Description
Creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta is a one-pan dinner loaded with seasoned, seared chicken, tender penne pasta, and a rich parmesan cream sauce. Flavorful, comforting, and ready in under 40 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Chicken:
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (butterflied or pounded to ½” thickness)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For the Pasta & Sauce:
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- ½ jumbo yellow onion, diced
- 4–6 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz penne pasta (or other short pasta)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare and Season the Chicken: Pound or butterfly chicken to even thickness. Rub both sides with Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Sear the Chicken: Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add oil and sear chicken for 3–5 minutes per side until golden brown and fully cooked. Remove and let rest.
- Sauté Aromatics: In the same skillet, reduce heat and add more oil and butter. Add diced onion and cook for 3–4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook another minute.
- Deglaze and Cook Pasta: Pour in chicken broth, scraping up the browned bits. Add pasta and stir to submerge. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until pasta is al dente.
- Finish the Sauce: Turn off heat. Stir in parmesan and heavy cream until smooth. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Combine and Serve: Slice the chicken and return to the pan. Mix everything and garnish with parsley. Serve hot.
Notes
For a spicy kick, add red pepper flakes with the garlic. You can substitute spinach for added greens or use rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 620
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 41g
- Cholesterol: 130mg