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Chicken Pesto Spaghetti Squash features delicious homemade pesto sauce and tender chicken for an easy, satisfying, nourishing dinner recipe that happens to be paleo, whole30, and! Make it for the whole family or as a meal prep recipe.
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve made this chicken pesto spaghetti squash…
…I’d be cashing in early retirement in the Maldives.
It’s one of those meals that covers all the bases and is just so nice to cozy up to on a chilly evening.
The best part about this recipe is you can either prepare it in parts – roast the spaghetti squash and/or make the pesto sauce up to 5 days in advance, or make everything as the squash is roasting.
Bonus: you can customize the recipe to your heart’s delight by changing up the pesto recipe or using different animal protein.
Craving additional veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, bell pepper, or carrot? Toss them in!
Let’s whip it out!
How to Make Chicken Pesto Spaghetti Squash:
Begin by roasting a medium to large-sized spaghetti squash. If you’ve never roasted a spaghetti squash, no sweat! I made a nifty little tutorial on How to Roast Spaghetti Squash, which you can follow!
Once the squash has finished roasting, allow it to cool.
While the squash is roasting, prepare the homemade pesto sauce.
To do so, add all ingredients except the oil to a food processor. Pulse a few times to chop the ingredients. Leave the food processor on and stream oil through the top. Continue processing until desired texture is reached.
Heat a skillet to medium-high and add 1 to 2 tablespoons avocado oil or coconut oil. Add the chopped chicken, sea salt, paprika, and garlic powder.
Brown the chicken without stirring for 3 minutes. Stir and continue browning without touching another 3 minutes.
Cover the skillet with a lid, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 to 5 minutes more.
Once the squash is cool enough to handle, transfer the “spaghetti” strands to a large mixing bowl.
Add in the pesto sauce and toss well. Stir in the chicken, including all of the liquid, and toss until everything is combined.
Taste for flavor, and add sea salt to taste. Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese on top if you like it. Serve and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Turn this into a casserole by following all the steps outlined in the recipe, then transfer everything to a casserole dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 375. If you aren’t dairy-free, be sure to give it a hefty shower of grated mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Use any type of homemade or store-bought pesto sauce. Just be sure you’re using 1 to 1.5 cups.
- Replace the chicken with shrimp or ground turkey.
- If you don’t follow a strict paleo or whole30 diet, add 1 cup grated parmesan cheese to the pesto sauce.
More Healthy Spaghetti Squash Recipes:
- Spaghetti Squash Egg Nests
- Spaghetti Squash Bolognese
- Red Curry Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash
- 40 of The Best Spaghetti Squash Recipes
- Creamy Tahini Spaghetti Squash with Kale
- Crispy Salmon Bowls with Pesto Spaghetti Squash
- Roasted Garlic and Kale Spaghetti Squash with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Chicken Pesto Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients
For the Spaghetti Squash:
- 1 large roasted spaghetti squash
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
For the Chicken:
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, to taste
Pesto:
- 2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2/3 cup pumpkin seeds, see note
- 2/3 cup avocado oil
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1 cup parmesan, optional, omit for whole30
Instructions
- Roast the spaghetti squash according to these instructions.
- While the squash is roasting, prepare the homemade pesto sauce. To do so, add all ingredients except the oil to a food processor. Pulse a few times to chop the ingredients. Leave the food processor on and stream oil through the top. Continue processing until desired texture is reached.
- Heat a skillet to medium-high and add 1 to 2 tablespoons avocado oil or coconut oil. Add the chopped chicken, sea salt, paprika, and garlic powder. Brown the chicken without stirring for 3 minutes. Stir, then continue browning without touching another 3 minutes. Stir chicken well, cover, and cook until cooked through, about 2 to 5 minutes more.
- Once the squash is cool enough to handle, transfer the “spaghetti” strands to a large mixing bowl. Add in the pesto sauce and toss well. Add in the chicken, including all of the liquid, and toss until everything is combined. Taste for flavor, and add sea salt to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
This was amazing. I would just notate how long it can be stored in a fridge.
Thanks so much for mentioning that, Felicia! It stays fresh for up to 1 week, though I usually say 5 days just to be safe for optimal freshness. I just added storage instructions to the post 🙂
Could you use the squash seeds for this, instead of pumpkin?
Hi Alli! I’m not sure what you mean by squash seeds. Do you mean a different type of squash other than pumpkin, such as butternut squash or kabocha squash? If so, you can definitely use them as long as they are roasted. Hope you enjoy!
Can’t wait to try this! Cooking for my 88 year old mom, and was wondering if this could be frozen for individual portions
Hi Terry! That’s so sweet of you to make the recipe for your mom! I haven’t tried freezing it myself but I think it would work. Because there’s a decent amount of sauce (and fat), it should thaw just fine. I hope she enjoys the recipe!
This was fantastic! Made this for dinner and it was superb. I used almonds in the pesto (previously I’ve only used pine nuts in pesto but didn’t have any on hand), and no cheese. It was a big hit for my mom and I! I love pesto and she has many allergies including dairy, added sugars, barley, etc. so not only was this exciting to find something delicious, but something so delicious that she could enjoy too! 10/10, will make again!
Aww I’m so happy to hear all of that, Kaylee! Thank you for sharing! xoxo
How much pesto is needed in this recipe if using storebought or preprepared? And, is spaghetti squash peel edible? I never peel my butternut squash as it’s thin, gets very soft while cooking and is delicious. Just wondering about spaghetti squash as this is my first time to cook with it.
Hi Sara! There is a recipe card at the end of the post that has the breakdown of all of the ingredients with their measurements. You can either scroll down or slick the ‘Jump to Recipe’ link at the top of the page, which will take you right there 🙂 Spaghetti squash peel is edible. To be honest, I personally wouldn’t eat it because the texture is a little rough. Hope you enjoy the recipe! xo
@Julia, The recipe card has the ingredients for making the pesto but not for buying it already prepared. If one makes up the recipe as specified, how much does it make, i.e, 1/2 cup, etc??
Ah jeez, sorry for misunderstanding your question the first time! If you use store-bought, you’ll need about 1 and 1/3 cups of pesto sauce. You can adjust the amount to your personal taste as well 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
@Sara, no, the peel on this squash is not edible.
This was delicious. I made as is except I had some leftover rotisserie chicken & already had some homemade pesto so that shortened the prep/cooking time. Thanks for a great recipe!
Love the idea of using rotisserie chicken! I’m happy you enjoyed it! xo
This is AMAZING! Just cooked it to meal prep lunches for the week and of course had to taste it. I could have eaten the whole bowl! Yum yum yum! I used pine nuts in the pesto and no cheese. So good!
Yaaay for meal prep! I’m so happy you enjoy it, Danelle! xo
Loved the flavors and the option for dairy free, but for some reason my food processor didn’t chop up the pumpkin seeds very well. I think I’ll try a different seed the next time I make it. ?
Hi Carita! Thanks so much for the feedback! Pine nuts, walnuts, and pecans tend to be pretty easy to blend up, so those are always great options for pesto. 🙂
Fabulous. I used pesto from Aldi!
@Margaret, me too! I love most of the products from Aldi’s. I added some sautéed cremini mushrooms to the squash and it was delish.
Has anybody calculated the weight watchers points on this? I’m coming up with 11, which is a LOT!
@Michelle, I calculated using chicken breasts (0 points), store bought pesto (1 cup), only 1 tab. avocado oil baking the squash and 1 tab. cooking the chicken and 8 tab. of parmesan cheese and it came to 8 points for 6 servings.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Deb! I’m betting it’s very helpful to others! xo
I made this recipe for my dinner tonight. It is very good and I know I will make it again.
I reduced the ingredients because I only cook for one.
I used a small spaghetti squash, which I cooked In the Instant pot. I used one chicken breast , and reduced the amount of the spices. I also added an onion to the chicken while it browned in the skillet.
My pesto was Costco’s brand, Kirkland.
This is so delicious to eat.
Thank you.
All of that sounds amazing, Debbie! Thanks so much for sharing! xoxo
Do you have a low FODMAP version of this? I’m wondering what to substitute for the garlic in the pesto sauce
Hi Margaret! I replace garlic with cider vinegar or lime juice. I’d say start with 1 tablespoon of either and adjust up according to your personal taste 😀 Hope you enjoy! xo
I love the simplicity and flavors of this recipe. I know what I am making for dinner tonight!
It’s so simple! Hope you love it!