What to Serve with Chicken Pesto Pasta? 7 BEST Side Dishes

You obtain the most delightful flavors when you add pesto to chicken pasta.

So, a big thanks to the person who thought to make a dish with this combination.

Pesto is a fresh Italian sauce traditionally prepared in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle.

Chicken pesto pasta is a dish consisting of all three ingredients, and it’s not just delicious but also pairs off well with plenty of items.

So, what to serve with chicken pesto pasta? If you are looking for some answers, don’t go anywhere as we list the seven best dishes that you can serve with it.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Chicken Pesto Pasta?

There are so many reasons why you should consider serving other items with chicken pesto pasta.

First of all, it’s a tasty dish that is also versatile, and it clicks perfectly with many other foods.

Secondly, It’s a rich dish, so you need some other flavors and textures to avoid overwhelming your palate.

Last but not least, you need more than one dish when serving chicken pesto pasta to many guests.

It’s so good that if you have only that, it won’t be sufficient as everyone would want more.

What to Serve with Chicken Pesto Pasta? 7 BEST Side Dishes

The following are the best seven dishes you can serve alongside chicken pesto pasta.

So, take a look and include them when you make the chicken dish.

1 – Creamy Potato Salad

Let’s start the list with a dish that consists of the humble potato.

A creamy potato salad is filling, yummy, and compatible with chicken pesto pasta.

It’s an ideal side dish, especially if you have many guests to serve.

You will find different types of potatoes on the market; ‘waxy,’ ‘floury,’ and ‘new’.

Each variety is suitable for a specific dish.

For salads, new spuds are the best because they retain their structure when cooked.

So, look for new potatoes; if these aren’t available, you can get fingerlings as they’re smaller and retain their shape too.

Use your favorite seasonings and ingredients to create a yummy and creamy salad.

2 – Steamed Broccoli

The green veggie is often overlooked, but broccoli is compatible with many other foods.

Whether you make a fresh salad, stir-fry, or steam, each dish is unique and flavorful.

Steamed broccoli works nicely with chicken pesto pasta, too, and so it’s here on the list.

The dish is also one of the easiest to make, and you can do a considerable amount in one go.

Broccoli also contains plenty of nutrients and has gained attention because of them having potential cancer fighting properties.

So, a dish with green vegetables is a healthy choice.

It adds freshness and crunchiness and balances the flavors of the chicken dish.

3 – Baked Beans

It may be a simple dish, but it’s delicious and can work nicely with chicken pesto pasta.

The dish originated in Native American cuisine, but baked beans have become a favorite comfort food in many households.

You will also find plenty of variations, but you can go with the classic version too.

You can find canned baked beans on the market, too, but making the dish from scratch can be more satisfying.

There are several bean varieties, but for this dish, it’s best to choose navy beans, kidney beans, Great Navy beans, or pinto beans.

4 – Coleslaw

A bowl of fresh salad can provide nourishment and add a crunchy texture to your meal.

So, let’s add coleslaw to the list.

It goes with chicken pesto pasta, and it’s one of the simplest dishes to make.

The main ingredient of the salad is cabbage.

The veggie belongs to the Brassica genus of vegetables and comes in various shapes and colors.

Any type is suitable for making coleslaw, so you can use different shades to give your salad a bright appearance.

Add a vinaigrette or mayonnaise, depending on availability.

Either will taste fabulous, bringing a freshness to the chicken dish.

5 – Caprese Salad

It’s an Italian salad with the colors of the country’s flag; red, white, and green.

But Caprese salad can be a fine side dish with chicken pesto pasta.

The freshness of the former tones down the richness of the latter, making the meal more balanced.

Caprese salad is also easy to make as you need very few ingredients, with the main items being basil leaves, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese.

You slice the tomatoes and cheese into round shapes and place them on a plate one after the other alternately.

Finally, add the basil leaves, olive oil, and salt to taste.

6 – Fresh Rainbow Salad

Since chicken pesto pasta is a rich and filling dish, so another salad dish won’t hurt.

A bowl of colorful fresh salad can be the perfect accompaniment to the pasta dish.

Vegetables come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes.

So, you can choose veggies with different shades to make them bright and cheerful.

Carrot (white and orange), beet, tomato, red and white onion, lettuce, purple and red cabbage, cucumber, and basil can make a beautiful-looking rainbow salad.

You can add a favorite salad dressing depending on the veggies that you use.

7 – Garlic Bread

Easy to make but hard to resist, we finally have garlic bread on the list.

It’s the only bread dish but an ideal pairing with chicken pesto pasta.

We guarantee that you won’t be disappointed choosing garlic bread as one of the side dishes to serve with the pasta.

If you’re wondering what’s garlic bread, the answer is simple.

It’s toasted bread made from French bread with olive oil or butter, cheese (optional), herbs, and loads of garlic.

The final product is crispy brown bread with tons of garlic flavor and aroma, something you and your guests will enjoy.

Conclusion

If not for the page or word limitation, we can add many more items to pair with chicken pesto pasta.

But the seven dishes mentioned above are among the best, so you have enough.

But if you serve the pasta dish frequently, you will need more.

So, besides the above, you can also make bread and rolls, white beans, green salad, macaroni salad, mac and cheese, spinach salad, and arugula salad.

All pair well with the chicken pasta, so you will have something new to serve every time.