Creamy Chicken Pasta
A simple and delicious Creamy Chicken Pasta made with garlic, cream and lemon. It's the perfect weeknight pasta when you need comfort and cosiness.
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 2 boneless chicken breasts or thighs either skin on or skinless
- 1 tsp italian herb seasoning
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 220 g dried pasta bucatini, spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine all work well
- 1 large garlic clove finely sliced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 170 ml double cream
- 50 g Parmesan grated
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ lemon zest and about 1 tbsp juice
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the chicken breasts with the herb seasoning, salt and 2 tbsp oil.
- Heat the remaining oil in a medium-sized non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts (start with the skin side if using skin-on - see notes for a good tip) and cook for 7 minutes on each side - or until golden on the outside and cooked through on the inside. Remove from the pan and leave to rest on a clean chopping board.
- Next, cook the pasta in well salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the packet instructions.
- Meanwhile, return the pan to a medium heat and add the butter and garlic, stirring to coat in the juices from the pan. Pour in the cream. Stir in most of the Parmesan, keeping some back as a garnish. Add about 60ml of the starchy pasta cooking water and allow the whole thing to bubble gently.
- Once the pasta is ready, reserve some of the cooking water in case you need extra for the sauce and drain well.
- Add the pasta to the pan and stir everything together so the pasta melds to the sauce to create a deliciously creamy dish. Add a splash of water if you need to and stir and toss the whole thing together to help create a smooth and silky sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning, as needed. Stir through most of the parsley and add a squeeze of lemon juice (about 1tbsp)
- Spoon the pasta into serving bowls. Slice each chicken breast into thick slices and arrange one on top of each bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, parsley and freshly grated lemon zest. Enjoy!
Notes
Scroll up for a helpful step-by-step guide to help you with this recipe.
To store: You can keep any leftovers in an airtight container (tupperware) in the fridge for 3-4 days. It is best eaten fresh but still good as leftovers.
To reheat: I like to reheat in the microwave for around 2 minutes until the chicken is piping hot and the pasta too. I like to add a splash of water or milk to the tupperware/bowl before heating it as it stops the pasta drying out.
To freeze: This is one of those easy quick recipes that is definitely best made fresh, I wouldn't recommend freezing this dish as the cream and spaghetti can turn grainy once frozen. Try my Chorizo Mac & Cheese if you want a freezable pasta dish!
Fresh pasta: You could use fresh pasta but remember to adjust the weight and cooking time accordingly - it would be about 320g fresh pasta for 2 people and the pasta wont take as long to cook.
Chicken thighs: I also like using skin on boneless chicken thighs for this recipe as I love the crispy skin. Season the thighs in the same way as it is written for the breasts and then lay them in the hot pan skin side down. Lay a weight on the top to help them get extra crispy and cook for about 8 minutes by which point the skin should be golden and crispy. Flip them over and cook for another minute or so until cooked through. If you don't have a grill press (a frying weight), use another smaller saucepan on top of the chicken with a tin of beans sat in the pan to weigh it down.
Pasta water: Be sparing with the pasta cooking water as it's easier to add more than take away but you will need to add some to create a glossy sauce. Just keep adding a little at a time and tossing it all together until you're happy with it.
Cream: I always use double cream (heavy cream) but you could also use single cream and treat it in the same way.