Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Worth cooking

• It’s a 30-minute meal. Who doesn’t love a speedy supper? When caring for your family and dealing with busy schedules, you might not always have the time to cook a long recipe. That’s why this recipe is so helpful! With a short cook time and simple ingredients, it provides a quick way to make a well-balanced meal that your whole family will surely love.
• It’s satisfying—even as leftovers. This garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe has a bold, irresistible flavor. The juicy chicken and velvety parmesan sauce combine to create a heavenly taste. You’ll be pleased to know it reheats well, so there’s no need to worry about leftovers. In fact, the flavors taste notable when they have time to marry!
• It is inexpensive. This dish has an elegant taste, but it doesn’t need any fancy ingredients. Instead, it requires basic cooking ingredients. If you were to order this dish at a restaurant, it would be quite expensive. However, with this parmesan pasta recipe, you can make eight servings at just a fraction of the price.

Also check out our Cajun Pasta With Salmon, Lemon Garlic Butter Pasta, and Spaghetti Bolognese Chicken.

Ingredients Needed

This recipe requires simple ingredients, which are easy to find. Here is everything you need:

Here are some of the primary ingredients you need for this easy chicken pasta recipe and some notes about them:

• Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts gives this dish a hearty essence, and it is loaded with protein. It also pairs wonderfully with the creamy sauce. Follow the recipe by making chicken breasts or using extra rotisserie chicken.
• Pasta: The pasta serves as the foundation of the dish. You will need a pound of it to make eight servings. We used penne pasta but you could use any pasta of choice.
• Garlic: The fresh garlic gives the sauce a pronounced savory, garlicky flavor. For best results, use fresh garlic.
• Parmesan: The nutty flavor of parmesan cheese is a perfect match for chicken and garlic. Rather than buying pre-shredded parmesan, we recommend grating fresh parmesan for the best flavor and quality.
• Heavy Cream: This ingredient makes the sauce so creamy and silky. Heavy cream is thicker than whole milk, producing a richer sauce.

Make sure to check out the recipe card below. It has the full list of ingredients and the amounts you need.

How it comes together

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions and reserve some of the pasta water before draining it.

• Prep the chicken by patting it dry, cutting it in half lengthwise, and pounding it thin.
• Season both sides of the chicken.

• Heat up a large skillet and add the olive oil to the pan.

• Add the chicken, cooking both sides on medium-high heat until done.

• Remove the chicken from the pan and turn down the heat to medium.
• Melt butter in the skillet, then add the garlic and sauté it.

• Add the heavy cream, letting it simmer, and reduce until thickened.

• Stir in the cream cheese to melt it, then add the parmesan.

• Add the cooked pasta to the pan and coat with the creamy sauce.

• Use reserved pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce.
• Mix in the red pepper flakes and black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed.

• Slice the cooked chicken and place it on top of the pasta.
• Garnish with minced fresh parsley or sliced basil. Serve warm.

Love pasta? Also check out our Steak and Pasta and Spaghetti Bolognese Chicken.

Pantry notes

• Make It Gluten-Free: Creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta can easily become gluten-free if you use a special gluten-free pasta!
• Make It Vegetarian: Omit the chicken and this dish becomes vegetarian. You can add crispy tofu in its place by cooking it separately and then placing the tofu on top of the pasta and sauce when serving.
• Mix-Ins: Feel free to add any vegetables you wish! You can mix them into the sauce or add them as a topping. Some ideas are fresh spinach, broccoli, corn, peas, onions, mushrooms, or peppers.
• Meat: Don’t have any chicken? No worries, try this recipe using ground turkey or kielbasa sausage! You could also use other parts of chicken like boneless skinless chicken thighs.
• Pasta: You can use any long pasta or short pasta shape you want. We used penne, but you can use fettuccine, rotini, bow tie, or even shells.
• Chicken Stock: You could use chicken stock to thin out the sauce and for more flavor.

Cook notes

• If you are prepping the chicken for this recipe, make sure to pound it thin first. This helps it cook evenly in the skillet and speeds up the cooking time.
• If you want your sauce to be cheesier, you can always include additional cheese. We suggest using a cheese that melts well so that you can stir it in and have it blend right into the sauce.
• When making the sauce, it’s important to avoid high heat. High temperatures can damage dairy, so it might cause the cream to scorch at the bottom of the pan. Additionally, you don’t want to burn the garlic!
• If you have some extra vegetable or chicken broth that you need to use up, you can surely cook the pasta in the broth, which will give it a deeper flavor. Dry white wine will also add flavor to the sauce.
• The sauce will become thicker as it sits. If you prepare this recipe and let it sit on the stovetop for a brief period before serving, you may have to add some milk or cream to thin it out just before serving.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When reheating, add a little milk to thin it out, as it will be quite thick after chilling in the fridge. We find that adding a pinch of salt is necessary if you thin it out with more milk.

How to serve it

This pasta dish pairs well with various vegetables. If no veggies are mixed in, serve them on the side! Here are some ideas:

• Sauteed Vegetables
• Fried Carrots
• Garlic Butter Green Beans
• Steamed Asparagus
• Steamed Broccoli

• Yield: 8 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For Chicken

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 3 to 4 medium breasts
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

For Pasta

• 1 pound pasta, we used penne
• Salt, for boiling pasta
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1½ cups grated parmesan
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Garnish

• Minced parsley or sliced basil

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water then drain the pasta with the help of a colander.
2. Pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels, then cut each breast vertically in half. Place the breasts lying flat on a chopping board, cover them with plastic wrap and pound them with a meat mallet or a rolling pin for even thickness.
3. Season both sides of the chicken with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
4. Heat up a large (12-inch) skillet on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil to the pan, then add the seasoned chicken and cook for 3 minutes per side or until done. Be careful not to overcook the chicken breasts.
5. Remove the chicken from the pan and turn down the heat to medium. Add butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
6. Add the heavy cream and let it simmer still on medium heat until the cream is reduced and thickened. About 5 minutes.
7. Add the cream cheese and stir. Let the cream cheese melt, and then add the shredded parmesan. Stir well to combine.
8. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and coat with the creamy sauce. Add the reserved pasta water as needed to thin it out.
9. Sprinkle on and mix in the red pepper flakes and some black pepper. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
10. Slice the cooked chicken and place it on top of the pasta. Garnish with minced fresh parsley or sliced fresh basil. Serve warm.

Notes

We recommend using freshly grated parmesan for the best flavor.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When reheating, add a little milk to thin it out, as it will be quite thick after chilling in the fridge. We find that adding a pinch of salt is necessary if you thin it out with more milk.

This recipe stores well in the freezer for up to a month.