Quick Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Tender chicken and pasta in a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce ready in 30 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

→ Pasta

02 - 10 ounces penne or rotini pasta

→ Dairy

03 - ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - ½ cup heavy cream
05 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

06 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Stock & Seasonings

09 - 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
11 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Oil

13 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

# How-To Steps:

01 - Warm olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat.
02 - Add chicken pieces, season with salt, pepper, and half the Italian seasoning, and sauté until golden and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.
03 - In the same skillet, cook onions for 2 minutes until softened, then add garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
04 - Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add uncooked pasta, reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente and most liquid is absorbed, approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
05 - Lower heat to low and stir in heavy cream and Parmesan until the sauce becomes creamy and cheese melts.
06 - Return cooked chicken to the skillet, toss to coat evenly, and heat through for 1 to 2 minutes.
07 - Add chopped parsley, adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes if desired.
08 - Serve hot garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's faster than ordering takeout, yet tastes like you spent hours perfecting it.
  • Everything happens in one pan, which means less cleanup and more time doing literally anything else.
  • The garlic and cream sauce clings to every piece of pasta in the most satisfying way possible.
02 -
  • Don't walk away during the simmering step—pasta can go from al dente to mush in the time it takes to check your phone, and the broth reduces faster than you'd think.
  • If your sauce looks too thin when the pasta is done, the pasta will absorb more liquid as it sits, so resist the urge to add more cream immediately.
03 -
  • Grate your Parmesan fresh from a block right before you need it—those shreds from a bag are coated with cellulose to prevent clumping, and it makes the sauce grainy instead of smooth.
  • Don't skip the step of removing the chicken before adding the pasta; it ensures the chicken cooks through quickly and won't dry out while the pasta simmers.
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