Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is the ultimate comfort food. I make this whenever I'm craving a rich and creamy pasta dish to get me through the week. A quick 30-minute recipe to make for a weeknight chicken pasta dinner.
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Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe
I love a creamy garlic sauce, and the best part about this recipe is that you can whip it up with all your pantry staples. A mix of fresh garlic, spices, herbs, rich butter, and tangy parmesan come together to create layers of flavor in each bite. This is a one-pot pasta dish that makes clean-up easy and dinner a breeze.
If you love creamy cheese sauces, make my old-fashioned baked macaroni and cheese or chicken alfredo next time.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts. I recommend thin-sliced chicken breasts, or you can pound out regular-sized chicken breasts with a meat mallet. Feel free to use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Flour. I usually use whatever flour I have on hand.
- Coconut milk. I prefer to cook any creamy sauce with full-fat coconut milk. However, heavy cream or whole milk will work for this creamy pasta sauce.
- Penne Pasta. This pasta dish would go well with almost any short pasta, feel free to use your favorite pasta.
- Parmesan. I prefer to use a parmesan reggiano freshly grated.
- Fresh spinach. Spinach is a great no-fuss vegetable to add to any pasta dish. You can also try frozen peas or asparagus.
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.
Step 1: While the pasta cooks add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper on top of the chicken before cooking. In a large pan, melt the butter and cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side. Allow the cooked chicken to cool before cutting.
Step 2: Heat more butter if needed and saute the minced garlic and lemon juice until fragrant. Add in the flour and whisk until it turns golden brown. Whisk in your coconut milk or heavy cream while stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.
Step 3: Turn off the stove and add in spices, red pepper flakes, parmesan, and spinach. Mix until spinach is wilted.
Step 4: Add the pasta back to the pan to coat with the sauce. Top with sliced chicken, and parmesan and enjoy!
Sarah's Top Tips
- Use thinly sliced chicken. Using a thinner cut of chicken will reduce your cooking time.
- 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. Bruschetta Caprese makes a great appetizer and a simple arugula salad is the perfect side.
Storage & Reheating
Store your leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or on the stovetop over low heat.
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Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- Cutting board
- Saucepan
- Large Skillet
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Get the recipe link sent to your inbox so you can come back to it later!
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. Add the pasta back to the pan to coat with the sauce.
- Top with the sliced chicken, more parmesan, serve and enjoy.
Sarah's Tips
- Use thinly sliced chicken. Using a thinner cut of chicken will reduce your cooking time.
- 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.
- Store your leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or on the stovetop over low heat.
jane says
So happy I tried this recipe!
Connie says
Yummy! I was craving some pasta and this recipe did not disappoint! Thank you!
Sarah says
This looks delicious! Adding it to my must-try list.
Kia says
I tried this recipe for lunch and it didn't disappoint!
Gloria Garcia says
This was so good I had to make it twice for my family they kept asking for more!! I enjoyed cooking it as much as they enjoyed eating it. #noleftovers
Emmy Flannagan says
this dish was absolutely delicious as i wanted to expand my diet. me and mg bf really enjoyed this
Sarah Hill says
Hi Emmy, thanks for the kind words!
Chris says
Delicious and easy dinner that I’m adding to my rotation! The pasta comes out perfectly creamy and the chicken adds some delicious protein. Made this on Sunday and had leftovers for a few days! Yum!
Kelli @ Lolly Jane says
This was super easy and very good! Even my toddler grandbaby liked it!
Sarah Hill says
Hi Kelli, this makes me so happy to hear! It's truly a family recipe
Kayla says
Just had this for dinner and it was absolutely delicious!! Super quick and easy to make! We'll be enjoying leftovers this week and will be adding this to our list of tried-and-true homemade pasta recipes 🙂
Sarah Hill says
So happy you love this one! One of my favorite pasta recipes for sure.
Jenn says
Question how many servings is this recipe? I want to make it for 5 people
Sarah Hill says
Hi Jenn, this recipe is 4 servings. However, at the top of the recipe card where it says "servings", you can adjust it for 5. I would say the pasta and sauce amount can remain the same but you may want one additional chicken breast. Hope that helps!
Keke says
Absolutely delicious, definitely need to make this pasta more often! Had my little brother asking for more!😂🤍
Sarah Hill says
Hi Keke, so glad both you and your brother enjoyed it! It's the perfect family meal 🙂
Ema says
Absolutely delicious I made it for my meal prep for the week and it’s a recipe that’s yummy enough where you won’t get tired of it I’ll definitely make it again.
Sarah Hill says
Hi Ema, this is such a great meal prep recipe! The sauce is my favorite, really happy you like it!
Jayda G says
Loved this recipe!! The sauce was so creamy and everything was super flavorful. I saved some for my mom to take home and she loved it too!
Sarah Hill says
Hi Jayda, really glad to hear you both enjoyed the pasta!!
Jessica Santos says
I made it and it was so good. my mother loved it. We will
be making this again very soon.❤️
Sarah Hill says
Hi Jessica, so so happy to hear the whole family enjoyed it!
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!