Chicken & Pesto Cavatappi with Burrata
plus Tomatoes & Crispy Panko
- Milk
- Wheat
Cavatappi pasta tossed in silky pesto and crème fraîche with sweet Roma tomatoes, topped with melty burrata and crispy golden panko. This broiler-finished dish delivers restaurant-quality comfort in under 30 minutes—perfect for date night or cozy weeknight dinners. Sophisticated yet approachable culinary magic!
Ingredients
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
4 tablespoon
Pesto
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
4 ounce
Burrata
(Contains: Milk)
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
2 tablespoon
Crème Fraîche
(Contains: Milk)
2 unit
Tomato
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.
Trim and halve tomatoes lengthwise; cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick half-moons.
Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water (1 cup for 4 servings), then drain.
While pasta cooks, in a small bowl, combine panko, 1 TBSP olive oil, ½ tsp salt, and pepper (2 TBSP olive oil and 1 tsp salt for 4).
Adjust oven rack to top position; heat broiler to high.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, 2-4 minutes.
Stir in pesto, crème fraîche, drained cavatappi, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water, and 1 TBSP butter (½ cup reserved pasta cooking water and 2 TBSP butter for 4 servings). Cook, stirring, until coated, 1-2 minutes. (TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.)
Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. TIP: If your pan isn't ovenproof, transfer pasta mixture to a baking dish now.
Evenly top pasta with panko mixture. Tear burrata into bite-size pieces and arrange on top of pasta.
Broil on top rack until panko is golden brown and cheese melts, 2-4 minutes. (TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning!)
Divide pasta between shallow bowls and serve.
Divide pasta between shallow bowls and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Mar 2026- Flavor: Many enjoyed this pesto pasta dish, though some found it a bit bland; consider adding extra pesto or garlic for more oomph 🌿.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to make, with a few mentioning it was slightly time-consuming but worth the effort.
- Suggestions: Add more pasta water and pesto for a creamier sauce. Some recommend including sun-dried tomatoes or shrimp for extra flavor.
- Portions: The dish was filling, with one reviewer noting it made enough for three healthy servings with the chicken added.
- Protein: Chicken was a delicious addition; some wished for a double portion or suggested trying it with chicken sausage.
Reviews from our home cooks
This was the best pesto pasta dish by far. With the addition of the crème fresh and burrata it was chef's kiss. Adding the chicken made it even more filling-enough for THREE healthy portions!!!
Good but you will definitely need to add more pasta water, and I think also more pesto. There was a lot of pasta here and it didn't all get enough sauce on it.
The chopped chicken breast was delicious, but this is one instance where double the protein would have been perfect.
Added sun-dried tomato bruschetta and holy cow. Absolutely the best meal
Love pesto and burrata so this dish was a delight!
It was fast and really easy, just not the most flavorful and wish there was more pesto.
Tearing apart burrata is silly. The best part - the creamy center gets all over the place. Would suggest mini burrata balls instead.
The cheese bits ended up getting stuck together so some bites had a lot of cheese while a lot of others had none
I think it needed to be a bit creamer. Flavors were great though
Gave a two star because the wrong cooking instructions were included, the instructions included did not tell how to cook the chicken. Cooking instructions included everything except for how to cook the chopped chicken.
