garlic parmesan chicken pasta

this garlic parmesan chicken pasta is a bowl of creamy, cheesy goodness. tender pasta and juicy chicken are wrapped in a rich, garlicky, parmesan cream sauce. finished with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan, this is the perfect pasta dish for a relaxing night in.

this easy delicious pasta is like a warm hug in a bowl. it features tender pasta and juicy, seasoned chicken bathed in a silky, garlic-infused sauce. top with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan for some extra cheesy goodness, and serve this pasta steaming hot for the ultimate comfort meal on a chilly evening.

why you will love this garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe:

• easy recipe: this garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe uses simple ingredients and comes together in a matter of minutes. it’s also packed with flavour and great for beginners who want something a little different to the typical pasta recipe.

• versatile and easy to customise – you can easily customise spice levels to your taste in this garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe by adjusting the spices in the sauce and the chicken. this garlic parmesan chicken pasta dish can also be made healthier by using whole grain pasta and adding some extra vegetables like spinach or broccoli. this easy pasta recipe would not only be great as an easy, weeknight meal, it would also be a great meal to make for a special occasion!

• satisfying and comforting -there’s nothing better than a warm, cheesy bowl of pasta on a long day, especially when it’s cold.

learn how to make garlic parmesan chicken pasta:

to make this creamy garlic parmesan chicken and pasta, we’re going to start off by marinating the chicken in a mixture of spices. then, we’ll set that aside and start cooking the pasta. once that’s done, in a pan, we’ll cook the chicken in a little bit of oil. remove the cooked chicken from the pan, and in the same pan, we’ll start making our garlic parmesan chicken pasta sauce. to do this, we’ll cook onion in butter until it becomes a light golden colour. then, add fresh garlic and cook until it becomes light golden. then, we’ll add flour to make a roux. gradually add milk and continue to cook until the garlic parmesan pasta sauce thickens up.

then, we’ll add cream and some extra seasonings, as well as some freshly grated parmesan cheese. once our parmesan chicken garlic pasta sauce looks thick and creamy, we’ll add the chicken back to the sauce, add the cooked pasta and add some leftover pasta water. leave this to cook for a while, then top your garlic parmesan chicken pasta with some more freshly grated parmesan, and we’re done!

garlic parmesan chicken pasta ingredients:

• pasta – you can use any shape of pasta that you prefer – i’m just using fusilli here but this garlic parmesan chicken pasta would work really great with penne pasta too. boil the pasta with salt, water and a bit of oil in the pot. we’re going to add it to the garlic parmesan sauce at the end and cook for slightly longer, so you might want to undercook it slightly at the beginning.

• chicken – i make this garlic parmesan pasta with chicken – i like to use boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes, for this chicken pasta recipe. we’ll just marinate it in a mixture of spices, lightly cook it in some oil, then remove from the pan. we’ll add it back at the end and let it cook for slightly longer.

• seasonings – we’ll marinate the chicken in a mix of seasonings and spices like paprika, cumin seeds, garlic powder, dried parsley, red chilli powder and salt. i also add some seasonings to the garlic parmesan sauce, like oregano, dried parsley, black pepper, red chilli flakes, garlic powder and chicken stock powder.

• vinegar – i like to use a small amount of white vinegar in the chicken marinade.

• hot sauce – just a small amount of hot sauce in the chicken marinade adds a hint of spice that works really well with the creamy garlic parmesan sauce.

• oil – just a small amount of oil will be used to cook the chicken at the beginning. you can use any neutral tasting oil for this.

• butter – this parmesan garlic chicken pasta recipe uses unsalted butter. we’re going to cook the onion and garlic in butter for the pasta sauce.

• onions – we’ll add some chopped onions to the butter and cook until they soften and become a light golden colour.

• garlic – i like to make the chicken garlic parmesan pasta sauce with fresh, minced garlic for this recipe. cook in the butter until it becomes a light golden colour.

• flour – we’ll add a small amount of plain flour to make the roux for our parmesan garlic sauce.

• whole milk – i like to have this garlic parmesan chicken pasta with milk making the base of our sauce. the parmesan garlic sauce will thicken up but isn’t too overly rich.

• double cream or heavy cream – i like to make this garlic parmesan chicken pasta with heavy cream or double cream in the sauce to just add a little bit of extra richness than if you were to only use milk. if you prefer a thinner, less creamy sauce, you can also use single cream or cooking cream in place of this.

• cheese – for this garlic parmesan pasta recipe, i like to mix some freshly grated parmesan into the parmesan garlic sauce and then top the pasta with some more parmesan after serving.

• pasta water – save some pasta water when draining the cooked pasta – this will be used to adjust the consistency of the sauce, and will also help the sauce stick to the pasta better.

tools:

• bowl – for marinating the chicken

• pot – for boiling the pasta

• large pan with lid – for making the garlic parmesan pasta sauce

step by step instructions

for full measurements, keep scrolling down to the recipe below.

step one: in a bowl, add chicken breast, cut into cubes, and then add the paprika, cumin seeds, garlic powder, dried parsley, red chilli powder, salt, white vinegar and hot sauce. mix everything into the chicken until it’s completely coated, and then let this sit while you boil the pasta.

step two: boil your pasta in water with some salt and a little bit of oil and cook pasta for a little bit less time than stated on package instructions. we’re going to add the pasta to the sauce and cook it again for a few minutes so you don’t want to cook it for too long or it’ll be overly soft. drain the pasta and set it aside, making sure to save some of the pasta water.

step three: heat up a large pan, then, add oil and add the chicken. cook the chicken at medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes, and then remove the chicken from the pan.

step four: to the same pan, add unsalted butter and let it melt in the pan. add chopped onion and cook this over medium heat until it becomes a light golden colour.

step five: add the fresh, minced garlic and cook this over medium heat until it becomes a light golden colour – this should take about 40-50 seconds.

step six: add the flour and continue to stir that in over medium heat until it starts to thicken up.

step seven: gradually add milk to the mixture and continue to stir as you pour it in. bring it to a gentle simmer or a very low boil, stirring as you do this, until the garlic parmesan sauce starts to thicken up.

step eight: add the heavy cream to the sauce, as well as the oregano, dried parsley, black pepper, red chilli flakes, garlic powder and chicken stock powder. mix all of this together, and cook for around a minute over medium heat.

step nine: add freshly grated parmesan cheese and mix it into the sauce until it melts.

step ten: add the chicken back to the pan, and add the cooked pasta to the pan. stir them into the cream garlic parmesan sauce.

step eleven: add some pasta water and mix it in. cover the pan with a lid and leave this to cook over medium heat for around 2-3 minutes.

step eleven: serve, top with more freshly grated parmesan cheese and let’s eat!

tips and notes

• cook the pasta al dente – slightly undercook the pasta initially as they will continue to slightly cook and soften when you add them to the garlic parmesan sauce at the end. this ensures the perfect texture and prevents the pasta from becoming overly soft and mushy.

• if you want to adjust the consistency of the sauce and feel like it needs to be thinner, feel free to add more of the pasta water than stated. if you find that the pasta sauce is too thin, then just let it simmer for longer so that it thickens up.

• adjust seasonings to your taste – this creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe uses some spices that are nicely balanced out by the creamy sauce. as a result, i didn’t find it particularly spicy. however, if you don’t like much spice or are worried about the spice, feel free to reduce the amounts of the black pepper and the red chilli flakes in the garlic parmesan sauce or the red chilli powder and hot sauce in the chicken. the chicken stock powder, the parmesan cheese and the pasta water will be salty so this recipe does not call for any extra salt in the sauce, but if you do feel that it needs some salt, feel free to add some.

• marinate the chicken first before doing anything else so that it has some time to sit in order to enhance the flavour of the chicken. ideally, you’d want to marinate for around 30 minutes, but if you’re impatient or don’t have too much time, you can also just do this step first, let it sit while you cook the pasta, and then just cook the chicken.

• for the best flavour, use fresh minced garlic.

• i would recommend using freshly grated parmesan in the garlic parmesan sauce, as it gives the best flavour and will melt easily into the sauce.

• i used fusilli pasta for this garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe, but you can use any shape of pasta that you like.

• if you’d like to add some vegetables to this garlic parmesan chicken pasta for some extra flavour and nutrition, some sautéed mushrooms or spinach or sun-dried tomatoes would complement it really nicely.

• once you add the milk to the parmesan garlic sauce, gradually heat it up so that it’s not suddenly exposed to high heat. make sure you continue to stir it as it heats up, and don’t let it boil vigorously. bring it to a gentle simmer or a very low boil, then reduce the heat. all of this will prevent the cream from curdling.

frequently asked questions

1. can i use pre-cooked chicken in this recipe for garlic parmesan chicken pasta?

   – while fresh chicken will be best, you can definitely use pre-cooked chicken in this recipe. just add it to the garlic parmesan sauce at the end and cook until it warms through.

2. can i make this garlic parmesan chicken pasta dish spicier?

   – if you want to make this garlic parmesan pasta a little spicier, you can adjust the amount of the red chilli flakes and black pepper in the sauce recipe as well as the red chilli powder and the hot sauce in the chicken. feel free to adjust any spices and seasonings to your taste.

3. can i make this garlic parmesan chicken pasta with no heavy cream?

   – if you want to make this garlic parmesan chicken pasta without heavy cream, keep in mind that the sauce won’t be as rich and creamy. if you’re okay with this, you can make this pasta recipe with all milk instead of cream. the bulk of the creamy sauce is made with whole milk anyway, so it shouldn’t make too much of a difference, but the sauce will be thinner and you might need to adjust the amount of pasta water used later on.

4. can i make this garlic parmesan chicken pasta with cream cheese?

   – i decided to make this garlic parmesan chicken pasta without cream cheese, as i felt that it was already pretty rich and creamy without it. if you’d like to make it extra rich, you could definitely also add a bit of cream cheese to the cream sauce. alternatively, you could add cream cheese instead of heavy cream to the garlic parmesan sauce if you would prefer that.

5. do i have to make this garlic parmesan chicken pasta with parmesan?

   – parmesan adds a delicious savoury and salty note to this pasta dish but feel free to leave it out if you don’t have it or would prefer a lighter version of this dish. if you’re looking for a vegetarian or halal substitute for parmesan, there are vegetarian and halal parmesan cheeses available, or you can use other vegetarian hard cheeses.

6. do i have to use butter for the sauce in this garlic parmesan pasta recipe, or can i use oil?

   – i like to use butter in the garlic parmesan sauce as it adds richness and flavour to the pasta sauce. but, it is absolutely not necessary. you can use oil instead of the butter, or you can use a mix of oil and butter.

7. what kind of sides can i have with this garlic parmesan chicken pasta dish?

   – if you’re looking for sides for garlic parmesan chicken pasta, some potential options could be garlic bread, a simple green salad for something a bit more light and refreshing, or even some roasted vegetables.

8. can i make this pasta dish ahead of time?

   – this garlic parmesan chicken pasta is best served fresh, but if you want to make this ahead of time to serve later, you might want to make the separate components of the dish, such as the chicken and the cream sauce, separately, and then them warm them together before serving.

9. can i make this a garlic parmesan chicken pasta bake?

   – yes you can! for a garlic parmesan chicken pasta bake recipe, to start with, make the garlic parmesan chicken pasta on the stove, then transfer this to a baking dish. you can sprinkle mozzarella cheese between the layers if you like, top with extra cheese, and then bake this until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

10. can i add vegetables to this garlic parmesan chicken pasta?

    – absolutely! some great options that i think would work great with this pasta include mushrooms or cherry tomatoes. you could also make this garlic parmesan chicken pasta with broccoli or spinach.

11. is this garlic parmesan chicken pasta healthy?

    – this garlic parmesan chicken pasta dish is relatively high in calories due to the heavy cream and cheese. it should be relatively easy to make a healthier version of this dish by making a few swaps e.g. using whole grain pasta or using all milk instead of cream. you could also add your vegetables of choice for some added nutrition.

12. how long does this garlic parmesan chicken pasta keep in the fridge?

    – stored in an airtight container, this garlic parmesan chicken pasta should keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

recipe