Quick Garlic Parmesan Chicken (Printable Version)

Tender chicken and pasta tossed in a creamy Parmesan garlic sauce, ready in 30 minutes.

# The Ingredients You'll Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approx. 17.6 oz), cut into bite-sized pieces

→ Pasta

02 - 10 oz penne or rotini pasta

→ Dairy

03 - ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - ½ cup heavy cream
05 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

06 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
08 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

→ Stock & Seasonings

09 - 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 1 tsp Italian seasoning
11 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Oil

13 - 1 tbsp olive oil

# Step-by-Step Instructions:

01 - Warm olive oil and butter in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat.
02 - Add chicken pieces, season with salt, pepper, and half the Italian seasoning; sauté until golden and cooked through, about 4–5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
03 - In the same skillet, add onion and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
04 - Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in uncooked pasta, reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until pasta is al dente and most liquid absorbed, approximately 10–12 minutes.
05 - Lower heat to low. Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until sauce is creamy and cheese melts.
06 - Return cooked chicken to skillet, toss to coat with sauce, and heat through for 1–2 minutes.
07 - Stir in chopped parsley and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes as desired.
08 - Serve hot, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one pan, which means less cleanup and more time to actually enjoy your meal.
  • The sauce comes together naturally as the pasta absorbs the broth, creating that silky, restaurant-quality texture without cream sitting heavy in your stomach.
  • It tastes like you spent hours making it, but honestly, you'll have it on the table before your partner stops scrolling through their phone.
02 -
  • Don't overcrowd the skillet when searing the chicken or it'll steam instead of brown, and that's the difference between restaurant-quality and regrettable.
  • Keep your eye on the pasta as it simmers in the broth, stirring occasionally, because it can go from al dente to mushy faster than you'd think.
  • The cream goes in after the heat is reduced because if it boils, it can separate and break, leaving you with graininess instead of that dreamy sauce.
03 -
  • Freshly grated Parmesan melts into the sauce like it's meant to be there, while the pre-grated stuff has anti-caking agents that make it grainy and separate.
  • Cutting your chicken into pieces that are roughly the same size ensures everything cooks at the same pace, so nothing's raw while something else is rubbery.
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