Garlic? Love. Parmesan? Love. Chicken? Love. Pasta? LOVE. This one-pan stovetop garlic parmesan chicken pasta uses just 7 simple ingredients to create a totally delicious and comforting dinner that you can get on the table quickly.
And since everything cooks in one pan on the stove top, you've got very few dishes to wash! You're welcome!
When I need an easy weeknight dinner that uses a lot of pantry staples that I almost always have around, I make this one-pan garlic parmesan chicken pasta.
Longtime Practical Kitchen readers know that four of my favorite ingredients are garlic, Parmesan, chicken, and pasta. I don't know if these are the most common ingredients in your kitchen, but they are in mine.
If you've never made a one-skillet or one-pot pasta dish before, you're going to love this. They're one of my favorite ways to make pasta because I cook everything, including the pasta, all in one pan on the stovetop. That's right, I don't even get out a separate pot to boil water for the pasta. It's basically pasta, risotto-style!
This one-pan pasta cooking method helps intensify the flavors in the pasta dish. Because the pasta cooks in the same pot that the chicken and garlic were cooked in, the pasta absorbs all those flavors from the water as it cooks.
Choosing the best pasta shape
I like using twisty, tube-shaped pastas like Cavatappi or gemelli (sometimes called Cellentani) for this recipe because they're hearty enough to hold up to the rigorous stirring and boiling and they hold the sauce well. You can use other boxed pasta shapes like rigatoni, gemelli, macaroni, penne, etc. Just avoid anything light or delicate; you're looking for a 9-12 minute "al dente" cook time!
i Grate the parmesan myself
I always grate my own Parmesan cheese with a rasp-style Microplane zester because the cheese melts best this way. It's super fine and light and melts instantly when it hits the heat of the pan with the least amount of stringy messiness. This does not work well with the kind of Parmesan cheese that comes in the big plastic cannisters; it tends to clump.
Finely grated parmesan cheese is very light and delicate. It's hard to measure accurately using cups because there's so much air in it. That's why I measure the cheese for this recipe by weight.
If you don't have a kitchen scale to measure by weight, I recommend adding it ¼ cup at a time and stirring until it melts. When the sauce is as cheesy as you want and clings to the noodles, stop adding cheese.
The SIZE OF YOUR PAN MATTERS
I recommend using a 10-inch high-sided sauté pan for this one-pan pasta with chicken breast recipe. I usually use my All-Clad 3 Quart Saute Pan because it has straight sides and is a good size for submerging the pasta while also having enough surface area for the water to boil and evaporate.
Using a wider or shallower skillet makes it harder to submerge the pasta and means the water will evaporate too quickly. And if you were to use a regular saucepan or pasta pot, the water will be too deep to evaporate by the time the pasta is done cooking.
start with the chicken
The first step in making this garlic parmesan chicken pasta actually involves the third ingredient in the recipe title: chicken. I start by butterflying a chicken breast all the way through so I have two pieces of chicken about half an inch thick.
I season the top sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper while I pre-heat a stainless steel sauté pan. Once it's hot, I add the oil and tilt the pan to coat the surface (read more: How to properly pre-heat stainless steel pans).
Place the chicken seasoned-side down in the pan, then I season the top side.
I cook the chicken until golden brown on both sides (160°F interally).
Then, I use the same pan, without cleaning it out, to cook the aromatics and the pasta. The brown bits left by the chicken on the bottom are called fond, and they give to give the pasta SO much flavor.
Cook the garlic until lightly browned, stirring constantly.
Add a splash of water, bring to a boil, and scrape up the brown bits.
Next, I add the dried pasta to the pan along with salt, pepper, and just enough water to barely cover it. It's okay if some bits of pasta are sticking out above the water. I can always add more water later if it needs it, so I find it's better to start out with slightly less than I think I need.
With the pasta and water in the pan, I increase the heat. As soon as the water starts to boil, I set a timer for the "al dente" cook time on the pasta box.
The goal is for most of the water to have absorbed and evaporated by the time the timer goes off. The water that will be left in the skillet will be super starchy and perfect for making a silky smooth sauce!
Add the cheese and stir until it melts.
Finish with finely minced fresh parsley.
That's it! That's how easy it is to make this quick Parmesan chicken pasta. The whole process start-to-finish is about twenty minutes and only takes one pan to do it. So easy!
📖 Recipe
One-Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Chicken
Recipe Notes
- *Unfortunately this cooking method does not work with fresh or gourmet pasta. Fresh pasta cooks too quickly and is so starchy that it will break down in the water, turning into a paste. Even dried fancy pastas tend to be a little too starchy to work really well here. It doesn't mean you can't use those pastas; they just don't always hold up as well to the rigorous boiling and stirring as cheaper boxed pastas do.
- **The internal temperature for doneness on chicken breast is 165°F, but the chicken will continue cooking as it rests. You can safely pull it off the heat early. But if you're particular about cooking chicken until it's done, let it go until it hits 165°F and then remove it from the pan to rest.
- Store any leftover garlic parmesan chicken pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat, microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until warmed throughout.
- 8 ounces of pasta and 1 pound chicken breast is enough for two very hungry people OR two moderately hungry people plus a small child (or to save as leftovers) OR or three moderately hungry people who are eating this with side dishes. If serving four or more, I recommend adding 4-6 ounces of pasta and ⅓ lb chicken per person.
- Vegetarian - Skip the chicken! You'll miss out on the flavor from the fond, but you could make up for it by sautéing some thinly sliced or chopped onions or leeks with the garlic before you add the pasta.
- Spicy - Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the pan when you add the pasta. For more heat, add more red pepper flakes.
Ingredients
- 1 pounds chicken breast
- 8 oz gemelli pasta* (boxed pasta, not fancy/gourmet pastas)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt (plus more for seasoning the chicken)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (plus more for seasoning the chicken)
- 1.75 oz finely grated parmesan cheese (pre-grated is fine, just not the powdered stuff)
- ⅛ cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Pat chicken dry on a cutting board. Holding your knife so the blade is horizontal and parallel to the cutting board, butterfly the chicken breast into two pieces about half an inch thick. Season the top side of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Preheat high sided skillet over medium. Add cooking oil. When the oil ripples and coats the bottom of the pan, place the chicken seasoned side down in the pan. Season the top side of the chicken with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the chicken about 3-5 minutes per side until cooked through (at least 160°F** on an instant read thermometer). Then remove to a plate or clean cutting board to rest.
- Without cleaning out the pan, reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining cooking oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, about 30-60 seconds until browned and slightly softened. NOTE: It will start to stick to the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. That's a good thing! Just don't let it burn.
- Add a splash of water, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to high and use a wooden spoon or spatula with a sturdy edge to scrape the browned bits on the bottom as the liquid begins to boil.
- Add the dried pasta, salt, and pepper to the pan and give them a quick stir. Then add just enough water to almost cover the pasta. It's okay if some of the noodles are sticking out above the water.
- When the water begins to boil, set a timer for the "al dente" time given on the pasta box. Keep the heat at high the whole time, stirring constantly as the water boils and the pasta cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- When there is about a minute left, and very little water remains in the pan, reduce the heat to low, add the parmesan cheese all at once and stir to melt the cheese into a creamy sauce. Remove from heat.
- Slice the chicken and add it back to the pan, along with half the chopped parsley. Stir to combine. Serve immediately, topped with the remaining chopped parsley and additional grated parmesan cheese.
Krista Golden says
I think you're missing the parsley! There's a space where it should be that just says "tablespoons".
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Aha, I was missing the parsley. It’s there now! That gap is actually the tablespoons from the ingredient above, something has gone weird with my recipe card format and it’s displaying on two lines… that I still need to fix. But the parsley is in for you now. Thanks for letting me know!
Janet says
This recipe was simple and I love that it's made in one pot. I would add more garlic and decrease the salt next time.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
So glad you liked it!
Vicky says
Super delicious and very easy! I might try throwing a veg in next time too. I subbed pea shoots for parsley and it was great!
Lu B. says
I'm on a roll making your recipes, Rebecca. This pasta dish was simple and delicious. Sometimes, I find garlic to be off-putting in general, so I left it out. The chicken was perfectly cooked and I, too, used gemelli as you did in the video. Perfect!
Sharon says
Didn't love this one, very little flavour. Quite bland, not sure why.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm sorry to hear that! It may have been the garlic you used, or the type of parmesan cheese. Did you measure the freshly grated parmesan cheese by weight?
GE says
Mine was also very bland. I don't think there was enough garlic in it. I could not taste the Parmesan cheese, either. Next time I make it, I'll add the cheese atop the individual bowls of pasta, rather than stirring it in, and definitely add more garlic. I also think it would be better if it was a recipe that used an entire 1lb. box of pasta. I've revamped the recipe for next time, with these changes, at least doubling the ingredients.
Amir says
Just so good! The cheese blended in beautifully and this is definitely my new “busy weeknight” pasta.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm so glad you liked it!! You should try some of my other one-pot pasta recipes next, too, I think you'll like them!
Becca says
This was delicious! I felt like it was garlic forward but not overpowering. One pan is the way to go for sure. Definitely get all the ingredients ready before you start cooking. It all goes pretty fast once you get going. I’ll make this again for sure!