Next Post
Salted Honey Butter Cheddar Brioche Rolls.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
One Pot Chicken Caesar Pesto Pasta: made in no time at all, this one-pot, 35-minute pasta is one you’ll want to make on repeat! Pan-seared chicken, fresh arugula, and basil pesto are tossed with your favorite pasta in a creamy Caesar-Parmesan sauce. Stir in an extra spoonful of pesto and some fresh basil at the end for a simple but seriously delicious meal.
Lately, I’ve been all about sheet-pan dinners, skillet meals, and one-pot pastas—this time of year just seems to call for them. Everyone in my family has been on the go this spring (me included!), and with travel and packed schedules, I still want to keep home-cooked meals a priority…even if I only have 30 minutes to pull them off.
I’ve also been thinking about meals that are easy to make while traveling. I’m hoping to join my family for part of their month-long trip. My mom always books a residence-style hotel room instead of a regular one—it gives us more space and, most importantly, a kitchen to cook in! They love to stay in and make dinner most nights, and so do I.
When I visit, it’s so nice to have a go-to recipe like a one-pot pasta. They’re simple, quick, and perfect for feeding everyone without making a mess.
With warmer days finally in the forecast (New York is full of blooming flowers right now—I just love it!), I’ve been seriously craving Caesar salad. That’s when I had the idea to turn my homemade Caesar dressing into a creamy chicken Caesar pasta.
And let me tell you—it turned out so wonderfully! It’s the kind of dish I know I’ll be making and sharing all year long.
I used arugula for some fresh greens, but feel free to swap in whatever looks best at the market. Spinach or baby kale would be great too!
Here’s to simple dinners that taste like something extra. Hope this one brings a little joy (and a lot of flavor) to your table!
Here are the Details
Ingredients
- salted butter
- chicken breast or thighs
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- paprika
- chili flakes
- basil pesto
- garlic
- Short-cut pasta – I love sedanini pasta or bow-tie for this
- whole milk
- cream cheese
- Caesar dressing – make a homemade Caesar
- parmesan cheese
- arugula – or spinach/kale/whatever you enjoy
- fresh basil and fresh dill
Special Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need a large pot but not much else!
Steps
Step 1: cook the chicken
In a big pot, toss the chicken with butter, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the chicken to cook fully and brown around the edges.
Just before the chicken is finished cooking, I like to mix in a few spoonfuls of basil pesto. Now, remove the chicken from the pot.
Step 2: cook the pasta
To that same pot, add a pat of additional butter, then the garlic. Cook just a minute, maybe 2, until the garlic is fragrant and begins to turn golden. I like it when the butter starts to brown a bit too!
Okay, now is when you will mix in the pasta. Add water and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Add salt and stir often to ensure the pasta does not stick. If you do not stir often, the pasta tends to get stuck on the bottom of the pot.
Step 3: add milk and the caesar dressing.
Next, mix in the milk, Caesar dressing, and parmesan. Stir until the pasta is fully cooked and the sauce is creamy.
Slide the chicken back into the pasta. Add lots of fresh greens—I really like arugula. Then add the lemon juice and give it a stir.
Now, serve this up with freshly grated Parmesan and basil! It’s so quick and yummy! And while I know it’s different, the Caesar dressing is just delish when mixed with the pasta. It’s very Alfredo-like.
Looking for other one-pot recipes? Here are my favorites:
French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
One Skillet White Chicken Chili Bake
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Chicken Caesar Pesto Pasta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Chicken Caesar Pesto Pasta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 552 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cubed
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- salt, pepper, and chili flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped dill or parsley
- 2 cups milk
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup Caesar dressing
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2-3 cups arugula or baby spinach
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- 1. In a large pot set over medium-high heat, cook 1 tablespoon of butter with the chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Toss with 3 tablespoons of basil pesto. Scoop the chicken out of the pot and set aside.2. Add the garlic and a tablespoon of butter. Cook for 1 minute, until golden. Add the pasta and 2 cups of water. Cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Stir in the milk, cream cheese, Caesar dressing, the remaining pesto, and parmesan. Mix until creamy.3. Slide the chicken back in, add the arugula and lemon juice, and mix them into the pasta.4. Serve the pasta immediately with fresh parmesan and basil. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on April 17, 2025
This was really good! Someone had asked about the amount of water to cook the pasta when cutting the recipe in half: I started with one cup of water but wound up using the additional cup in order to fully cook the pasta, just FYI.
Hey Kristi,
Perfect!! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing what worked well for you. So glad it was a hit! xx
I love a good pasta dish, and most importantly, one that’s not boring. This hit the nail on the head!
Thanks so much, James!! So glad you enjoyed this dish, thanks a bunch for making it! Happy Saturday! xx
So much flavor here – and all of it good. This was a huge hit with my whole family and I have some picky eaters! 🙂 Well done!
Hey Ashley,
Amazing! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try, so glad it turned out nicely for you! Have the best weekend!🌸
This worked well. The flavor profiles compliment each other beautifully. Really nice dish!
Hey Darien,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! Happy Friday!!
Great flavor!
Thanks so much, Bridget!!
Followed recipe exactly and it was delicious! Used arugula. Definitely will make this recipe again. Thank you for all the great recipes!
Hey Jane,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! Happy Friday!!
Garlic powder AND garlic – is that correct?
Hi Allison,
Yes, that is correct:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Caesar & basil pesto did not work together in these recipe. Very different flavor profiles and tasted heavy with the cream cheese, milk and cheese. If I made again, I would choose either basil pesto or Caesar, but would not combine them.
Hi Terry,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
I have noticed you use a lot of dishes that are broken/severely chipped in your videos/pics. I was just curious the reason for that?
Hi Ash,
Those are the style of the dishes and how they were made:) Have a great day!
I think you have a typo in step 3 from where you copied & pasted this from another recipe. It says “ranch dressing” but there is no ranch in the ingredients.
Hi Matthew,
Thanks for pointing this out, there is no ranch in the recipe, all has been fixed:) Happy Thursday!
Step 3 says ranch dressing, but I don’t see ranch in the ingredients?
Hi Brenda,
So sorry about that! There is no ranch in this recipe, all is fixed:) I hope you love this dish!
Looks delicious! In Step 3, you wrote ranch dressing by mistake, just a heads up! 😉
Thanks for letting me know, Amber! All is fixed now:)
I want to cook this desperately, but I’m leery of cooking the pasta in the pot with the other ingredients because when I reduce the number of servings to 3 (just the two of us here), it still calls for the 2 cups of water in the directions, which is the same as the recipe for 6. Since the water is not considered an ingredient in the list, it did to translate to a reduction in the written instructions. Advise?
Hi Rayann,
If you are going to cut this recipe in half, you will need to reduce the water as well, so you can use just 1 cup of water:) I hope this helps!
You say to use homemade Caesar dressing, but then your link is for a target Caesar dressing. Do you have a recipe for the homemade version? You mention ranch in step 3, is that just another error? Also, this sounds REALLY rich can I just leave out the cream cheese? Thanks!!
Hi Sam,
Here is my recipe for homemade dressing:
https://fett-weg.today/essentials/#dressings_sauces%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Sure, you can skip the cream cheese. I hope you love this dish! xx
Good Morning –
This sounds so good, can’t wait to make it with vegan ingredients! Also, step 3 change “ranch” to “caesar”!
Happy Easter,
Marilyn
Thanks so much, Marilyn!! All has been fixed:) I hope you love this dish!!