This mouthwatering Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta recipe combines tender breaded chicken, al dente pasta, and a rich creamy sauce infused with garlic and parmesan, making it the ultimate comfort food for pasta lovers. With the addition of fresh kale, you've got a complete, one-dish family dinner.
This is a fun chicken and pasta meal. You get that satisfying crispy breaded chicken goodness of chicken parm while also enjoying a creamy cheesy white sauce. There's plenty of garlic flavor and even a bunch of kale tossed into the mix that cooks down and is coated with cheese and cream. With fresh basil on top, this dish is an all-around winner.
Speaking of winning pasta dishes, I have a few other recipes you'll want to check out. This Creamy Corn Pasta is also rich and satisfying thanks to corn, bacon, and white beans. This Zucchini Mushroom Pasta is an easy meal and a good vegetarian pasta dish for summer. And this Pea Pasta with Pistachio Mint Pesto is so fresh and simple for when you're looking for something out of the ordinary.
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🧄Key Ingredients
It's all about the simple, fresh ingredients in this creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta.
You'll need:
- Pasta, such as linguine or fettuccine
- Chicken breasts without skin or bones
- Breadcrumbs with plenty of texture, such as panko
- Broth, either vegetable or chicken broth
- Half and half to create the creaminess of the sauce
- Parmesan cheese, preferably a fresh block for grating
- Garlic because what's a pasta dish without it?
- Kale for a fresh vegetable component, though spinach or chard are also good
- Fresh basil
See the recipe card below for the quantities.
🥬Substitutions and Variations
- For a richer dish, add an additional ½ cup of half and half and/or use light or heavy cream. I bet a few spoonfuls of cream cheese would also be a wonderful addition.
- Try swapping in another green in place of kale, such as spinach.
- Add some spice by including red pepper flakes when sauteeing the garlic.
- For more flavor, use an Italian season blend in place of the oregano in the chicken breading. This Italian Herb Mix from Penzey's would be great.
🔪Instructions
Start by chopping up the kale, slicing the garlic cloves, and shredding the parmesan cheese.
Set up three dishes for breading with flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. Dip the pieces of chicken in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess after each dip.
Cook the chicken in a pan with olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes per side. Add more oil to the pan if it goes dry.
Remove the chicken, wipe the pan, and saute the sliced garlic. Then add the flour, broth, then cream, and cheese, pausing between each addition to whisk and cook for a minute or two.
Add some kale to the pan and let it wilt. Continue adding as it wilts down until it's all incorporated.
Cut the chicken up into smaller pieces and add it back to the pan with the pasta. Toss with tongs to coat in the sauce and heat everything until warm.
📋Top Tips
- To prevent the breading from sticking to your hand when coating the chicken, use one hand for the dry ingredients (the flour and the breadcrumbs) and the other for the wet (the eggs).
- Keep an eye on how hot your pan gets when pan-frying the chicken. It tends to get hotter as you go, so you may want to lower the heat to prevent burning. The chicken will cook quickly, so don't leave it unattended, either.
- If you prefer the chicken to retain crispness, you may want to simply place it on top of the pasta instead of tossing it all together with everything in the sauce. It's still delicious if you, it just loses some of the crunch.
🥄Equipment
You don't need any special equipment to make this dish. That said, here are a couple of tools that I think would make cooking it easier.
- A non-stick pan will help prevent the breading from sticking behind on the pan when you cook the chicken. Is there anything more disappointing than having your breading fall stick and burn? I'm liking this 10-inch frying pan from Oxo.
- Tongs make it easy to toss the pasta and everything together right in the pan. They're one of the handiest and most overlooked tools in most people's kitchens.
🥡Storage
Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to four days. You may want to add a splash or two of water when reheating to thin out the sauce.
💭Frequently Asked Questions
In some cases, it's fine to use garlic powder in place of whole garlic. But this recipe isn't one of them since it's a main component for the creamy garlic chicken pasta.
You might be able to make components of the dish using the saute function on the Instant Pot, such as browning the chicken and making the sauce. But the pressure cooking feature won't be useful here. Neither would your crockpot, as it's just not a dish that could easily convert to slow cooking and come out well.
I tried to create a recipe with a cream sauce that won't overwhelm you with fat and calories. If you want a really rich and thick sauce made with heavy cream and butter, this probably isn't the recipe for you. However, you can easily substitute heavy cream for the half and half, as I mentioned above.
I suggest using half and half, which is made up of equal parts cream and milk. It's already a lighter option and I don't think the sauce will have enough flavor if you use just milk instead.
🍝More Pasta Dishes
📖 Recipe
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta combines tender breaded chicken, al dente pasta, and a cream sauce with garlic and parmesan.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of pasta such as fettuccini or linguini
- a bunch of kale
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup, plus 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ cup olive oil, possibly more, for frying
- ¾ cup broth
- 1 cup half and half
- Basil leaves, torn, for topping
Instructions
- Start a pot of water boiling for the pasta. When boiling, add several pinches of salt and the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
- Roughly chop the kale, slice the garlic, and grate the cheese. Cut each chicken breast into 3-4 thin pieces. If any pieces are too thick, slice them in half to thin them out. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel then salt the chicken with ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Set up your breading station with three shallow dishes. Put the ¼ cup of flour in one, the beaten eggs in the second and the breadcrumbs and oregano in the third. Dip each piece of chicken in the flour, then the eggs, then the breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess between each dipping. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.
- Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add half of the chicken pieces and cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining chicken when the first batch is done, adding more oil if the pan becomes dry.
- Make the sauce. Wipe out the pan used for the chicken and pour in another tablespoon of olive oil. Set over low heat and add the sliced garlic. Cook for about two minutes, stirring, then stir in a tablespoon of flour. Cook for another minute, then whisk in the broth and bring to a simmer. When the broth has thickened, add the cream, grated parmesan cheese, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Continue to whisk to help the sauce meld.
- Stir in the kale, a handful at a time, adding more as it wilts down. Cook for a couple of minutes over low heat and then add the pasta to the pan. Use tongs to toss everything together. Heat until the pasta has warmed.
- Slice the chicken into small pieces and toss into the pasta. Top with the torn basil leaves and serve.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Pan Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Steve says
Crispy chicken, a creamy cheese sauce, and lots of garlic makes this my kind of meal. I don't even mind the kale!