Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is a satisfying and easy-to-make meal. With a cheesy garlic cream sauce, tender chicken, and chewy pasta, it’s always a great time to make this tasty 30-minute dinner!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Pasta with Parmesan Sauce Recipe:
- Quick and Simple Prep: In just a few steps and 30 minutes, dinner will be on the table. If you can chop, simmer, and stir, you can make this chicken garlic parmesan pasta!
- One Pot: This creamy garlic pasta with chicken proves that you can get a delicious dinner on the table without dirtying up piles of pots and pans.
- Family-Friendly: With its creamy garlic and cheese sauce, the whole family will devour this parmesan chicken pasta. Even my toddler loves it!
Let’s Get Started! Here’s What You’ll Need:
Ingredients
Chicken Breast - You will need one pound of the chicken. Cut it into bite-sized pieces with a chef’s knife or kitchen shears and season well with salt and pepper. If needed, you can swap boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Chicken Broth - This ingredient adds savory flavor to the one pot chicken parmesan pasta and forms the base of the pasta cooking liquid. You will need 1, 14 ounce can of broth. Use low-sodium if desired; you can also use chicken stock or better than bouillon.
Pasta - Choose your favorite short cut pasta, such as penne, bow-ties, or rotini. You do not need to parboil or boil it before adding it.
Oil - For sauteing the chicken breast. I recommend olive oil if possible.
Heavy Cream - Also known as heavy whipping cream, this heavy cream adds rich flavor and a velvety texture to the garlic chicken pasta.
Garlic - Fresh grated garlic adds nutty and savory flavor to the chicken parmesan pasta. For the best flavor, use fresh garlic. If you don’t have fresh then garlic paste or cubes of garlic from the freezer section will provide more flavor than garlic powder.
Parmesan Cheese - Freshly grate a 4 oz. block of parmesan cheese, as fresh cheese melts better than pregrated, though pre-grated and packaged cheese can work in a pinch.
Equipment:
Deep & Large Skillet with a Lid - Choose a 12 to 14-inch skillet with a lid that is at least 2 inches deep that has capacity to hold all of the ingredients as they cook. You can also use a Dutch oven.
Chef’s Knife and Cutting Board - For cutting the chicken. You can also use chicken shears to do this.
Measuring Cups & Spoons - You can use a liquid and dry measuring cups, or just dry measuring cups.
Fine Grater or Microplane - Either of these are used to grate the garlic. You can also use a garlic press, if needed.
Silicone Spatula - For stirring the parmesan garlic chicken pasta as it cooks.
How to Make Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Prep chicken.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season the chunks generously with salt and pepper.
Sear chicken.
Heat a large, deep skillet over high heat. Once it is hot enough that a drop of water dances on the surface like a bead, add the oil and seasoned chicken. Cook, stirring halfway through, for 2 minutes.
Deglaze pan.
Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up any brown bits with a spatula.
Add liquid ingredients and pasta.
Next add the garlic, cream, and water to the skillet. Stir well. Add the pasta and stir well, pushing the pasta down so it is mostly submerged in the liquid. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. A medium heat is fine while you get to boiling, but once there you'll want to reduce heat to low and simmer the dish.
Return chicken to pan.
Stir the chicken into the pasta. Recover the skillet and cook the chicken and pasta for another 8-10 minutes, until the chicken and pasta are fully cooked.
Season and serve.
Melt in ¾ of the grated parmesan cheese and season the creamy chicken parmesan pasta to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve the pasta hot, garnished with additional parmesan cheese.
Recipe Success Tips
- Deglaze the pan. After searing the chicken, there will be small brown bits on the bottom of the pot. These bits have lots of flavor, so be sure to scrape them up with a spatula after pouring in the broth.
- Use a lidded pan. This one pot pasta with chicken requires a lid to cook to trap in the moisture and properly cook the pasta. If you don’t have a large skillet with a lid, you can also use a Dutch oven.
- Optional stir-ins. Make it a complete meal by stirring in baby spinach, chopped roasted red peppers, or sliced artichoke hearts. For a layer of smoky flavor, season the chicken with ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika. You can also squeeze in fresh lemon juice before serving for a pop of citrus flavor, or garnish with parsley for a bit of color.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this easy chicken and pasta recipe hot, garnished with grated parmesan cheese and warm crusty bread or any of the following sides.
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration: Leftovers keep covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: You can also freeze the creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta. Cool it to room temperature before transferring it to a freezer-safe container and freezing it for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: Warm the chicken pasta in the microwave on 1-minute intervals, stirring between each, or on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of chicken broth or heavy cream to reconstitute the sauce if needed.
FAQs
Yes, this chicken and pasta is simple to adapt to dietary preferences. To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free noodles. For dairy-free, use non-dairy or plant-based creamer or coconut cream.
You can make this recipe with cooked noodles. You won't need the broth since that absorbs into the uncooked pasta, but a bit of water will still help you deglaze the pan. Follow the recipe as directed, skipping the pasta simmering step, and add in the cooked pasta with the chicken once the chicken is nearly cooked through.
Yep, it’s super simple to use leftover or rotisserie chicken in this easy chicken pasta recipe. Just skip the chicken searing step and stir 1 ½ cups of cubed or shredded cooked chicken in with the pasta for the final 5-10 minutes of cooking.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Greek Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Leftover Pulled Pork Fried Rice
- Spinach Mushroom Pasta
- Easy Asian Steak Bites
- Easy Salmon Caesar Salad Wrap
Enjoy!
I hope your family loves this easy chicken pasta dish! Be sure to come back and let me know how it went here, or tag me on social media so I can see your kitchen success.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta or other short pasta
- 1 lb chicken breast bite-sized pieces
- 14 oz chicken broth 1 can, see notes
- ¼ cup water see notes
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 4 cloves garlic grated
- 4 oz parmesan cheese grated, divided
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Preheat skillet on high heat and once a water drop beads on surface, carefully add oil and sear chicken for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove chicken to a plate and deglaze pan with the chicken broth. Once pan bottom is deglazed reduce heat to low and add garlic, cream, and water.
- Add pasta and stir well, pushing pasta down so it is mostly submerged. Cover with lid and cook for 10 minutes.
- Return chicken to pot and stir, then recover with lid and cook until pasta and chicken are fully cooked, about 8-10 minutes.
- Melt in ¾ of the parmesan cheese, and season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with the remaining cheese and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.
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