Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta is a quick and easy pasta recipe perfect for busy weeknights. With succulent, juicy garlic chicken, a creamy parmesan sauce and al dente pasta we pull together a tasty and textured comfort food. This chicken garlic parmesan pasta is full of protein with a cream sauce that is the whole family will love 😉👍.
Recipes like the Grilled Chicken Alfredo, Meatball Rigatoni, Salmon Fettuccine and the Prawn Fettuccine are all about pasta with a protein be it chicken, beef, salmon or prawns.
The Linguine Alfredo, Spaghetti Alfredo, Rigatoni Alfredo and the Penne Alfredo are about using a few different types of pasta paired with garlicky creamy sauces.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the garlic chicken parmesan pasta recipe in the points below:
- Simple ingredients: we use simply, everyday ingredients to make this chicken pasta recipe. They are all year round available ingredients that will be easy to get your hands on.
- Budget friendly: this recipe uses basic cost effective ingredients that will allow you to stick to your budget. Bring the parmesan chicken pasta with together on a week night or night that you would normally have gone out to eat and save time, energy and effort all at once 😉.
- Homemade pasta sauce: is surprisingly easy and straightforward to make. The benefits are that you know exactly what ingredients have gone into the creamy parmesan garlic sauce and the flavour rewards you for your efforts.
- Protein packed: this chicken parmesan pasta recipe offers a nice change from a traditional spaghetti bolognese recipe yet still combines pasta and a satisfying delicious protein. 👍😊.
- Taste and texture: chicken parmesan pasta offers freshly cooked al dente pasta mixed together with a garlicky, cheesy cream freshness. It is packed with flavour and yet very straightforward to bring together as a dish.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Olive oil: we use the olive oil in the initial stages of the recipe when we are cooking the chicken on the stove top.
- Salt and pepper: we use cooking salt and a little bit of black pepper to season both sides of the chicken before we cook it.
- Garlic: this recipe has a good dose of garlic in it! We use it both to cook the chicken and also as a key ingredient in the creamy pasta sauce.
- Butter: we use the butter as the starting point to making the parmesan sauce. I like to use a creamy French unsalted butter. We use salt as a separate ingredient in the sauce so we don't want to use salted butter.
- Salt: we use this in the sauce as a means to season it and we only need to use a small amount of it.
- Garlic: this is the garlic that we use in the sauce. Chunky chopped or minced garlic or 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic will each work well.
- White wine vinegar: we use the vinegar to give the parmesan cream sauce a little lift.
- Black pepper: the black pepper is used to garnish the finished dish for serving.
- Parsley: we want to chop some fresh parsley and then toss this through the pasta when we are combining the pasta and sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: this cheese brings a ton of flavour and bold taste to the recipe. It is best freshly grated from a block using a micro plane zester.
- Cream: we want to use heavy cream for the recipe. This is different to dollop or cream cheese. It is the basis for the creamy sauce.
- Penne pasta: this is a tubular pasta that is somewhat short with ribs in the edges. It is a popular type of pasta and works well with this combination of ingredients.
- Chicken: we want to use boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Tasty Tip: I like to provide you with a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making my recipes. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section (further below) before jumping into the instructions on how to make the recipe which are coming next 😉👌.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by preparing the chicken breast. You will need a knife and cutting board for these initial steps.
- Slice the chicken in halves (Photo 1)
- Season both sides with salt and pepper (Photo 2)
- Add oil, garlic and chicken to pan (Photo 3)
- Then add the melt and let it melt (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta
To make the garlic chicken parmesan pasta, start by using a knife and cutting each of the chicken breast lengthways.
Then season each side with cooking salt and a little bit of black pepper.
Once done, we are ready to cook the chicken.
To do so, place a large sauté pan on the stove top and turn the heat to high. Add the olive oil, garlic and chicken breasts. Cook the chicken breast for 3-4 minutes before using tongs to flip them to the other side. Then cook the 2nd sides for 3-4 minutes also.
Once done, use a pair of kitchen tongs to remove the cooked chicken from the pan and place it on a paper towel lined plate.
Next we are going to start to make the creamy garlic sauce.
Without rinsing or cleaning the pan that we cooked the chicken in, add the butter and let it melt.
- Add the garlic, salt and white wine vinegar (Photo 5)
- Then add the heavy cream (Photo 6)
- Next add the parmesan cheese (Photo 7)
- Then slice the cooked chicken (Photo 8)
Once the butter has melted, add the remaining garlic, salt and white wine vinegar. Stir these to combine and then let them cook for 1 minute.
Turn the heat down to low then add the cream, followed by the sauce. Now stir gently until the sauce comes together.
You can also use this time to slice the cooked chicken into thin strips 😉👌.
Next read and follow the package directions to cook the pasta in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water. Moments before it is al dente (a little bit chewy if you take a bit out and test it) use a heatproof jug to scoop out 1-2 cups of the pasta water. Then use a colander over the sink to drain the pasta and discard the pasta water.
Next add the hot pasta to the sauce as you see in the photos below.
- Reserve some of the pasta water (Photo 9)
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce (Photo 10)
- Add the reserved pasta water (Photo 11)
- Then add the chopped parsley (Photo 12)
After adding the cooked pasta to the sauce measure ½ cup (125ml) of the pasta water and also add that to the pan, followed by the chopped parsley as you see me doing in the photo above.
- Add the cooked chicken (Photo 13)
Toss the pasta, sauce, reserved pasta water and parsley till it is consistently mixed together. Then when it is add the sliced cooked chicken and gently stir to fold it in.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
If you like a side of garlic bread to go with your pasta try the Tortilla Garlic Bread, Turkish Garlic Bread, Garlic Ciabatta or the Garlic Pizza Bread.
If you prefer a side salad, try the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad, Panzanella Salad, or the Fresh Herb Salad.
For a wine pairing try a chilled glass or rose or pinot gris. For red wine lovers this will go down a treat with a smooth red like a pinot noir or merlot.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store leftovers in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. The leftovers need to be reheated before being consumed.
How to Freeze
Allow the dish to fully cool. Then portion into sealed, airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat
You can reheat leftovers in a bowl with cling wrap in the microwave for 2-3 minutes on high until warmed through.
Or thaw frozen portions of the dish and then heat in 1 minute increments until consistently heated through.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- If you want to use chicken thighs for the recipe in place of the chicken breast, you can. The equivalent amount is 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Or if you are time poor and want to use store bought rotisserie chicken you can. Simply shred it into rough pieces and skip the 'cooking it' steps.
- You don't have to use the same pasta as me. Some other options that will work are ziti, rigatoni, fettuccine or linguine.
- If you want to use pecorino romano cheese (made from sheep's milk) in place of the parmesan you can.
- You can use Italian flat leaf parsley in place of the curly parsley if you wish too.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Whilst we still use olive oil in the recipe, a non stick pan is best to ensure a smooth cooking process and quick clean up.
- Using paper towel under the cooked chicken will absorb any excess oil or moisture from the chicken before we add it to the pasta. You will want to let it rest for 2-3 minutes so that it can cool before you slice it.
- You will find it easiest to scoop out more pasta water than you need then measure the ½ cup from what you have scooped out. This way you are not trying to measure from a hot saucepan with bubbling, splashing water.
- Give the parmesan sauce a quick stir before adding the hot pasta so that if it has sat for a bit it will be consistently combined before you add the pasta to the pan.
- If chicken recipes are your all time favourite, you might also like the Chicken Pesto Linguine, Air Fryer Chicken Meatballs, Chicken Corn Noodle Soup, Marinated Chicken Thighs or the Chicken Ribs.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
Garlic parmesan sauce is made of butter, garlic, salt, white wine vinegar, heavy cream and parmesan cheese.
Parmesan cheese is the most commonly used and popular cheese to grate over the top of pasta.
Pecorino romano, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago cheese are all good substitutes for parmesan cheese.
😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes
I like to offer you a diverse collection of dinner recipes so that you have plenty of options up your sleeve for work nights, busy nights or nights when you want homemade but without a ton of energy and effort involved. Here are some of those recipes:
- Prawn And Chorizo Skewers
- Thai Minced Pork
- Prawn And Chorizo Risotto
- Baked Ziti With Meatballs
- Chorizo and Prawn Linguine
- Mince Pasta Bake
- Prawn Pesto Pasta
- Chorizo Pasta Bake
- Prawn Tagliatelle
- Satay Prawns
It is time to get our parmesan chicken on my friend! You can also find all of my chicken recipes, pasta recipes or dinner recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Garlic Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 tbs olive oil Note 1
- 2 medium chicken breasts Note 2
- ¼ teaspoon salt Note 3
- ½ teaspoon black pepper also Note 3
- 1 tablespoon garlic chunky minced or 2-3 cloves finely chopped, Note 4
Parmesan Sauce
- 40 grams/3 tbs butter Note 5
- 1 tablespoon garlic chunky minced or 2-3 cloves finely chopped, Note 6
- ¼ teaspoon salt Note 7
- 2 tbs white wine vinegar Note 8
- 1 cup/250 ml heavy cream Note 10
- 1 cup parmesan cheese finely grated using a micro plane zester, Note 11
Pasta
- 500 grams/ 1 pound penne pasta Note 12
- ½ cup/125 ml reserved pasta water Note 13
Garnish (optional):
- ½ cup parsley leaves trimmed from stems (discarded) and finely chopped using a glass and kitchen scissors, Note 14
- black pepper Note 15
- parmesan cheese finely grated using a micro plane zester
Instructions
- Chicken: use a knife and chopping board to slice each of the chicken breasts in half lengthways. Then season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Cook chicken: place a large non stick frying pan on the stove top and turn the heat to high. Add the olive oil, 1 tbs minced or chopped garlic and the season chicken breast. Cook for 3-4 minutes then use kitchen tongs to flip the chicken to the other side and cook this side for 3-4 minutes also. Once the chicken is cooked, use a pair of kitchen tongs to transfer them out of the pan and onto a paper towel lined plate.
- Parmesan sauce: next without rinsing or cleaning the pan used to cook the chicken add the butter and let it melt. Then add the remaining garlic, salt and white wine vinegar and cook for 1 minutes, stirring to combine as you go. Then reduce the heat to low, pour in cream and add the parmesan cheese. Use a wooden spoon to stir the sauce as the cheese melts until it is consistently combined.
- Pasta: read and follow the package directions to cook the pasta in a medium sauce pan of boiling salted water. Moments before it is al dente (if you take a piece out and ensure it is a little bit chewy) use a heatproof jug to scoop out 1 -2 cup of the pasta water. Then use a colander over the sink to drain the pasta and discard the rest of the water.
- Slice chicken: use a knife and slice the cooked chicken into long thin strips.
- Combine: add the hot drained pasta to the parmesan sauce then measure and add ½ cup (125ml) of the pasta water. Next add ½ cup of chopped parsley and use a pair of tongs and toss to combine. Once the pasta and sauce is consistently combined add the sliced cooked chicken pieces and stir to gently fold them in and allow them to reheat.
- Garnish: generously garnish the dish with black pepper, grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of additional chopped parsley. Provide bowls, forks and spoons for serving.
Notes
- Note 1 - Olive oil: we use the olive oil in the initial stages of the recipe when we are cooking the chicken on the stove top.
- Note 2 - Salt and pepper: we use cooking salt and a little bit of black pepper to season both sides of the chicken before we cook it.
- Not 3 - Chicken: we want to use boneless skinless chicken breast. Or you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs and 4 will be the equivalent amount.
- Note 4 - Garlic: this recipe has a good dose of garlic in it! We use it both to cook the chicken and also as a key ingredient in the creamy pasta sauce.
- Note 5 - Butter: we use the butter as the starting point to making the parmesan sauce. I like to use a creamy French unsalted butter. We use salt as a separate ingredient in the sauce so we don't want to use salted butter.
- Note -6 Garlic: this is the garlic that we use in the sauce. Chunky chopped or minced garlic or 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic will each work well.
- Note 7 - Salt: we use this in the sauce as a means to season it and we only need to use a small amount of it.
- Note 8 - White wine vinegar: we use the vinegar to give the parmesan cream sauce a little lift.
- Note 9 - Cream: we want to use heavy cream for the recipe. This is different to dollop or cream cheese. It is the basis for the creamy pasta sauce.
- Note 10 - Parmesan cheese: this cheese brings a ton of flavour and bold taste to the recipe. It is best freshly grated from a block using a micro plane zester.
- Note 11 - Penne pasta: this is a tubular pasta that is somewhat short with ribs in the edges. It is a popular type of pasta and works well with this combination of ingredients.
- Note 12- Reserved pasta water: you will find it easier to scoop out more than you need (1-2 cups) and then measure ½ cup from what you have scooped out as you won't be standing over the hot pan. You will need to use a heatproof jug for this step.
- Note 13 - Parsley: we want to chop some fresh parsley and then toss this through the pasta when we are combining the pasta and sauce.
- Note 14 - Black pepper: the black pepper on its own is used to garnish the finished dish for serving.
Wendy Whitman says
Have made this pasta twice so far. Its very good. I used spaghetti the 2nd time and that worked well too.
Adrianne says
Thanks Wendy 😄. I appreciate your feedback!
Poppy Anderson says
Very good pasta! My husband had been craving this type of dish for a while, so I had a look and found your recipe and we enjoyed the flavors and how it came out. All of the photos were very helpful too, thanks!
Adrianne says
You are very welcome Poppy! Thanks for you feedback 😄.
Danni B says
Love to make this recipe for my partner and I for dinner. It always comes out great.
Adrianne says
Thanks Danni 😄.