Creamy Chicken Pasta Delight (Printable)

Tender chicken and sautéed veggies in a silky creamy pasta sauce for a delicious dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine

→ Protein

02 - 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
03 - 1 tbsp olive oil
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

→ Vegetables

06 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
07 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
09 - 1 cup baby spinach leaves

→ Creamy Sauce

10 - 1 cup heavy cream
11 - 1/3 cup chicken broth
12 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
13 - 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
14 - Pinch ground nutmeg

→ Garnish

15 - Fresh parsley, chopped
16 - Extra Parmesan cheese, for serving

# How to Make It:

01 - Boil pasta in salted water until al dente as per package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water, and set aside.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken strips with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until golden and fully cooked. Remove from skillet and set aside.
03 - Reduce skillet heat to medium. Add chopped onion and sauté for 2 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and red bell pepper, cooking another 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
04 - Pour heavy cream and chicken broth into skillet. Stir in Parmesan cheese, Italian herbs, and nutmeg. Simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly.
05 - Add baby spinach and cooked chicken to the sauce. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until spinach wilts.
06 - Toss cooked pasta with the creamy sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
07 - Plate the dish hot and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and additional Parmesan cheese to taste.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in forty minutes flat, which means you can actually sit down with your family on a weeknight instead of eating standing at the counter.
  • The sauce is impossibly silky without feeling heavy, and there's something deeply satisfying about twirling pasta coated in something this creamy.
  • Chicken, vegetables, and cream in one bowl somehow feels like both comfort and a proper meal.
02 -
  • Do not use pre-shredded Parmesan in the sauce—it contains cellulose that makes the sauce grainy and breaks the silky texture that makes this dish special.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks curdled, immediately remove it from the heat and whisk in a splash of cold broth or milk; it'll usually recover if you haven't cooked it too long.
  • The pasta water is not optional—it's starchy and helps the sauce cling to the noodles, turning a good pasta into an unforgettable one.
03 -
  • Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the finished dish if it feels too rich—the acidity wakes everything up and makes the cream taste lighter.
  • If you want to make this vegetarian, skip the chicken and add sautéed mushrooms or zucchini; cook them alongside the onion so they're tender by the time the sauce comes together.

Return