Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Garlic parmesan chicken pasta is a cozy, restaurant-worthy dinner that’s simple enough for busy weeknights. Tender chicken and al dente pasta are tossed in a rich, garlicky Parmesan sauce that’s full of flavor and made in just one pan. Ready in about 30 minutes, it’s the kind of comfort food that will quickly earn a spot in your weekly rotation.

Love More Chicken Pasta Recipes? Try My Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Creamy Pasta or this Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick, easy, and full of flavor, this dish pairs tender chicken with pasta coated in a rich garlic Parmesan sauce. Ready in just over 35 minutes, it’s hearty, balanced, and made with simple, everyday ingredients. Perfect for weeknights yet elegant enough for special occasions, it delivers comfort and satisfaction with minimal cleanup.

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Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied or pounded to about ½” thickness
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp paprika
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp avocado oil (or olive oil)

For the Pasta & Sauce

• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• ½ jumbo yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 4–6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz dry penne pasta (regular or gluten-free)
• 2 cups chicken broth (to cook pasta)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Stuff I swap out sometimes: Regular olive oil works fine if you don’t have avocado oil. Half-and-half instead of heavy cream makes it a little lighter. My sister uses those Barilla gluten-free noodles and they’re actually pretty good. Whatever you do, don’t buy pre-grated cheese from a bag – it gets all clumpy and gross.

Why These Ingredients Work

So my neighbor Jenny taught me this broth trick after I complained about how bland my pasta always tasted. She’s one of those people who never measures anything but somehow makes incredible food. Pounding the chicken flat means it cooks evenly instead of being raw in the middle and dried out on the edges like mine used to be.

That Italian seasoning blend saves me from buying a million different herbs. It’s got oregano and basil and some other stuff that makes everything smell amazing. The paprika isn’t really for heat – it just gives the chicken this nice color and slightly smoky taste.

The real game-changer here is using chicken broth for the pasta water. Every piece soaks up actual flavor instead of just salt. Butter plus oil means you get that rich buttery taste without it burning when things get hot. Fresh garlic gets all sweet and mellow when you cook it right – totally different from that sharp bite when it’s raw. And please grate your own parmesan because the pre-shredded stuff has all these chemicals to keep it from sticking together and it ruins the sauce.

Essential Tools and Equipment

You absolutely have to use a big deep pan with a lid or this won’t work right. I tried using my regular skillet once and pasta water went everywhere – what a mess. I flatten chicken with whatever’s handy, usually just my rolling pin because my meat hammer thing broke and I never replaced it.

Keep a wooden spoon around for scraping up the good stuff from the bottom of the pan. All those brown bits are pure flavor. And seriously get yourself one of those microplane graters for the cheese. I used a regular box grater for years and the cheese never melted right. The microplane was like $12 at Target and totally worth it.

How To Make Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Season & Sear the Chicken

Mix up your Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub it all over your flattened chicken pieces with your hands – really work it in there so it sticks good.

Get your big pan hot over medium heat and add that oil. When it starts shimmering but not smoking, put the chicken in. Don’t move it around – just let it sit there for 3-5 minutes per side until it’s golden brown and reads 165°F on your thermometer. Take it out and set it aside to rest.

Sauté the Aromatics

Turn the heat down to medium-low and add your butter and the other tablespoon of oil to the same pan. Throw in your diced onion with a little salt and cook it for about 3 minutes until you can see through it and it smells sweet.

Add the minced garlic and cook just one more minute. It’ll sizzle and smell incredible. Don’t let it burn though because burnt garlic tastes awful and ruins everything.

Cook the Pasta in Broth

Pour all that chicken broth in and scrape up every single brown bit from the bottom with your wooden spoon. This is where all the flavor comes from. Get it bubbling gently, then dump in all your pasta. Make sure it’s mostly covered with liquid.

Slap that lid on and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring it around every few minutes so nothing gets stuck. The pasta will drink up most of that broth and taste amazing instead of like cardboard.

Create the Sauce

This part is crucial – turn off the heat completely before you add anything else or your sauce will turn into chunky grossness. Stir in the grated parmesan first, then the cream, then the parsley. It all melts together into this silky sauce that coats everything perfectly. Taste it and add more salt and pepper if you need to.

Bring It All Together

Slice up that chicken and mix it right back into the pasta. Give it all a good stir and eat it right away while it’s hot. The sauce gets thicker as it cools down so don’t wait around taking pictures for Instagram.

You Must Know

Always pound your chicken to the same thickness or some pieces will be dry while others are still pink inside. And let it rest for at least 5 minutes after cooking – all those juices need time to redistribute or they’ll just run out when you cut it.

Personal Secret: Never add the cheese and cream while the pan is still hot. I ruined so many batches before my friend Kate explained this to me. High heat makes dairy separate and get grainy.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Buy real parmesan in a block and grate it yourself. The bagged stuff has anti-caking powder that stops it from melting smooth. I grate a bunch at once and keep it in a jar in the freezer – lasts forever and saves time later.

Don’t cram all your chicken pieces together in the pan. They need space to get brown and crispy. If your pan is too small, cook them in two batches. Takes a few extra minutes but worth it for that golden crust.

Before you add the cream, scoop out about half a cup of that pasta cooking liquid and set it aside. If your sauce gets too thick later, a splash of this brings it right back to creamy perfection. I learned this from watching too many cooking shows.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

My mom likes to throw in some sun-dried tomatoes and spinach to make it “healthier” though I think it’s perfect as is. My dad adds bacon to literally everything so he crumbles some in with the chicken. I’ve tried mushrooms cooked with the onions and that’s pretty good too if you’re into that earthy flavor.

If you want some heat, add red pepper flakes when you put the garlic in. My teenage son likes it spicy so I make his portion that way. You can use coconut cream instead of dairy cream if you’re avoiding dairy, though it tastes different – still good, just different.

Make-Ahead Options

This really is best when you eat it right away, but you can prep some stuff ahead. I sometimes pound and season the chicken the night before and stick it in the fridge. Takes about 5 minutes off the cooking time the next day.

Leftovers are okay for maybe 2-3 days in the fridge. The sauce looks broken when it’s cold but comes back together when you reheat it with a little milk or broth. Don’t even think about freezing this – cream sauces get weird and separated after being frozen.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

The amount of broth matters a lot here. You want just enough to barely cover the pasta – if there’s too much, your sauce will be watery. If there’s not enough, the pasta won’t cook right and you’ll get crunchy noodles.

My sister lives in Colorado and she always has to add a few extra minutes to cook the pasta because of the altitude. The cheese keeps making the sauce thicker even after you’re done cooking, so if it looks a little thin at first, just wait a couple minutes.

Serving Suggestions

I usually throw together a quick salad with whatever greens I have and some lemon dressing to cut through all that richness. Garlic bread is obvious but my family demolishes it every time. When my in-laws come over, I put some extra parsley and black pepper on top to make it look fancy.

My husband likes this with a cold beer but I prefer white wine – usually whatever’s open in the fridge. The kids drink milk with it which seems weird to me but they’re happy so whatever works.

How to Store Your Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Stick leftovers in a container in the fridge for up to 3 days max. When you reheat it, add a little splash of milk or chicken broth to make the sauce creamy again, then warm it up slowly in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so. You can also do it on the stove over low heat but you have to keep stirring constantly.

The sauce looks all broken and gross when it’s cold but don’t panic – it comes back together with gentle heat and stirring. Never try to freeze this because cream sauces turn into weird grainy mush after thawing. Just make what you can eat fresh.

Allergy Information

This has dairy in the butter, cream, and parmesan, plus gluten in the pasta. If you need gluten-free, those Barilla GF penne noodles work great – you can’t really tell the difference. For dairy-free, use olive oil instead of butter, coconut cream instead of heavy cream, and nutritional yeast instead of parmesan though it won’t taste exactly the same.

Check your chicken broth if you have other food issues – some brands have weird stuff in them. I use that Better Than Bouillon paste stuff mixed with water and it doesn’t have any strange ingredients.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

What about chicken thighs instead of breasts?

Sure, boneless thighs work great and they’re harder to overcook. They take maybe a minute or two longer to cook through but they stay juicier.

My sauce looks chunky and gross, what did I do wrong?

You added the dairy while the pan was still too hot. Turn off the heat completely and whisk gently – sometimes it comes back together. If not, add a tablespoon of that pasta cooking liquid and keep whisking.

Can I make this ahead for meal prep?

You can prep the ingredients ahead but cook it fresh for the best texture. Reheated pasta never tastes quite as good.

The pasta didn’t cook evenly, what happened?

Your pan was probably too small or the heat too high. The pasta needs to stay covered with liquid and cook at a gentle simmer.

💬 Tried this recipe? Let me know if your family liked it as much as mine does!