This Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is a great family meal that can be on the table within 30 minutes.
Tender chunks of chicken and spaghetti smothered in an irresistible creamy garlic parmesan sauce. It's a dish that screams comfort food. And it is a favorite with my kids!
Pair this pasta dish with some crusty bread, a simple side salad, or veggies, and you have a delicious, easy weeknight dinner that will become a sure family favorite.
Ingredient Notes
These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients. For a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.
Pasta: The creamy garlic sauce is perfect with a long noodle like spaghetti or linguine. It also works with a chunky shape like rigatoni, penne, or cavatappi.
Chicken: The recipe suggests chicken breasts, but you can substitute chicken thighs. To keep the chicken super juicy, the breasts are flattened, pan-fried, and left to rest. They then get sliced and added to the sauce at the end.
Garlic: Feel free to add more garlic to the sauce; like I always say, we measure garlic with your heart!
White wine: Use any dry white wine; if you don't consume alcohol, you can substitute it with additional broth.
Cream: Opt for heavy cream, thickened cream, or double cream for the sauce. If you pick a thinner alternative like half and half or single cream, the sauce won't thicken.
Broth/Stock: I recommend chicken broth for the sauce, but vegetable is a great alternative. I love Better than Bouillon for a quick broth/stock.
Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated parmesan melts far better than the store-bought pre-grated kind. So it is best to buy a block of parmesan and grate it yourself to get a luscious smooth sauce.
Recipe Tips
We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you. Have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!
- Don't overcook the chicken; the flattened chicken needs around 2 minutes on each side.
- Turn the heat to low before adding the garlic to the butter. You want it to mellow and perfume the butter without burning or going crispy. I like to have the wine measured and ready to add to the pan. If the pan gets too hot, I can cool it with the wine.
- Salting the pasta cooking water is an important step as it seasons the whole piece of pasta. I suggest 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Reserve 1½ cups of the pasta cooking water. This helps when you are making the sauce. The recipe suggests adding around ½ cup of pasta cooking water , but it is a good idea to reserve extra in case the sauce thickens too much.
Why You'll Love This Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- It's a restaurant-quality dish that you can make at home.
- Kids love creamy pasta dishes.
- It is a little indulgent but not too heavy.
- It is ready in under 30 minutes.
- You can adapt it and add extra veg to the sauce.
Recipe Adaptions
These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.
- This dish is delicious with sliced pork loin chops.
- You can use leftover chicken. Just add it to the sauce as you add the pasta so that it can heat through.
- Cook bacon in the butter before you add the garlic, it will add a delicious smoky salty taste to the dish.
- Add some baby spinach at the end of cooking or steamed asparagus spears for extra veg. It is also delicious with cauliflower!
- Fry some mushrooms in butter and add them to the creamy sauce when adding the pasta for a garlic parmesan chicken and mushroom pasta.
- Add a crunchy topping. Pangrattato is an Italian crunchy, crispy topping that can be added to creamy dishes. It is essentially toasted breadcrumbs with some seasoning. See pangrattato post.
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FAQ'S
Some of the questions that our testers have asked. If you have any other questions, please drop us a comment below and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
Yes, you can substitute chicken thighs for breasts. To keep the chicken juicy, flatten and pan-fry it, then let it rest before slicing and adding to the sauce.
If you prefer not to use white wine, you can replace it with additional chicken or vegetable broth.
For a thick sauce, it's best to use heavy cream, thickened cream, or double cream. Using lighter options like half and half or single cream may result in a thinner sauce.
Freshly grated parmesan is recommended, as it melts better and provides a smoother sauce compared to pre-grated varieties.
After removing the chicken from the pan, reduce the heat to low before adding garlic to the butter. This allows the garlic to mellow and infuse the butter without burning.
Reserving about 1½ cups of pasta cooking water is helpful when making the sauce. It can be added to adjust the sauce's consistency if it becomes too thick.
The sauce thickens when you add the pasta, as the pasta soaks up extra liquid.
Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet suggests and then finish cooking it in the sauce. This helps to thicken the sauce.
Add the pasta to the sauce and over medium-high heat/high heat toss the pasta in the sauce. The sauce should thicken around the pasta. You can add extra pasta cooking water if the sauce starts to get too thick.
Serving Suggestions
What to eat with Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Serve this pasta with a simple side salad and some bread to mop up the creamy sauce. Alternatively, I love it with a side of steamed asparagus or some roasted broccoli.
What to drink with Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
For white wine drinkers, pair this creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta with a lightly oaked buttery chardonnay, oaked Chenin Blanc, or Viognier. They will all complement the velvety-rich sauce. If you're a fan of red wine, try a Pinot Noir, a Chianti, or, if you can find it, an Italian Teroldego. They can balance the parmesan and garlic without overpowering the chicken.
Enjoy x
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Get the Recipe
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the pasta
- 12 oz pasta
- 1 tablespoon salt
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup dry white wine (see note 1)
- ½ cup broth (see note 2)
- 1½ cup heavy cream (see note 3)
- 1¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (see note 4)
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- extra parmesan garnish
- salt to taste (you might not need extra)
Instructions
To prepare the chicken
- Lay each chicken breast flat on a chopping board and pat them dry.2 chicken breasts
- Cover the chicken breast with parchment paper to protect the meat, and use a meat mallet (or a heavy pan) to bash the chicken to an even thickness.
- Repeat with the second chicken breast.
- Season with salt and pepper½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon black pepper
Cook the pasta
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the salt and cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions.1 tablespoon salt12 oz pasta
- Once cooked, reserve 1½ cups of the pasta cooking liquid and drain the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based skillet over medium-high heat.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate and keep covered.
- Reduce the heat to low, melt the butter in the same skillet, add the minced garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.2 tablespoons butter6 cloves garlic
- Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the broth and simmer for 2 minutes.⅓ cup dry white wine½ cup broth
- Add the cream, then sprinkle over the parmesan. Stir until the parmesan has melted, then let the sauce simmer for 1 ½ minutes until it thickens slightly. (it will thicken more when you add the pasta.)1½ cup heavy cream1¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Chop the cooked chicken into thin slices.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water. Turn the heat to high.
- Stir the pasta gently until it's coated in the sauce, then add the chopped chicken (and any juices that have collected) and cook everything for 1-2 minute, tossing gently. Reduce the heat if needed and add more pasta cooking water if the sauce gets too thick.
- Add most of the parsley and the black pepper. Taste your pasta and add more salt if needed. 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley½ teaspoon black peppersalt
- Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining parsley and extra parmesan to taste.extra parmesan
Notes
- Use any dry white wine; if you don't consume alcohol, you can substitute it with additional broth.
- I recommend chicken broth for the sauce, but vegetable is a great alternative. I love Better than Bouillon for a quick broth/stock.
- Opt for heavy cream, thickened cream, or double cream for the sauce. If you pick a thinner alternative like half and half or single cream, the sauce won't thicken.
- It is best to buy a block of parmesan and grate it yourself. It will melt much more smoothly into the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving
Paul says
This was wonderful! Only little change I made is that I sautéed mushrooms in the butter before adding the garlic and it came out amazing. Definitely making it again.
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
Mushrooms are a wonderful addition.
So happy you loved the dish 🙂
Cx
Zazz says
This is absolutely delicious ! Thank you so much !!
Nancy says
Can this be frozen?
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
Hi Nancy,
It can be frozen but it is a bit thicker after freezing as the pasta soaks up some of the moisture.
Hope that helps.
Cx
stephanie says
This dish was excellent so tasty. I added Sauté mushrooms and baby spinach to mine and my family loved it. The only problem I had was that it didn’t thicken up like it was supposed to it was actually a little runny. After letting it sit for a while it did thicken up a bit. I followed your recipe to a tea. Do you know why it didn’t thicken? Thanks 😊
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
I would suggest, cooking that pasta for a little less time in the water and then allowing it too cook for longer in the sauce, at this point I have the heat quite high. This will help to thicken the sauce.
Hope that helps.
Cx
Chiara says
This chicken pasta dish is now a regular in my dinner rotation! It comes together so easily! I used farfalle pasta because I love how the sauce clings to the bow ties.
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
My kids love farfalle pasta!
So happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment.
Cx
Melissa Hoyland says
Hi. Do you still add chicken broth and heavy cream. Mine didn't thicken. Still delicious. Just wanted thicker sauce.
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
The sauce should thicken when you cook the pasta in it at the end. Make sure you do that over high heat.
You can also try adding less of the past cooking water. Also if you cook the pasta for 2 minutes less that it suggests, you'll be able to cook it in the sauce for longer and this will thicken the sauce more as well.
Hope that helps
Cx
Sarah says
I love how quick and easy this was to put together. It's really super creamy and totally workable for a weeknight. All I added was a salad on the side and we're set. This is going in the dinner rotation.
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
I am so happy you enjoyed it Sarah.
Like you we often just have a salad and maybe some bread with it 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment.
Cx
Kaycee says
Love quick and easy recipes! This creamy pasta will be one of my go-tos as my family loved it. It’s delicious.
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
I am so pleased the family loved it Kaycee.
Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment.
Cx
Christa says
So tasty! That creamy garlic pasta sauce might just be my new best friend! This pasta made a delicious meal and I had just enough left over to reheat for lunch today. So good!
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts says
I am so happy you enjoyed it Christa 🙂
It is a fav of ours for sure.
Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment.
Cx