized deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken pieces and spread the pieces out in the pan. Allow to sear for 1 minute, then flip and sear the other side for another minute or until almost cooked through. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
  3. Sauté the veggies and aromatics: Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion and red bell pepper and sauté for 1 minute until softened. Add the garlic and red chilies and sauté to combine until fragrant – about 30 seconds.
  4. Build the tomato sauce: Add the chili pesto, double concentrated tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water, salt, black pepper, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and ground cayenne. Mix well to combine. Then add the cherry tomatoes and mix briefly to combine.
  5. Add the cream: Reduce the heat to low and stir in the single/light cream. Mix well to create a chili tomato cream sauce.
  6. Add the pasta and chicken: Add the cooked pasta and chicken and mix for 1 minute until everything is evenly coated in the sauce and it clings to the pasta. If the sauce thickens too much, add 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to loosen it if needed.
  7. Stir through the basil: Stir in most of the sliced fresh Italian basil (reserve some for garnish) until just wilted, then switch off the heat.
  8. To Serve: Divide evenly onto plates and garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese if desired. Sprinkle with the reserved sliced basil and serve.

Notes

  1. Fresh Red Chilies. Use any type of hot red chilies easily available to you. Adjust the amount based on how hot the chilies are and your heat level preference. To make this dish milder, omit the fresh chilies and use less crushed red pepper and ground cayenne.
  2. Chili Pesto. I used Sacla Fiery Red Chili Pesto which is a spicy red pepper pesto made with garlic, oil, hot red chilies, red peppers and tomatoes. It packs a flavorful punch! Another brand that makes chili pesto is Filippo Berio. It can be found in mainstream supermarkets in the UK, EU and USA (i.e. Walmart, Publix Market). It’s also available to purchase online in the UK and from Amazon in the US. If you can’t find it, substitute with sundried tomato pesto or other red pepper pesto sauce.
  3. Double the recipe. This recipe makes enough for 2 servings. Double the recipe ingredients by clicking the ‘2x’ button at the top of the recipe card if you’d like to make 4 servings to feed a family or for meal prep.
  4. Storing and Reheating Leftovers. Store any leftovers in an airtight sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in individual meal prep containers. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. I recommend garnishing with basil and grated cheese just before eating. Fresh basil blackens and becomes bitter when reheated in the microwave for too long when used as a topping. Within the dish itself, the basil will reheat just fine.
  5. Nutritional information. The nutritional information provided does not account for the freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese as the amount you add will vary and be based on your preference.
  6. See the ‘Variations’ section in the post above if you’d like to customize this chili pesto pasta dish.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/chili-pesto-pasta-with-chicken/