Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
This post contains affiliate links.
This Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is quick and easy to make in about 35 minutes and full of the BEST savory garlic flavors! Perfectly seasoned and seared chicken pieces, penne pasta and baby spinach come together in a velvety garlic parmesan cream sauce! This dish is weeknight comfort food at its best!
Looking for more creamy pasta recipes? Try my Cream Sauce Seafood Pasta, this Creamy Bacon Pasta with Spinach, or Marry Me Chicken Orzo next!
About This Recipe
Tender chicken pieces, perfectly cooked pasta, a cream sauce with delicious garlic flavors and savory, nutty notes from freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (REAL DEAL parmesan!) are the highlights of this Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta!
This dish is similar to my popular Cream Sauce Seafood Pasta but is made with seasoned and seared chicken instead of seafood. The garlic parmesan cream sauce has a hint of acidity from dry white wine (you can sub in chicken broth if you wish) and is seasoned to perfection with everyday dry herbs and seasonings.
Instead of relying on heavy cream to make the luxurious cream sauce, I use butter, flour, whole milk and freshly grated parmesan cheese to thicken it. I’ve also added baby spinach for some greenery and nutrients but you can leave it out if you wish. A splash of lemon juice enhances the flavors of the creamy garlic sauce at the end.
Finish off your plate with a sprinkling of fresh basil or parsley and more parmesan if you wish and you’ll have yourself a decadent, restaurant-quality comfort food pasta dish at home!
Ready in just 35 minutes, this feel-good quick pasta dinner is perfect for busy weeknights when a craving for comfort food hits. However, it tastes fancy enough for entertaining and is also great for meal prep!
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and easy to make. All you need is 35 minutes and this dish will be ready to be devoured!
- Everyday ingredients. It’s made with simple everyday ingredients, most of which you likely already have on hand in the pantry!
- Luxurious creamy sauce. The white wine garlic parmesan cream sauce coating the pasta tastes heavenly. The savory garlicky flavors of the sauce will tantalize your taste buds with each bite!
- High Protein. It’s packed with seasoned tender chicken pieces and each serving has 48.5 grams of protein!
- Meal prep and freezer friendly. You can prepare this protein-packed meal on a Sunday for an easy reheatable lunch or dinner during a busy week! It also freezes and reheats beautifully.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Seasoned Chicken: I’ve used diced boneless skinless chicken breasts and seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and a pinch of ground cayenne. Omit the cayenne for a milder flavor or substitute with paprika. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Olive Oil: For cooking the chicken.
- Aromatics: Yellow onion and lots of fresh garlic.
- Pasta: I used penne pasta but any short-cut dry pasta shape works.
- Dry White Wine: I used a sauvignon blanc to deglaze the pan and add a hint of acidity. Use a wine you love the flavor of. A pinot grigio or unoaked chardonnay would also work. Substitute with chicken broth if you prefer to not cook with alcohol or are dining with kids.
- Cream Sauce: Unsalted butter, all-purpose flour and whole milk (mine is 3.7%) makes up our cream sauce.
- Seasonings: Kosher salt (use a little less than half the amount if using fine sea salt which is saltier), black pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, crushed red pepper chili flakes and ground cayenne to add a spicy kick of heat. Feel free to use less or omit the chili flakes and cayenne for a milder dish.
- Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese): Adds savory, nutty flavors to the garlic cream sauce and helps thicken it. Use freshly grated from a block – it melts and tastes much better.
- Baby Spinach: Or use baby kale.
- Pasta Cooking Water: Reserve some before draining the pasta! Use if and as needed if the sauce thickens too much.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed please! It adds a hint of tang and balances out the richness of the cream sauce.
- To Serve: Top your plate with a sprinkling of fresh basil or chopped fresh parsley!
Full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
Keep in Touch!
Subscribe to get new posts via email:
How to Make Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Below is a step-by-step overview on how to make this recipe. Keep scrolling down to get to the recipe card below with the full recipe and detailed instructions!
Serving Suggestions
Garlic bread would be a great side dish to this pasta. You could also serve with a simple arugula salad, fresh green salad or fresh tomato salad with a light balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing to make it a complete meal.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Storing. Store leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheating. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. Garnish with fresh basil after reheating.
Cook’s Tips
- Don’t overcook the pasta. It’ll finish cooking in the cream sauce. The starches that it will release will also help thicken the sauce.
- Adjust spice level to taste. Use more or less ground cayenne and crushed red pepper flakes to tailor this dish to your heat level preference. You can them both out completely for a milder dish. Alternatively, add a splash of Franks Red Hot buffalo sauce for a tangy kick of heat!
- To freeze. Once cooked, divide into freezer friendly airtight containers and allow to cool completely. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until warm throughout. Garnish with fresh basil just before eating. You can also reheat this dish in a pan on the stovetop over medium high heat. Add a splash of water so that it isn’t too dry. Once heated through, serve and garnish with basil.
- Double the recipe. This recipe makes enough for 2 servings. Double the recipe ingredients if you’d like to make 4 servings to feed a family or make it for meal prep. Use a large skillet or Dutch oven to cook the dish.
Variations
Dietary Modifications
- Gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free pasta such as chickpea pasta, edamame pasta, buckwheat pasta, quinoa pasta, etc.
- Vegetarian. Use a plant-based meat substitute for chicken such as Quorn.
- Vegan. Same as for making it vegetarian but use a dairy-free milk and vegan parmesan cheese too.
- Dairy-free: Use a dairy-free milk and vegan parmesan cheese without rennet.
Flavor Preferences/Customization
- Add veggies. Sliced brown or white button mushrooms, champignons, cremini, or even shiitake mushrooms would taste great. Note that you’ll need to add more oil or butter to the pan in order to cook the mushrooms without them drying out or burning. Alternatively, you can add a splash of water to help soften them. Cook them before you add the garlic and onion. Green peas, sweet corn kernels, broccoli florets or baby kale would also be great additions!
- Cook the chicken in butter. For a richer flavor, cook the chicken in unsalted butter instead of olive oil.
- Use shredded rotisserie chicken or cooked leftover chicken. To make this even quicker and easier to make, add shredded rotisserie chicken or diced cooked chicken into the pan when you would add the seared chicken and pasta. Mix until heated through, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- Use cream and chicken broth. ½ to ¾ cup of heavy cream/heavy whipping cream (double cream in the UK), light cream (single or table cream) or half-and-half and ½ cup of chicken broth can be used to make the cream sauce. Check out my Creamy Mushroom Udon with Chicken, which is similar and calls for single cream (20% fat).
- Use cream cheese. To make a garlic parmesan chicken pasta with cream cheese, add full fat cream cheese (or light cream cheese) after stirring in the milk and seasonings. Cook until fully integrated in the sauce and then stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- Add bacon. Cooked and sliced bacon strips would be a tasty addition! You could also use some of the bacon grease in addition to the unsalted butter to make the cream sauce. It’d add scrumptious savory bacon-y notes to the sauce!
- Use a different pasta shape. Short-cut pasta like rotini, rigatoni, shells, farfalle (bow tie pasta), cavatappi, or your favorite kind of pasta shape would work well.
- Use protein pasta. Something like Kaizen pasta, Banza chickpea pasta (or chickpea noodles) or even whole wheat pasta for more fiber and protein would boost the protein content further. Note that you may need to add more reserved pasta cooking water to loosen up the sauce though as protein pasta and wholewheat pasta both tend to absorb more liquid.
FAQs
Parmesan cheese is what you’ll find in the USA. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is the authentic, real deal version made in Italy. The latter is aged for a minimum of 12 months as required by law. It has a more pronounced, deeper flavor and tastes better than your average parmesan. Both have a similar price point in the US so if you can get a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese block easily in your local grocery store, opt for it and you won’t regret it!
Yes! Once cooked, divide into freezer friendly airtight containers and allow to cool completely. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until warm throughout. Garnish with fresh basil just before eating. You can also reheat this dish in a pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add a splash of water so that it isn’t too dry. Once heated through, serve and garnish with basil.
MADE THIS RECIPE? Please leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating below and let me know how you liked it! You can also take a photo and tag it with @thatspicychick on Instagram and hashtag it #thatspicychick. I love seeing your creations!
STAY CONNECTED! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Sign up for my email list to get my latest recipe in your inbox weekly!
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
This Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is quick and easy to make and full of the BEST savory garlic flavors! Perfectly seasoned and seared chicken pieces, penne pasta and baby spinach come together in a velvety garlic parmesan cream sauce! Ready in 35 minutes!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 8.81 ounces / 250 grams Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless – cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ TSP Kosher Salt (use a little than half the amount if using fine sea salt), to taste
- ¼ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper
- ⅛ TSP Garlic Powder
- ¼ TSP Italian Seasoning
- ⅛ TSP ground Cayenne (optional, use regular ground paprika for milder chicken)
- 1 TSP Olive Oil, for cooking
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta:
- ¼ medium / 50 grams Yellow Onion – finely chopped
- 3–4 cloves / 20 grams Garlic – minced
- 5 ounces / 140 grams uncooked Penne Pasta (or any short-cut pasta shape – note 1)
- ¼ cup / 25 grams freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
- 1 cup / 240ml Whole Milk
- ¼ cup / 60ml Dry White Wine (I used a Sauvignon Blanc, substitute with chicken broth – note 2)
- 3/4 TBSP / 10 grams Unsalted Butter
- 1 TBSP / 9 grams All-Purpose Flour
- ¾ TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
- ½ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
- 1 TSP Dried Oregano
- ½ TSP Dried Thyme
- 1–2 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
- ½–1 TSP ground Cayenne (optional – note 3), to taste
- ½ TBSP freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
- 2 cups / 66 grams Baby Spinach
- 2 TBSP reserved Pasta Cooking Water, if and as needed
- To Serve (optional): Thinly sliced Fresh Basil, chopped fresh parsley, more grated parmesan cheese if desired
Instructions
Prep:
- Season the chicken: Cut the chicken into bite-sized strips and add to a medium bowl. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and ground cayenne (if using). Mix to coat, set aside.
- Prepare the rest of the ingredients: Chop/slice the onion and garlic as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section. Use a block grater to great the cheese. Measure out the whole milk and dry white wine in separate measuring cups.
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta:
- Cook the pasta: Cook the penne pasta al-dente in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. (I like to run cold water over the pasta to prevent it from sticking and cooking further but this is optional.)
- Cook the chicken: Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium deep edged skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken pieces and spread them out in the pan. Allow to sear for 1 minute, then flip the pieces and sear the other side for another minute or so. Sauté until browned and just cooked – about 2 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics: To the same pan, add ¾ tablespoon (10 grams) of unsalted butter and melt over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion and garlic and sauté for a minute or until starting to soften and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the flour: Add the all-purpose flour and mix to combine. Cook for a minute to get rid of the floury taste.
- Deglaze: Pour in the dry white wine and let it bubble away. Mix to combine until a paste like mixture forms and most of the wine has evaporated.
- Build the creamy sauce: Lower the heat and slowly pour in the whole milk. Stir in the seasonings – the kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, crushed red pepper flakes and ground cayenne (if using). Add the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and mix until fully melted. The sauce will start to thicken.
- Add the pasta and chicken: Add the cooked pasta and chicken. Mix until everything is evenly coated in the sauce. If the sauce thickens too much, add a splash of reserved pasta water to thin the sauce and mix until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Mix through the baby spinach: Add the baby spinach and mix until just wilted – about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice: Switch of the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Serve: Divide evenly onto plates and garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil or chopped fresh parsley and more grated parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Pasta. Use any short-cut pasta you love. Some good options for the creamy sauce are shells, bow tie pasta, ziti, rigatoni, rotini, fusilli. A thick noodle-type pasta like linguini, fettuccine or pappardelle would also work well.
- Dry White Wine. Use one you love the taste of. A pinot grigio or unoaked chardonnay would also work. Substitute with chicken broth if you prefer not to cook with alcohol or are dining with kids.
- Ground Cayenne. Use more or less to tailor this dish to your heat level preference. Same goes for the crushed red pepper flakes. You can also leave both out for a milder dish.
- Storing and reheating leftovers. Store leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. Garnish with fresh basil after reheating.
- To freeze. Once cooked, divide into freezer friendly airtight containers and allow to cool completely. Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until warm throughout. Garnish with fresh basil just before eating. You can also reheat this dish in a pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add a splash of water so that it isn’t too dry.
- Double the recipe. This recipe makes enough for 2 servings. Double the recipe ingredients (click ‘2x’ at the top of the recipe card) if you’d like to make 4 servings to feed a family or make it for meal prep. The flavors taste great the next day so it’s perfect for an easy reheatable lunch or dinner during the week.
- See the ‘Variations’ section in the post above if you’d like to customize this dish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 672
- Sugar: 9.9g
- Sodium: 983.4mg
- Fat: 19.9g
- Saturated Fat: 9.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10.1g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 67.7g
- Fiber: 4.9g
- Protein: 48.5g
- Cholesterol: 119.3mg
This post may contain affiliate links. We are a part of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary based on several factors. It should only be used as a general guideline. For more information, please see our Disclosure.
