Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad is so fresh and delicious! The bright green color from the pesto and peas remind me of springtime and St. Patricks Day. I originally published this recipe a couple of years ago and along with a lot of my older recipes I decided to update it.
Tips for how to make Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
- Ready to eat pesto from the grocery store is the easiest way to make this recipe come together quickly. If you have the time and lots of ingredients handy then this pesto recipe is delicious! And it proves that you don’t always need to have basil and pine nuts to make a flavorful pesto.
- Rotisserie chicken is another short-cut for this recipe! Leftover grilled or roasted chicken works great too. And if you want to be all Martha Stewart and cook the chicken and make the pesto from scratch then you do you!! Can’t say that I wouldn’t do the same at times when I’m in the mood.
- Sometimes I add asparagus to this dish. I always blanch the asparagus and peas together in boiling water for about a minute. Just until they turn bright green! Immediately pour into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. If using frozen peas only then just mix the peas into the hot pasta along with 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
Handy printable recipe down below.
Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
A pasta salad that is just as flavorful as it is colorful! It is cheesy pasta mixed with fresh green peas, chicken, and pesto. So easy and so delicious!
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 8 oz . cheese tortellini pasta
- 2 cups pesto (or to taste)
- 1 cup frozen english peas
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Shred/chop chicken. Use 2-3 cups of the chicken and save the rest for another recipe.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Save 1/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
- In large bowl mix together hot pasta and frozen peas.
- Add the shredded chicken and pesto.
- Season with black pepper. Garnish with parmesan cheese(optional)