Artichoke Pesto Chicken Pasta is a delicious dish that the whole family will love! It's made with simple, wholesome ingredients like fresh lemon, homemade pesto, and caramelized onions. Enjoy this easy recipe on busy weeknights when you need dinner on the table in less than an hour!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Healthy - One of my favorite things about this dish is that it's made with healthy, wholesome ingredients! It's the perfect mix of healthy fats from the pesto, protein from the chicken, and fiber from the artichoke hearts.
Plus, it's made with gluten-free pasta and contains no dairy!
Easy - Artichoke Chicken Pasta comes together in about 45 minutes which makes it the perfect weeknight dinner recipe! Just follow along a few basic steps and you'll have dinner on the table in no time.
Delicious - The tender chicken is tossed with gluten-free fettucine, caramelized onions, fresh lemon juice and a delicious homemade pesto sauce. What's not to love after a long day of work?!
🍴Ingredient Notes
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - My favorite organic, free-range chicken breast brands are Butcher Box and Bell & Evans. If you don't want to cut the chicken breast, use chicken tenders.
- Gluten-Free Pasta - I used Jovial Brown Rice Fettucine. Feel free to swap for any shape pasta you'd like. Spaghetti, angel hair, or even penne pasta would be great choices!
- Artichoke Hearts - Read the ingredient label and make sure they're not marinated in anything. You want plain artichoke hearts! Drain the artichoke liquid and roughly chop the artichoke hearts before adding into the pan.
- Sweet Onion - Cut the onion into thin slices.
- Pesto - I used my Creamy Walnut Pesto recipe! You can also try my Avocado Lemon Pesto or my Cashew Pesto. Store bought pesto is great if you want to save on prep time.
- Lemon Juice - Fresh lemon works best, but you can also use store bought lemon juice.
- Olive Oil - You'll use this in the lemon marinade, and it will also keep the onions from sticking to the pan. You can also swap with avocado oil.
- Salt - The pesto already contains salt so you will just need a small amount to season the chicken breast.
- Red Pepper Flakes - For a kick of spice, add some red pepper flakes! It also works great as a garnish.
🍴Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Marinate Chicken Breast
Start by mixing the chicken with lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Marinate in the refrigerator for added flavor!
Step 2: Cook Lemon Chicken
Next, cook the chicken in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat unti golden brown on both sides. (It's okay if it's not 100% cooked through.) Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and cut into thin strips.
Step 3: Caramelize Onions
Then add in thinly sliced onions and sauté on a low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until caramelized.
Step 4: Add in Artichoke Hearts & Chicken
Add in the artichoke hearts and sliced chicken. Cover and let simmer on low while the pasta cooks. (Follow package instructions or cook until al dente.)
Step 5: Add in Pesto & Pasta
Finally, pour in the pesto and cooked pasta. Stir together until everything is completely coated with the pesto. Serve hot with fresh lemon wedges!
Expert Tips
- To save on time, use a rotisserie chicken. Chop or shred and toss with lemon juice, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. (Salt to taste.) Add it in with the caramelized onions and chopped artichoke hearts.
- Marinate the chicken overnight or the morning of for maximum flavor!
- Cut the chicken after it has cooked to keep it juicy and tender. Overcooking the chicken will make it dry.
- Use a meat thermometer if you're not sure when the chicken is ready! Check that the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- Any large skillet will work with this recipe, but I love using a stainless-steel skillet with taller sides. A cast iron skillet would work great too!
- To thin out the pesto sauce you can also use a little of the pasta water!
Serving Suggestions
Add-Ins
The best part about this dish is that you can easily customize it! Try adding in cherry tomatoes, chopped kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, or even broccoli for some extra flavor and nutrients.
Salad
You can also serve this dish with a simple salad that includes mixed greens or arugula.
Nuts
For extra crunch, toast chopped cashews or walnuts to sprinkle on top!
Garnish
To garnish this dish, add lemon wedges, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes. Grated dairy-free parmesan cheese would also be a great addition to this dish!
How to store leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
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Recipe Card
Creamy Artichoke Lemon Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Large Nonstick Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Chicken Breast
- 12 Ounces Gluten-Free Pasta I used Jovial Brown Rice Fettucine.
- 13.5 Ounces Artichoke Hearts, chopped
- 1 Sweet Onion, thinly sliced
- 1 Cup Pesto I used my Creamy Walnut Pesto recipe!
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil You can sub with avocado oil.
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Start by mixing the chicken with lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Marinate in the refrigerator for added flavor!
- Next, cook the chicken in a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides. (It's okay if it's not 100% cooked through.) Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and cut into thin strips.
- Then add in thinly sliced onions and sauté on a low heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until caramelized.
- Add in the artichoke hearts and sliced chicken. Cover and let simmer on low while the pasta cooks. (Follow package instructions.)
- Finally, pour in the pesto and pasta. Stir together until everything is completely coated with the pesto. Serve hot with fresh lemon wedges!
Notes
Expert Tips
- To save on time, use a rotisserie chicken. Chop or shred and toss with lemon juice, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. (Salt to taste.) Add it in with the caramelized onions and chopped artichoke hearts.
- Marinate the chicken overnight or the morning of for maximum flavor!
- Cut the chicken after it has cooked to keep it juicy and tender. Overcooking the chicken will make it dry.
- Use a meat thermometer if you're not sure when the chicken is ready! Check that the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- Any large skillet will work with this recipe, but I love using a stainless-steel skillet with taller sides. A cast iron skillet would work great too!
- To thin out the pesto sauce you can also use a little of the pasta water!
How To Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. ** See full post for step-by-step photos and more information.Nutrition
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