On busy nights, it can be hard to find quick and convenient meals for dinner outside of the drive-thru. Your problem is solved with this Easy Pesto Chicken Pasta Recipe. With only 3 ingredients, it’s ready to eat in less than 20 minutes – making it a kid AND mom favorite!

There are so many things we try to cram into our evenings – sports practice, band concerts, school meetings that pop up out of nowhere. Somewhere in there, you still have to eat and, while chicken nuggets and tater tots are convenient (and kind of yummy), sometimes you just want real FOOD.

This Chicken Pesto Pasta recipe is one of the reasons I always keep frozen shredded chicken on hand. (I am not into freezer meals or bulk cooking in general, but this is my one exception…it genuinely makes my life easier and, once you add it to a recipe, honestly doesn’t taste like defrosted “freezer food”.)

With only 3-ingredients, you can have steaming bowls of Pesto Chicken Pasta ready for your family to eat in the time it takes to boil pasta and stir in shredded chicken and store-bought pesto sauce.

What You’ll Need to Make Chicken & Pesto Pasta

2 cups shredded chicken
16 oz. penne pasta noodles
¾ cup of your favorite pesto sauce (I especially like Prego’s Basil Pesto)

How to Make Chicken & Pesto Pasta

Begin by preparing the penne pasta according to package directions.

While your pasta is cooking, reheat the shredded chicken if need be. Because I usually pull a bag out in the morning and allow it to defrost in the refrigerator throughout the day, I like to stick it in the microwave for a minute to allow it heat up before I toss it with the pasta. (Also, if this recipe is a last-minute decision, you can defrost frozen shredded chicken while the pasta cooks.

Once it’s done cooking, drain the pasta and toss it with your shredded chicken and pesto.

This pasta dish is perfect topped with a bit of grated parmesan cheese.