This Avocado Pasta With Chicken is a light, dairy-free, and flavorful meal, ready in just 30 minutes and packed with healthy fats and lean protein. The perfectly seasoned, juicy chicken and al-dente pasta are tossed with a rich, basil-infused avocado sauce.
Avocado Pasta With Chicken ⭐A Quick Look⭐
- Time: Quick 30-minute dinner
- Taste & Texture: Fresh, creamy, garlicky, lightly tangy, with tender spiced chicken and a smooth avocado-basil sauce.
- Best For: For a busy weeknight dinner, a summer pasta night, or a quick family meal.
- Serve With: A crisp garden salad, garlic bread, or enjoy solo as a complete one-bowl meal.
- Top 3 Highlights: Tender spiced chicken, no-cook avocado sauce, and easy ingredient substitutions.
If you've been looking for avocado pasta recipes online and feel confused about which one to try, start with this fail-proof avocado pasta with chicken.
This version keeps things simple, practical, and easy to clean up. It is a fresh, everyday pasta with bright flavors, and the chicken makes it filling enough for dinner without making the dish feel heavy.
The avocado blends into a smooth avocado cream sauce that coats the pasta nicely. For easier dinner ideas, you can also browse my other chicken recipes.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pasta: I prefer penne, rigatoni, or bow tie pasta, as they can hold the creamy sauce well. You can also use whole-grain or chickpea pasta to make it heartier.
- Avocados: Perfectly ripe avocados(they should feel soft to the touch but still slightly firm, not mushy) are key for that silky texture. Peel, remove the stone, and cut them into chunks.
- Chicken: I used chicken breasts, but chicken thighs work great too. For a 15-minute shortcut recipe: toss precooked leftover chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken directly into the warm sauce.
- Garlic: I've added garlic powder for seasoning the chicken and fresh garlic for the avocado pasta sauce. You can substitute with powder or with fresh garlic.
- Lemon juice: Its citrusy tang brightens everything up and pulls the flavors together. Feel free to swap with lime juice.
- Olive oil: The traditional and authentic choice, always the winner. However, you can swap with avocado oil.
- Fresh basil: Fresh basil makes the sauce extra fragrant. You can substitute with parsley or oregano.
- Spices: I've used the combination of paprika, crushed red pepper, and ground black pepper.
How To Make Avocado Pasta With Chicken
- Pat chicken dry and season with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and ground black pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a pan; cook chicken 6 minutes per side; slice and set aside.
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water; reserve ½ cup starchy water before draining. Blend avocado, garlic, lemon juice, basil, salt, and pepper until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, splash in a few tablespoons of pasta water.
- To a mixing bowl, add cooked pasta, avocado sauce, sliced chicken, crushed red pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Toss and serve immediately.
♨️How To Adjust The Heat Level
- The avocado pasta with chicken tastes incredible, with a mild to gentle heat (depending on your heat tolerance). Its heat mainly comes from the crushed red pepper flakes.
- If you prefer a milder flavor, you can reduce the amount-or skip the crushed red peppers altogether.
- If you love extra heat, try increasing the crushed red pepper, stir in a dash of cayenne pepper, or add a few slices of fresh jalapenos (like in this jalapeno avocado sauce).
How to Store the Leftovers Without Browning
- While this avocado chicken pasta tastes best fresh, you can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- When storing, first transfer leftovers into an airtight container, press plastic wrap directly onto the pasta's surface(to seal in air), seal tightly, and refrigerate immediately.
- Serve the leftovers as a cold avocado chicken pasta salad, straight from the refrigerator.
- I wouldn't recommend reheating or freezing this avocado pasta, as high heat or freezing temperatures can break down the avocado's natural oils, making the sauce bitter, losing its color, and its creamy texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep the pasta from sticking together?
After draining the pasta, toss it with a splash of pasta water. This keeps the strands separate and prevents clumping.
Can I make this recipe vegan?
Of course. Substitute the chicken with vegan protein like tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, or beans to keep this dish plant-based.
Can I add veggies to this avocado pasta with chicken?
Yes, try adding sauteed baby spinach or mushrooms.
📖 Recipe
Avocado Pasta With Chicken
Avocado Pasta With Chicken is a 30-minute dinner featuring juicy spiced chicken, a creamy no-cook avocado-basil sauce, and easy pasta swaps.
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Servings: Servings
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt (for the chicken)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (for the chicken)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 oz penne pasta or other pasta(See Notes 1)
- 2 avocados ripe
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice plus zest if you like a tangy kick
- ¼ cup fresh basil (or parsley)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional/adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon salt (for the sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (for the sauce)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved(optional)
Instructions
- Season the chicken with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and ground black pepper.
- Place a pan over medium heat, add olive oil, and cook the chicken for 6 minutes on each side, or until it's thoroughly cooked.
- Then slice them into thin strips, and set aside.
- Next, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water, drain, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, scoop out the avocado flesh.
- To a blender jar, add avocado flesh, garlic, lemon juice, basil, crushed red pepper, salt, and ground black pepper.
- Blend until smooth and creamy(if the texture feels too thick, add a little reserved pasta water).
- To a large mixing bowl, add hot pasta, chicken strips, cherry tomatoes, and the avocado sauce.
- Toss them together. And Enjoy!!
Notes
- Use penne, rigatoni, bow tie, whole-grain, or chickpea pasta; chicken thighs, rotisserie chicken, tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, or beans also work as easy substitutions.
- Choose ripe but not mushy avocados for the smoothest sauce, and blend with a splash of reserved pasta water if the sauce feels too thick.
- Adjust the heat by reducing or skipping the crushed red pepper for a mild version, or add extra red pepper flakes, cayenne, or fresh jalapeños for more spice.
- This pasta tastes best fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours in an airtight container with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to slow browning.
- Serve leftovers cold as an avocado chicken pasta salad; avoid reheating or freezing, as the avocado sauce can turn bitter, lose color, and become less creamy.
Nutrition
Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 665mg | Potassium: 990mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 622IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 2mg
