5-Ingredient Chicken Pasta

This five-ingredient chicken pasta is built for nights when you want dinner without a long shopping list. Pasta water turns pesto and cream cheese into a quick sauce, while cooked chicken and spinach make it feel like a complete meal.

What counts as the five ingredients?

The five main ingredients are pasta, cooked chicken, pesto, cream cheese, and spinach. Salt and cooking water are treated as basic kitchen staples rather than main ingredients.

Why pasta water matters

Do not drain every drop away. Starchy pasta water helps loosen the cream cheese and pesto and makes the sauce cling to the pasta without needing another ingredient.

5-Ingredient Chicken Pasta

A fast five-ingredient chicken pasta with pesto, cream cheese, spinach, and cooked chicken.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Dinner

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 300 g short pasta 10.5 oz
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken about 280 g
• 1/2 cup basil pesto about 120 ml
• 115 g cream cheese 4 oz
• 2 cups baby spinach about 60 g

Method

 

1. Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
2. Return the pot to low heat. Add the pesto and cream cheese with 1/3 cup reserved pasta water and stir until smooth.
3. Add the cooked chicken and spinach. Stir until the chicken is hot and the spinach begins to wilt.
4. Add the pasta back to the pot and toss well.
5. Add more pasta water as needed until the sauce is glossy and coats the pasta, then serve.

Simple swaps

Use another short pasta shape if that is what you have. Baby kale can replace spinach, and leftover roast chicken can replace rotisserie chicken. Different pesto styles will change the flavor, so taste before adding extra salt.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate in a covered container. Reheat gently with a small splash of water to loosen the sauce.