This is one Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe that you’ll want to bookmark! Let me tell you, Howie LOVES this dish because he says it tastes like it was made in a restaurant. This is a high order because you know we’ve eaten pasta from all around the world. He also loves that there’s actually a lot of vegetables sneaked into this dish (broccoli, onions, garlic, mushrooms) and no one will even complain about it because it’s THAT yummy. With all the vegetables we hid in this pasta, we think it’s OK that there’s a bit of bacon in it too!
We know this is a very different receipt from our last one but if you think about it, it’s really not! This is another comfort food dish that we want to share with you. This Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe is for anyone who wants to enjoy a delicious plate of pasta while making sure they get some protein and vegetables in.
THE SAUCE
There is NO heavy cream in this recipe. Rather, we use half and half cream which is a lighter cream. Don’t worry, we’ll be using some flour to thicken up the sauce so you won’t have a watery pasta sauce. The flour will mix with the butter and half and half giving it a thicker consistency. Plus, the Parmesan cheese that we’ll add later will melt into your sauce making it a savory, creamy pasta sauce. This is exactly what we all need! Hands up if you’re ready to eat!
By the way, we recommend you use fresh Parmesan for this recipe but if you only have the stuff that comes in the green container, that’s fine. We don’t think it’ll taste as great but if that’s all you have, it’ll still work!
MAKING CHANGES
If this is your first time making the recipe, we encourage you to follow it closely to make sure you get the hang of it. But if you want to make alterations? Go ahead! Feel free to skip some stuff like bacon if you’re looking to cut a few calories or swap out and replace some of the vegetables. We love our spaghettini pasta but if you want to use fettuccine or some other pasta here, you have our blessing. You want to make your own pasta?! We support ALL your pasta decisions! If you’re not sure what you can do, leave us a comment and we’ll do our best to help you figure out a good alternative.
Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta of your choice
- 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 cup butter (divided)
- 3/4 tsp salt (divided)
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (divided)
- 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 cup grated Parmesan additional for serving if desired
- 5 slices bacon cooked, crumbled
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions, add broccoli in the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and broccoli, keep warm.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with 1/2 teaspon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the ground pepper and 1 teaspoon of the garlic powder. Cook until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken with a slotted spoon on the a plate and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the same skillet. Cook onion, garlic and mushrooms in the butter until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside the vegetables.
- Combine your remaining butter and your half and half into the skillet over medium-low heat. When the butter has melted (about 2 minutes) add your 1 tablespoon of flour and whisk until it disappears. Add your Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Add in your chicken, onion, mushroom and bacon.
- Add in your drained pasta and broccoli into the skillet. Stir the pasta around in the sauce until it is completely covered. If preferred, top with more grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
