stove top chicken pesto rigatoni

Wednesday was never really spaghetti day in our house, but we did have our share of pasta most of the time!  Our obsession with pesto caused us to put it in our pasta dishes on a pretty regular basis. This creamy pesto pasta sauce with chicken and rigatoni has always been one of my favorites and is a nice departure from red sauce. This dish is really great. You can cook the pasta at any time during the day so it’s ready to go. Then, you have a stove top and a one pot meal that goes together in minutes. Enjoy!

stove top chicken pesto rigatoni

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• Author: Salt and Share
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings
• Category: Main Dishes
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 lbs chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons garlic, minced, divided
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ cups half and half
• ½ cup pesto
• 1 lb rigatoni, cooked and drained
• 2 cups grape tomatoes
• 1 cup parmesan cheese,  shredded

Instructions

1. Toss chicken with garlic, salt and pepper in medium bowl. Heat olive oil with 1 T garlic over high heat.
2. Add chicken and cook until done, about 10-15 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, mix half and half and pesto. Add to chicken, bring to a low boil and cook until sauce thickens slightly.
4. Add cooked pasta and grape tomatoes. Combine until everything is coated with sauce and heated through.
5. Remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy!