This is a dependable weeknight dinner: golden seared chicken, pasta, and a garlicky Parmesan cream sauce built in the same pan. The details that matter are browning the chicken well, keeping the garlic from burning, and using a splash of pasta water to get the sauce to the right consistency.
A small amount of lemon at the end keeps it from feeling heavy.
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About this dish
Golden chicken, a silky garlic cream sauce, and just enough Parmesan to make it savory instead of heavy. A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens everything.
It comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta, which makes it a reliable weeknight default.
Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min · Serves 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340 g) penne, fettuccine or rigatoni
- 1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin cutlets and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tsp salt, plus more for the pasta water
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken broth
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 big handfuls of baby spinach, optional
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Chopped parsley, to finish
Method
- Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
- Pat the chicken dry and toss with the salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in a single layer, without stirring, for 3 minutes, then turn and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until golden and cooked through (165°F / 74°C). Transfer to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the butter and garlic and stir for 30 to 45 seconds until fragrant. Don’t let it brown.
- Pour in the broth and scrape up the browned bits from the pan. Simmer for 1 minute.
- Add the cream and Italian seasoning and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the Parmesan until melted.
- Return the chicken to the pan along with the pasta and spinach. Toss, adding pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce coats everything smoothly.
- Finish with lemon juice and parsley. Taste for salt and serve at once.
Tips
- Slice thick chicken breasts in half horizontally so they cook quickly and stay juicy.
- Grate the Parmesan yourself. Pre-grated cheese doesn’t melt as smoothly.
- Keep the cream at a gentle simmer. A hard boil can cause it to split.
- The sauce thickens as it sits. If it’s too thick, add hot pasta water, not more cream.
Storage and reheating
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in a skillet over low heat with a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce. The microwave works too, at half power, stirring halfway.
Variations
- Add sliced mushrooms or sun-dried tomatoes after the chicken.
- Swap the chicken for shrimp, adding it to the sauce for the last 3 minutes.
- Use half-and-half for a lighter sauce, and add an extra spoonful of Parmesan to compensate.
Where cream pasta comes from
Creamy pasta dishes are loosely tied to fettuccine Alfredo, which was created by Alfredo di Lelio at his restaurant in Rome around 1914. The original had only butter and Parmesan, with no cream. It became world-famous in the 1920s after visiting American film stars praised it, and American restaurants added cream and, later, chicken.
A garlic cream chicken pasta like this one is really an American home-cooking evolution of that idea rather than a classic Italian dish. It’s popular for good reasons: it uses ingredients most kitchens have, comes together fast, and adapts easily to whatever vegetables are in the fridge.
Garlic has been cooked with for thousands of years and is believed to have originated in central Asia. It spread west through trade routes, and today it is central to Italian, Mediterranean and many other cuisines, which explains why a plain pan of garlic and cream feels so familiar.
