Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta (Print version)

Tender chicken and pasta coated in a rich, velvety garlic Parmesan cream sauce for a satisfying weeknight dinner.

# What goes in:

→ Meats

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced

→ Pasta

02 - 12 oz fettuccine or penne pasta

→ Dairy

03 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - ½ cup heavy cream
05 - 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
06 - ⅓ cup whole milk

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

07 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 small onion, finely chopped

→ Pantry & Seasonings

09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 - ½ teaspoon dried Italian herbs
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 - Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

# Cooking steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water before draining. Set the drained pasta aside.
02 - Pat the chicken slices dry and season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 4–5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
03 - In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 2 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to let it brown.
04 - Reduce the heat to medium-low. Pour in the heavy cream and milk, stirring to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer. Gradually whisk in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese until fully melted and the sauce is smooth and velvety. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with small splashes of the reserved pasta water. Sprinkle in the dried Italian herbs if using.
05 - Add the drained pasta and seared chicken back into the skillet. Toss everything together until the pasta and chicken are evenly coated in the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Serve immediately in warm bowls, garnished with freshly chopped parsley and an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Tips from flavorandfeast:

01 -
  • The sauce clings to every strand of pasta like it was personally invited to stay.
  • It uses ingredients you probably already have, which means no emergency grocery runs.
  • Cleanup is one pot and one skillet, and that is not a drill.
02 -
  • If the sauce looks broken or greasy, your heat is too high, so pull it off the burner for a minute and whisk vigorously to bring it back together.
  • Grating Parmesan from a block instead of using the green canister is the single biggest upgrade you can make to this dish.
03 -
  • Do not walk away from the garlic, thirty seconds of distraction is the difference between fragrant and bitter.
  • Tasting and adjusting salt at the very end matters more than any other step because Parmesan adds saltiness as it melts in.

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