Easy Kale Pesto Chicken Alfredo

Easy Pesto Chicken Alfredo uses rotisserie chicken combined with pesto and alfredo sauce for a quick dinner packed with lots of flavor.

I use rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken breasts to keep this Pesto Chicken Alfredo a quick meal.  If you don’t have time or aren’t inclined to make pesto go ahead and use already prepared pesto.

Guess what- the pesto chicken alfredo was a HUGE hit!  I get the added bonus of including the dreaded kale into dinner (HUZZAH!) and not having the let down of disappointing the masses when it comes to dinner.

Okay so maybe I’m being a bit melodramatic about the whole thing but it’s what my poor emotions go through in my head.

What vegetables would be good with Pesto Alfredo?

For those who aren’t a fan of tomatoes and mushrooms you can swap those out for whatever veggies you might like.  You could try some combos like sauteed spinach or kale, garlic, or sauteed peppers.

How to make Pesto Alfredo sauce?

It’s so simple to make pesto Alfredo sauce.  For this dish I used a 3 to 1 ratio of Alfredo sauce to pesto, so 1.5 cups Alfredo sauce to 0.5 cup kale pesto (recipe below).

I chose to use the pesto to coat the chicken and then added the alfredo sauce to everything.  You could also choose to mix the alfredo and pesto together before adding it to the pasta.

Sometimes I find dinner time can be a battle between what I want and what everyone else likes.  Am I alone in this? Maybe I should institute the rule of whoever is the chef gets to choose the meal and no complaints. I wonder how well that would go over.

Other yummy pasta dishes you will love:

• Sausage and Veggie Spaghetti
•  BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad
• Chicken Fajita Pasta
• Sweet Potato Gnocchi

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Easy Pesto Chicken Alfredo

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Easy Kale Pesto Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Easy Pesto Chicken Alfredo uses rotisserie chicken combined with pesto and alfredo sauce for a quick dinner packed with lots of flavor.

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: kale pesto, pesto alfredo sauce

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 618 kcal

Author: Jonesin' For Taste

Ingredients

Pasta:

• 1 lb cooked chicken cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
• 8 oz mushrooms sliced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb pasta cooked according to package directions
• 1 12 oz bottle of alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup prepared pesto or kale pesto (below)

Kale Pesto:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cups firmly packed kale leaves removed from stem
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• More olive oil as needed

Instructions

1. Note: If you don't have or want to use kale go ahead and use basil or spinach or a mixture as desired.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, saute tomatoes and mushrooms in 2 Tbsp olive oil until the mushrooms are lightly browned and tomatoes begin to release their juices.
4. Pour pesto over chicken and toss to coat.
5. Combine alfredo sauce and cooked pasta. Add chicken, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Toss to combine and serve with additional parmesan cheese if desired.

6. For kale pesto: Mix all pesto ingredients in a food processor. Cover and process, blending until smooth adding additional olive oil as needed about 1 tsp at a time. Stop and scrape sides as needed.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Kale Pesto Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 618 Calories from Fat 306

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 34g 52%

Saturated Fat 6g 30%

Cholesterol 49mg 16%

Sodium 373mg 16%

Potassium 611mg 17%

Total Carbohydrates 50g 17%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 4g

Protein 27g 54%

Vitamin A 47.5%

Vitamin C 42%

Calcium 14.9%

Iron 16.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.