This Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe is the ultimate comfort food. The creamy parmesan garlic sauce makes for a delicious meal the entire family will love.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Cook time is only 20 minutes. There's nothing better than a delicious dish that's made in only 20 minutes for busy weeknights. With only 10 minutes of prep time, this stovetop meal takes a total of 30 minutes.
- Made with pantry staples. The garlic parmesan sauce is made with simple ingredients most of us already have which makes this the perfect meal for your whole family.
- Creamy garlic sauce. The creamy cheese sauce is a crowd-pleaser, easy dinner and a great addition to your dinner table.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken Breast- Feel free to use another cut of boneless skinless chicken thighs, just be sure to adjust the cook time and ensure the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.
- Flour to thicken- I usually use whatever is on hand. You can substitute all-purpose flour for a gluten-free flour, cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
- Heavy Cream or whole milk- I prefer to cook any creamy sauce with full-fat coconut milk. This recipe does use dairy in the parmesan cheese but you can substitute the milk or cream for coconut milk and use a non-cow cheese like grated goat cheese.
- Penne Pasta. This pasta dish would go well with almost any type of pasta including a gluten-free option. Feel free to use your favorite pasta.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
🔪Instructions
- Bring water to a boil. Cook pasta in a large pot according to the package instructions until al dente.
- Season chicken. While the pasta cooks add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper on top of the chicken before cooking.
- Melt butter on medium heat. In a large pan, melt your unsalted butter and sauté chicken 5-6 minutes on each side.
- Let the chicken rest. Allow the cooked chicken to cool before cutting.
- Start the garlic cream sauce. Heat up more butter if needed and saute the minced garlic and lemon juice until fragrant. Add in the flour and stir until it turns golden brown. Whisk in your coconut milk or heavy cream while stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.
- Take off the heat. Turn off the stove and add in spices, red pepper flakes, parmesan and spinach. Mix until spinach is wilted.
- Serve. Top with sliced chicken, parmesan and enjoy!
💭Recipe FAQs
Can I substitute gluten-free flour?
Yes, you can use gluten-free flour. Most gluten-free flours like rice flour or oat flour will thicken up the sauce nicely. Be sure your oat flour is ground finely.
Can I use olive oil instead of butter?
You can substitute olive oil for butter in this recipe. Butter has a richer taste while olive oil has a fresher taste. Using olive oil won't distract much from the richness of that garlic parmesan sauce.
How long does chicken pasta last in the fridge?
The lifespan of cooked pasta is 3-5 days. Cooked chicken lasts 3-4 days before no longer being safe to eat. Store your leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- Use thinly sliced chicken. Using a thinner cut of chicken will reduce your cook time. Be sure to always cook your chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Al dente pasta. Cook your pasta to al dente which means the pasta is still firm. You want your pasta to hold its shape and not fall apart when mixing in the garlic parmesan sauce and when serving.
- Cut out the red pepper flakes. For those picky eaters or for those with a mild heat preference serve the red pepper flakes on the side.
- Cut chicken into small pieces. It's best to serve bite-size pieces of chicken so you don't have to cut while eating.
🥗Serving
I recommend serving any pasta dish with a side of warm bread like a baguette or dinner roll. Garlic parmesan chicken pasta pairs well with a glass of dry wine or bubbly. Or pair it with a signature cocktail like my Cucumber Mojito with Vodka or a Skinny Spicy Margarita.
More Pasta Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating & comment below to let me know how it came out. Thanks for visiting!
🍳Recipe
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
This Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe is the ultimate comfort food. The creamy parmesan garlic sauce makes for a delicious meal the entire family will love.
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Servings: Servings
Calories: 80.22kcal
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Saucepan
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 thin-sliced chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons flour, cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1 can of full-fat coconut milk or 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (16 ounce) package of penne
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 5 ounces baby spinach
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
- Season chicken with ½ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat and cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until it is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to rest for a few minutes before slicing.
- Add more butter to the pan, if necessary. Then add in the garlic and lemon juice and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant/
- Add in the flour and mix until slightly browned, about 30 seconds-1 minute.
- Whisk in the coconut milk or heavy cream. Cook, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened and creamy.
- Turn off the heat, add in the spices, parmesan and spinach.
- Stir until the spinach is wilted.
- Top with the sliced chicken, more parmesan and enjoy.
Notes
-
- Use thinly sliced chicken. Using a thinner cut of chicken will reduce your cook time. Be sure to always cook your chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
-
- Al dente pasta. Cook your pasta to al dente which means the pasta is still firm. You want your pasta to hold its shape and not fall apart when mixing in the garlic parmesan sauce and when serving.
-
- Cut out the red pepper flakes. For those picky eaters or for those with a mild heat preference serve the red pepper flakes on the side.
-
- Cut chicken into small pieces. It's best to serve bite-size pieces of chicken so you don't have to cut while eating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 80.22kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.13g | Protein: 1.77g | Fat: 5.93g | Saturated Fat: 3.64g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.32g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.49g | Trans Fat: 0.23g | Cholesterol: 15.05mg | Sodium: 903.72mg | Potassium: 234.89mg | Fiber: 1.34g | Sugar: 0.33g | Vitamin A: 3546.64IU | Vitamin C: 12.36mg | Calcium: 54.13mg | Iron: 1.46mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Ashley says
Loved this recipe! It was a hit with the whole family. We did the coconut milk with the recipe and it was great!
Sarah Holt says
We love it with coconut milk also, glad you enjoyed it!