Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta (Print Version)
Juicy chicken and fettuccine smothered in a velvety garlic Parmesan cream sauce for a comforting weeknight dinner.
# What You Need:
→ 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 (optional)
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 - Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
# How-To 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 - While the pasta cooks, season the thinly sliced chicken breasts generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the chicken slices in a single layer and cook without moving for 4–5 minutes until a deep golden crust forms. Flip and cook another 4–5 minutes until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil to keep warm.
04 - Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 2 minutes until softened and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to let it brown.
05 - Pour in the heavy cream and whole milk, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer — do not let it boil. Gradually whisk in the grated Parmesan cheese, a handful at a time, until completely melted and the sauce is velvety smooth. If the sauce seems too thick, loosen it with splashes of the reserved pasta water until it reaches the desired consistency. Sprinkle in the Italian herbs if using.
06 - Add the drained pasta and seared chicken back into the skillet. Toss everything together, coating the pasta and chicken evenly in the creamy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
07 - Serve immediately in warm bowls, garnished with freshly chopped parsley and an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sauce comes together in the same pan you cooked the chicken in, which means all those browned bits on the bottom become flavor you cannot get from a clean pot.
- It tastes like something you would pay twenty two dollars for at a restaurant but costs a fraction of that and feeds four people comfortably.
02 -
- If your sauce breaks or looks greasy instead of smooth, remove the pan from heat entirely and whisk in a splash of cold pasta water or milk until it comes back together, which works almost every single time.
- Adding the Parmesan off the heat or at very low heat prevents it from clumping and turning your silky sauce into something that looks like it had a rough night.
03 -
- Let the chicken rest for at least five minutes after cooking before adding it back to the pasta so the juices redistribute instead of running out and diluting your sauce.
- Always grate your Parmesan from a block with a microplane for the smoothest sauce because those convenient bags of pre shredded cheese are secretly your enemy here.