This chicken and artichoke pasta gets topped with a creamy kale pesto sauce to give you a weeknight dinner for two that comes together in just over 30 minutes!
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Notes from the Kitchen
This chicken & articoke pasta recipe started as part of my quest to eat more veggies. With both artichokes and kale pesto you get a good solid seving of veggies right in the pasta.
The recipe for the kale pesto is one of my staple sauce recipes. It makes more pesto than you need for this recipe, so you could use the rest to make these tasty twice-baked potatoes.
When I was testing this recipe, I started out thinking this would be a baked pasta, however, my first go quickly made me re-think that idea! Without adding something creamy to the sauce it ended up being a bit dry. Then I thought about how you often see pasta done in restaurants, and realized that method would work perfectly for this dish! Add a little pasta water and sauté everything together to get a warm, creamy dish.
Ingredient Notes
The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Penne pasta: You can use regular or high protein pasta. I have not tested the recipe using gluten-free pasta so I'm not sure how it would hold up in this recipe.
- Chicken breast: Boneless, skinless chicken breast is what you'll want for this recipe.
- Artichoke hearts: I recommend using frozen artichoke hearts for this recipe as they don't have any added flavors.
- Kale pesto: I suggest making your own but if you can find it premade you could use that as a substitute.
- Greek yogurt: This gives the pasta some of its creaminess.
- Parmesan cheese: You'll want freshly grated for the best flavor.
How to make it
Ideally, you'll want to use a 12" pan to make this dish as a larger pan makes it easier to incorporate all of the ingredients. This double handled saute pan has become one of my favorites for making pasta dishes like this.
- Cook the pasta. Pasta cooking times vary depending on the type of pasta so use the package directions for al dente pasta as your guide. Check out my notes below for tips on salting the pasta water.
- Cook the chicken. While the pasta is cooking, brown the chicken in a saute pan. Then toss in the artichoke hearts and spices.
- Make the sauce. When you drain the pasta don't forget to reserve some of the pasta water to use in the sauce. Add that, the pesto, yogurt, ricotta and parmesan to the pan with the chicken and artichokes. Stir it all together until you've got a smooth, creamy sauce. Then serve and enjoy!
Salting Pasta Water
If you want to learn a lot about salting pasta water, Samin Nosrat's book Salt Fat Acid Heat is a fabulous resource.
For 6-8 ounces of pasta I use about 2 quarts of water + 2 teaspoons of salt though I never actually measure the water or the salt. (show a photo of how it looks in my hand). I normally use Kosher Salt in pasta water.
Keep experimenting to figure out what works for your taste. The important thing is to get some salt in the water before you cook the pasta!
Serving Suggestions
I usually like to serve pasta with a relatively simple salad like this arugula & grapefruit salad, but these steamed carrots would also make a great side dish.
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Chicken & Artichoke Pasta with Kale Pesto
Ingredients
- 6 ounces uncooked penne pasta, about 1 ½ cups
- 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, drained and chopped
- ¼ teaspoon course ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried shallots
- ¼ cup kale pesto
- ⅓ cup pasta water
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for topping
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- ½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Be sure to salt the pasta water!
- Cook the chicken. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Add chicken and sauté until browned, breaking into bite-sized pieces as it cooks. Add the artichoke hearts, spices, and pepper; sauté 2-3 minutes until artichoke hearts are warmed. Keep warm over low heat.
- Make the sauce. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of water. Add pasta to chicken and artichoke mixture in the sauté pan; increase heat to medium-low and mix together. Add ⅓ cup pasta water, ¼ cup kale pesto, ricotta, parmesan & yogurt. Stir until everything is incorporated.
- Finish & serve. If necessary, add a little additional pasta water for a smooth consistency. Season with salt & pepper as desired. Top with grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Notes
This post was originally published in January 2017. It was updated in February 2026 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.
Sara - The Organic Dietitian
Kale is one of my favorites. I love how you used it in this recipe.
Sherri @ Watch Learn Eat
This looks awesome! I love the flavor combination! Kale is so versatile!
Vicky @ Avocdo Pesto
You've got to give kale more chances -- there have to be ways that you would like it! Have you ever made kale chips? I love those! And kale pesto is obviously great use of it. YUM!
Jane @ littlesugarsnaps
I haven't had kale for um... about 3 years. Nothing against it, except I only ever get around to using it in a stirfry and then have to throow out the rest of the bag a week later. This recipe sounds so tempting (I love artichokes) that I may have to break my unintentional kalefast
Cristie | Little Big H
This sounds and look really delicious. Will have to give it a try...
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
i love kale pesto and your addition of artichoke hearts makes this dish even better!
Shiho
Looks fantastic. I have just planted Kale in my little veggie patch so when I harvested it, will make this recipe. Thank you for sharing.