Chicken, Bacon, and Pesto Pasta Recipe, An Easy Weeknight Dinner

Strapped for time but craving flavor? This chicken pesto pasta is your solution: one pot, peas, bacon, and dinner on the table in 30 minutes.

Weeknights can be crazy, and this chicken, bacon and pesto pasta is a great one-pot dish that can be whipped together in less than a half an hour, and costs less than three dollars per serving.

Why You'll Love Chicken Pea Pesto Pasta

If you love quick and efficient meals as much as I do, then this chicken pesto pasta recipe is exactly what you're looking for in your next favorite budget-friendly dinner. This one-pot dinner recipe comes together quickly and has very little clean-up as everything is cooked in the same dish.

Another reason you'll love this easy pesto pasta with peas recipe is because it's full of flavor! Even though it uses store bought Pesto, those flavors pack a punch and taste amazing with the peas, bacon and parmesan cheese in his quick weeknight dinner.

Ingredients in Chicken, Bacon and Pesto Pasta

Chicken, bacon and pesto pasta comes together very quickly, but can be done even quicker with a little bit of meal prep. Here are the ingredients in chicken, bacon and pesto pasta.

• Chicken When we meal prep, we often make a large batch of chicken thighs. Making the thighs ahead of time helps speed up the dish.
• Bacon The salt and fat in bacon are a great addition to this dish.
• Vegetables To increase the nutritional value of chicken, bacon and pesto pasta, I add a slew of veggies. Typically, we keep frozen peas on hand, and always have spinach and mushrooms in the fridge as well. All of these are optional!
• Noodles Any dried noodle will do to make chicken, bacon, pesto pasta, and I typically have gluten-free penne on hand.

Equipment Needed to Make Simple Pesto Pasta

I only needed two pots to cook this dish--a pot to boil water, and my absolute favorite tool in my kitchen, my Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. This post just lives on my stove now because I use it so many times each week.

If you’re looking for a weeknight staple that you can make quickly, you’ve come to the right place.

How to Make Easy Chicken, Bacon, Pea, & Pesto Pasta, Step-by-Step

Here's the simple steps to create this one-pot chicken pesto pasta.

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta cooks, season the chicken breasts or thighs with salt and pepper. Or, if you have premade chicken, skip this step.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside, leaving a small amount of bacon grease in the pan.
4. In the same skillet, add the seasoned chicken. Cook for 4–5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan and let rest for a few minutes, then slice or shred.
5. Add the peas to the skillet and cook for 1–2 minutes until warmed through.
6. Return the cooked pasta, bacon, and sliced chicken to the skillet.
7. Stir in the pesto and gently toss everything together until evenly coated. Add a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
8. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
9. Serve warm with extra pesto, grated Parmesan, or fresh herbs if desired.

How to Store Pea Pesto Pasta

This easy weeknight dinner can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to a week--if you and your family don't eat the whole meal in one sitting!

Check out my other budget-stretching dishes: 

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HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES

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📖 Recipe

Print Pin

Chicken, Bacon and Pesto Pasta

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword budget friendly dinner, chicken pea and pesto, easy weeknight dinner, pantry dinner, weeknight dinner

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 ⅓ C Penne Noodles
• 4 Chicken Thighs or two cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
• 1 C Fresh mushrooms, sliced
• ¾ C Frozen Peas
• 2 C Fresh spinach
• 3 Slices bacon
• ½ Jar Pesto
• ¼ C Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

• Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
• While the pasta cooks, season the chicken breasts or thighs with salt and pepper. Or, if you have premade chicken, skip this step.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside, leaving a small amount of bacon grease in the pan.
• In the same skillet, add the seasoned chicken. Cook for 4–5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan and let rest for a few minutes, then slice or shred.
• Add the peas to the skillet and cook for 1–2 minutes until warmed through.
• Return the cooked pasta, bacon, and sliced chicken to the skillet.
• Stir in the pesto and gently toss everything together until evenly coated. Add a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
• Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve warm with extra pesto, grated Parmesan, or fresh herbs if desired.