Description
A silky, Italian-inspired one-pot pasta dish made with chicken, cream, and broth. This efficient recipe delivers restaurant-quality flavor in 30 minutes with minimal cleanup, using pasta to create a naturally creamy sauce through starch release.
Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion (diced)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (cubed)
1 pound penne pasta (uncooked)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
Salt (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat
Add diced onion; sauté for 3 minutes until softened
Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant
Add cubed chicken and cook until browned and nearly cooked through
Stir in uncooked penne pasta
Pour in chicken broth and bring to a simmer
Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until pasta is tender and chicken is cooked through
Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until sauce thickens
Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning
Garnish with fresh parsley before serving
Notes
Use any short pasta shape (penne, fusilli, rotini)
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water if needed for consistency
Substitute chicken stock for vegetarian version
Use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for lighter version
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir-fry
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 55g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 38g
- Cholesterol: 110mg