Loaded Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe

Looking for a meal that’s fresh, filling, and easy to love? This Loaded Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta is one of my favorite healthy grilled chicken recipes simple, bright, and comforting. I learned meals like this at my mom’s side.

She was a nurse who came home exhausted, yet still cooked. I’d chop, she’d stir, and together we made quick chicken dinners for families that felt like home, no matter how tired we were.

Golden Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta Comfort

• It’s my answer to busy nights when I want fresh and full.
• Herbs, lemon, garlic they do the heavy lifting.
• This Loaded Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta is creamy, green, and comforting,

The Ingredients That Build It

• 4 boneless chicken breasts or thighs
• 1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley, basil)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice and zest
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lb baby potatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 oz pasta (penne, fusilli, or farfalle)
• 1/2 cup prepared basil pesto
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• Garnish: herbs, lemon wedges, toasted pine nuts

Stuffani’s Comfort:
This is my go-to when dinner feels impossible. No guessing, no show-off tricks. Just pantry basics turned into a plate that feels like more than the sum of its parts.

Instructions That Feel Like Home

Step 1: Marinate the chicken
Mix herbs, garlic, lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Coat chicken and let it rest for 15–60 minutes.

Stuffani’s Tip: When my mom came home tired, she’d rub herbs into chicken while still in her scrubs. Simple, fast, and always better than takeout.

Step 2: Roast the potatoes
Heat oven to 425°F. Toss potatoes with oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Roast 25–30 minutes.

Stuffani’s Whisper: My mom always gave me a piece of potato so I could taste the love from her hands.

Step 3: Grill the chicken
Heat your grill or the best grill pan for chicken. Cook 6–7 minutes per side until 165°F. Rest for 5 minutes.

Stuffani’s Advice: I use a cast iron grill pan. Heavy, reliable, one of those kitchen gadgets for healthy meals that earns its keep every week.

Step 4: Cook the pasta
Boil until al dente. Save 1/2 cup water, then drain.

Kitchen Truth: If you forget the pasta water, you lose the silk in the sauce. Learned that lesson more than once.

Step 5: Make it creamy
Return pasta to the pot on low heat. Add pesto, cream, butter, Parmesan, and pasta water. Stir until dreamy and smooth.

Stuffani’s Whisper: This sauce is why my daughter sneaks bites from the pot. It’s my love letter in green.

Step 6: Bring it together
Slice chicken. Plate with creamy pesto pasta and roasted potatoes. Garnish with herbs, lemon wedges, or pine nuts.

Stuffani’s Advice: Some nights I plate it fancy, other nights it’s bowls on the couch. Both are perfect.

Want another full-plate moment? My Four Cheese Garlic Bacon Lasagna is another family favorite that carries the same comfort.

Ways to Make Grilled chicken pasta recipe Yours

• Some nights, I follow every step like it’s sacred.
• Other nights, I swap, taste, and let the moment decide.

Real swaps that feel like home

• No chicken breasts? Use thighs juicier, forgiving, and still delicious.
• No small potatoes? Try sweet potatoes or even roasted carrots. Comfort finds a way.
• No fresh herbs? Dried rosemary and thyme bring the same soul.
• Looking for more Italian chicken pasta recipes? Try my Creamy Mozzarella Chicken Linguine sauce dreams live there.

Stuffani’s Whisper: My mom never stopped a recipe because something was missing. After a twelve-hour nursing shift, she swapped, improvised, and still made dinner magic. I learned more from those nights than any cookbook.

Easy touches that tell your story

• Add roasted cherry tomatoes for sweetness against the pesto.
• Sprinkle toasted pine nuts for crunch.
• Stir in spinach or arugula for a green that melts into the cream.
• Squeeze extra lemon at the end it brightens everything.
• Need more pesto pasta dinner ideas? My Garlic Butter Beef Rollups aren’t pasta, but they bring the same weeknight joy.

Stuffani’s Tip: Meals don’t need to be polished. Some of my Loaded Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta plates have looked messy but no one cared. What they remembered? Full bowls, full bellies, and laughter around the table.

Serving and Storing Grilled chicken pasta recipe

• It’s creamy, herby, and one of my favorite easy weeknight chicken dinners.
• Grill to table, it feels like comfort even after the hardest days.

How to serve Loaded Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta

• Slice the chicken and place it over the pasta like a centerpiece.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan or lemon zest for freshness.
• Roasted potatoes on the side make it whole and hearty.
• Want another herb marinated chicken with pasta idea? Try my Creamy Mozzarella Chicken Linguine for another family win.

Stuffani’s Note: I remember my mom, still in her scrubs, dropping pasta on plates and setting chicken on top. No garnish, no extra. Just food that fed us and told us we mattered. That’s what I try to bring back every time I serve this.

How to store and enjoy later

• Keeps up to 3 days in the fridge. Warm gently with a splash of cream or water.
• Leftovers don’t last long here, but when they do, I tuck them into containers once they’ve cooled.
• I keep chicken and pasta together it feels like they belong side by side, even in the fridge.
• Need another family dish that reheats beautifully? My Best Million Dollar Lasagna always comes back creamy and layered with love.

Stuffani’s Whisper: I sometimes keep one small serving just for myself. Not hidden, exactly just waiting. Moms need their own creamy too.

Mistakes, Fixes, and Creative Twists

Troubleshooting Guide for Chicken, Pasta, and Potatoes

Stuffani’s Note: I’ve burned chicken, dried pasta into glue, and pulled out potatoes that felt more steamed than roasted. My mom never called those failures just dinner with lessons baked in.

Creative Variations to Try at Home

• Mediterranean: Add briny olives and chopped sun-dried tomatoes for a bright, savory twist.
• Spicy: Mix chili flakes into the marinade and use a jalapeño pesto for extra heat.
• Low-Carb/Keto: Swap pasta for spiralized zucchini noodles or roasted cauliflower.
• Vegetarian: Replace chicken with grilled halloumi or a thick portobello mushroom steak.

Stuffani’s Whisper: I learned early that recipes bend. My mom swapped what she had after long shifts, and somehow it always worked. That’s why I tell my daughter the same play with it, taste as you go, make it yours.

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FAQs – Loaded Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta

Conclusion Creamy pesto pasta with chicken

• This Grilled chicken pasta recipe isn’t just dinnerit’s my way of slowing down a busy night.
• It’s fresh, creamy, and one of those easy weeknight chicken dinners that feels bigger than the effort.
• One skillet, one bowl, one memory that always brings us back together.

Loaded Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe

• Author: Stuffani Borjat
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Grilling, Roasting
• Cuisine: Italian-American

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Description

This Loaded Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta is comfort with freshness—herb-marinated chicken, roasted potatoes, and creamy pesto pasta. A full plate that feels like home, one of my best easy weeknight chicken dinners.

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Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley, basil), finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 lb baby potatoes, halved or quartered

1 teaspoon dried oregano or rosemary

1 tablespoon butter

8 oz pasta (penne, fusilli, or farfalle)

1/2 cup prepared basil pesto

1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Optional garnish: extra fresh herbs, lemon wedges, toasted pine nuts

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Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix herbs, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper. Coat chicken and marinate for 15–60 minutes.

2. Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss potatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Roast 25–30 minutes, flipping once.

3. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.

4. Grill chicken on medium-high heat, 6–7 minutes per side until 165°F inside. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

5. Return pasta to pot on low heat. Stir in pesto, cream, butter, Parmesan, and pasta water until smooth and creamy.

6. Plate creamy pesto pasta with sliced chicken and roasted potatoes. Garnish with herbs, lemon, or pine nuts.

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Notes

Stuffani’s Note: This dish reminds me of cooking beside my mom after her nursing shifts—simple herbs, simple pasta, and yet it always felt like love.

Stuffani’s Whisper: Don’t stress the swaps halloumi for chicken, zucchini noodles for pasta. It’s about making it yours, not perfect.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 plate
• Calories: 560
• Sugar: 4g
• Sodium: 580mg
• Fat: 26g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Unsaturated Fat: 14g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 42g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 41g
• Cholesterol: 135mg

Keywords: Loaded Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Pesto Pasta, healthy grilled chicken recipes, Italian chicken pasta recipes, easy weeknight chicken dinners