Creamy Pesto Alfredo Chicken Pasta

Between the move and, well, all the packing required for said move, I’m not exactly Mom of the year in the dinner department. Things get tricky when you’re on a time crunch, you’re trying to pack a house aaaand use up what you got in the fridge and the pantry so it doesn’t go to waste.

So, this recipe has been brought to you courtesy of dinner necessity and procrastination.

This recipe is not hard. Like, not even a little bit.

You’ve probably seen versions of this floating around the internet even though I’m sure YOU have made this a million times before me. It’s the kind of recipe you don’t really need a recipe for, but I decided to post it anyways.

You’re welcome, America.

I use a jarred alfredo sauce, short cut pasta and a little pre-made pesto sauce. Very very simple, but the creamy sauce mixed with the pesto is really the best-o.

“Would you say your pesto is the besto?”

Puh-lease someone know what show that is from!! #ihavenolife

Anyways, complete recipe below! Have a wonderful weekend, friends! xoxo Hopefully by Monday, once we’re back from Hawaii, I’ll have more REAL recipes to share. 😉 Enjoy!!

Creamy Pesto Alfredo Chicken Pasta

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3/4-1 lb. rigatoni pasta*
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1-16.9 oz jar Alfredo sauce**
• 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
• chives and coarsely ground pepper for garnish, optional

Directions:

1. Bring large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. While pasta cooks, in a large, deep skillet {preferrably non-stick}, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute chicken with salt and pepper until lightly browned and thoroughly cooked. Pour in alfredo sauce and pesto. Simmer 1 minute. Toss with hot pasta and serve with any garnishes, if desired.
3. *I usually use closer to 3/4 lb of pasta because we like this dish saucy, but feel free to use the whole pound.
4. **I used the Trader Joes brand of Alfredo Sauce because I can actually read the ingredients label and know everything that I'm eating. Any jarred alfredo sauce will do.