Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is exactly as amazing as it sounds! Linguine is all dressed up with tender, juicy chicken breasts and the best creamy, garlicky sauce. Of course, there’s plenty of parmesan cheese in the mix to really send it over the top! This is as good as comfort food gets.
Recipe Tips
We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you. Have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!
Don't overcook the chicken; the flattened chicken needs around 2 minutes on each side.
Turn the heat to low before adding the garlic to the butter. You want it to mellow and perfume the butter without burning or going crispy. I like to have the wine measured and ready to add to the pan. If the pan gets too hot, I can cool it with the wine.
Ingredient Notes
These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients. For a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.
Pasta: The creamy garlic sauce is perfect with a long noodle like spaghetti or linguine. It also works with a chunky shape like rigatoni, penne, or cavatappi.
Chicken: The recipe suggests chicken breasts, but you can substitute chicken thighs. To keep the chicken super juicy, the breasts are flattened, pan-fried, and left to rest. They then get sliced and added to the sauce at the end.
Garlic: Feel free to add more garlic to the sauce; like I always say, we measure garlic with your heart!
White wine: Use any dry white wine; if you don't consume alcohol, you can substitute it with additional broth.
Cream: Opt for heavy cream, thickened cream, or double cream for the sauce. If you pick a thinner alternative like half and half or single cream, the sauce won't thicken.
Broth/Stock: I recommend chicken broth for the sauce, but vegetable is a great alternative. I love Better than Bouillon for a quick broth/stock.
Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated parmesan melts far better than the store-bought pre-grated kind. So it is best to buy a block of parmesan and grate it yourself to get a luscious smooth sauce.
Remember to salt the water generously before adding your pasta; the recipe suggests 1 tablespoon of salt.
To help get a perfect sauce consistency and allow it to coat the pasta, reserve 1½ cups of the pasta cooking water. Around ½ cup of pasta cooking water is added to the sauce, but it is a good idea to reserve extra in case the sauce thickens too much.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces linguine
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon butter, divided
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chopped Fresh parsley
Instructions
Bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente, approximately 6-8 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and keep warm.
Pat the chicken breast dry with a paper towel and arrange on a plate.
Whisk together the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Season both sides of the chicken with the mixture and set aside.
Het the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Arrange the chicken in the skillet and cook until golden brown, approximately 5-7 minutes.
Flip the chicken over and sear on the opposite side. Continue to cook until the chicken is golden and registers 160˚F on an instant read thermometer.
Transfer the chicken to a platter and keep warm.
Turn the heat to medium low and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan.
Once melted, stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning and cook for 30 seconds.
Turn the heat to low and whisk in the chicken stock.
Stir in the lemon and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and stir in the cheese, garlic powder and onion powder.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. If the sauce seems a bit thin, add the pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until the desired consistency. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
Slice the chicken across the grain and top the pasta with the chicken.
Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
