This Creamy Rosemary Chicken Pasta is a simple weeknight meal that is still fancy enough to serve when you have guests coming for dinner. If you are looking for dinner ideas for the whole family then this easy chicken pasta dish will be your new favorite comfort food.
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Top tips for making this Creamy Chicken Pasta.
Flaten the Chicken
Before starting the pasta or the sauce you will need to lightly pound the chicken to create an even thickness. This helps the chicken to cook evenly and ensures the rosemary cream sauce is finished in the time the pasta takes to cook.
To do this sandwich the chicken breast between two sheets of greaseproof paper and use a rolling pin, flat meat mallet or heavy-bottomed skillet to pound the thicker parts of the chicken. You want to aim for a uniform thickness of about an inch.
The pounding also helps to break some of the meat down and will give you a juicy chicken breast at the end.
Reserve some pasta cooking water
This is a common practice in Italy. The water that the pasta has been cooked in is well seasoned (at least it should be) and has some starch in it from the pasta.
This means it will help to create a luscious sauce without the need for lots of extra cream.
Use fresh rosemary
I am a big fan of pantry meals and dinners that you can just knock up without a trip to the shops, so dried herbs are great. But for a dish like this where the herb is a key component, fresh is best. The oils from the rosemary release into the cream and perfume the whole dish with wonderful rosemary-ness.
If you have leftover rosemary why not make my hedgehog rosemary potatoes tomorrow. Or knock up a Charred lemon and Rosemary Gin and Tonic tonight!
How to make a creamy rosemary sauce
Like I said above the key to this sauce is the fresh rosemary. It gives so much flavor to the sauce, you really just won’t get the same result from dried rosemary.
The sauce is made in the same skillet that the chicken is cooked in. So all the crispy bits on the bottom of the pan get pulled into the sauce and give you extra flavor!
To do this we add some white wine to the pan and scrape all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Then chicken broth and rosemary are added and simmer to really get the flavor going. Lastly, some cream is added and the whole thing is thickened with a cornstarch slurry. (A cornstarch slurry is just cornflour mixed with a tablespoon of cold water.
I don’t drink alcohol can I leave out the wine?
For sure!!! If you don’t drink alcohol then you can leave the wine out and just sub in extra chicken broth.
Serving Suggestion:
Side: Serve the chicken pasta with a simple vegetable side dish like steamed green beans or asparagus. The fresh vegetables will pair beautifully with the rosemary cream sauce. Alternatively, a crisp green salad and some focaccia would be great here.
Wine: The rosemary cream sauce in this chicken pasta pairs extremely well with a lightly oaked chardonnay, although a white Burgundy would be a great alternative and will work well with the seared chicken. For the red lovers, you want something light and fruity like a Gamay or a light pinot noir.
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Enjoy x
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Creamy Rosemary Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
For The Chicken:
- 2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper
- 4 tbsp AP flour (plain flour)
For The Pasta:
- 12 oz pappardelle
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup chicken broth/stock
- 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 tsp heaped cornstarch
Instructions
- Sandwich the chicken breast between two sheets of clingfilm and then use a rolling pin to flatten the chicken to 1 inch thick. Repeat with the second chicken breast.
- Season the breasts with the garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Tip the flour into a shallow dish and lightly dredge each breast in flour. Be sure to shake off the excess.
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet or non stick pan.
- Fry the chicken until it is golden brown and cooked through. (about 2-3 minutes on each side).
- Transfer the chicken to a warm plate and tent with foil.
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil.
- Salt it generously and then add the pappardelle. Cook until al-dente. (set your timer for 1 minute less than the packet suggests)
- Before draining the pasta reserve a cup of the cooking water.
- Whilst the pasta is cooking put the skillet you used for the chicken back over a medium heat and add the wine.
- Bring it to a boil, and use a spatula to scrape any browned bits off of the bottom of the pan.
- Cook until the wine has almost evaporated.
- Add the chicken broth and chopped rosemary to the pan, bring to a boil and simmer for a minute.
- Add in the cream and allow the mixture to come to a simmer.
- Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of cold water and then add this to the cream. Stir it fast as it will start to thicken immediately.
- Add the pasta to the sauce and use the cooking water (approx 1/4 cup to start) to ensure everything is coated and that you have plenty of sauce to coat the chicken too.
- Serve with the sliced chicken.
Nutrition
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Danielle Wolter says
I love a creamy pasta dish like this. The flavors are rich and delicious, and it’s super easy to make.
Claire McEwen says
Thank you Danielle, it really is so quick and easy but everyone always loves it 😀