Weekday dinner warriors, here’s an easy recipe that will be a family favorite. This Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta is simple to put together, and you’ll have dinner ready in under 30 minutes. A classic pasta dish made with garlic, butter, and thick strands of pasta, all topped with parmesan: it’s straight-up creamy comfort food in a flash.
Is there anything more full of flavor than the combination of butter and garlic? The base of this recipe is our dreamy garlic butter sauce, which makes for a bold, savory, garlic-y flavor.
With tender bits of chicken breast and cheesy shreds of parmesan mixed in with pasta and a creamy garlic butter sauce, our Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta is YUMMY. This recipe is also easy to modify for a gluten-free crowd- just swap the traditional pasta for a gluten-free version.
If you want more quick and easy pasta recipes, try our chicken tortellini Alfredo or our chicken buffalo pasta.
The Ingredients
The weekday dinner rush is REAL, and some nights (perhaps most nights), we just need something simple, no-fuss, yet delicious. To make this Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta, the main ingredients you’ll need are:
- chicken breasts
- pasta of choice
- garlic cloves
- butter
- dry white wine
- chicken stock
- parmesan cheese
- cream
How to make creamy garlic butter chicken pasta
- You can prepare the pasta first, cooking it according to the directions on the package. Keep it covered in the cooking pot so it stays warm.
- While the pasta is cooking, slice the chicken breasts into bite-sized strips and lightly season them with salt and pepper. Sauté the chicken in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is light brown. Make sure not to overcook the chicken, as it will continue to cook some more once it’s added to the sauce.
- Start making your creamy garlic butter sauce by first reducing the heat to medium and adding the white wine to the hot skillet to deglaze the pan. Cook the wine for about a minute, scraping the bits of cooked chicken off the bottom of the skillet for extra flavor. Add the butter and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant (do not brown the garlic!).
- Sprinkle the flour into the garlic sauce and continue to cook for approximately another minute. Whisk in the chicken stock, add the cream and your seasonings (salt, pepper, red pepper flakes).
- Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on low for two minutes, whisking frequently. Now you can add your chicken, pasta, and your reserved pasta water to the sauce, tossing all the ingredients to evenly combine.
- Sprinkle the entire dish with grated parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped parsley (optional).
Frequently Asked Questions
Any option is great with pasta. You can use dark meat from chicken thighs or lean white meat from chicken breasts. You can even use leftover breaded chicken breasts with this recipe.
Yes, you can use milk, however, it will not be as rich and creamy. The sauce is also more likely to curdle if you use milk. You can sub half and half with better results.
Leftovers will last for 3 to 4 days if you keep it stored in the fridge. The noodles will soak up some of the sauce, and the pasta may seem dry when you heat the leftovers. If that happens, you can add a splash of chicken broth when you heat the dish.
Serve this dinner with a loaf of spelt sourdough bread, steamed broccoli, and a wedge salad.
That’s it for a creamy, garlic butter chicken pasta dinner in under 30 minutes! And if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, the next day’s lunch is taken care of too. Double win!
More Recipes You Will Love:
Turn your kitchen into Little Italy with this recipe for Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti with Tomato-Garlic Sauce. Excellent!
This simple recipe for Spanish Chorizo and Shrimp Pasta is quick comfort food at its best. Thick fettuccini topped with smoky sausage, shrimp and olives are all tossed together in a mildly spicy sauce.
Pesto adds such great flavor to many dishes- spread it on a sandwich, add it to pasta, toss it in a salad, you name it! This pesto recipe is easy to make and includes a storage tip on how to freeze pesto to have it on hand whenever you need it.
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Creamy Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 8 ounces pasta your choice
- Salted water
For the chicken:
- 2 large chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Creamy Garlic Butter Sauce:
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 to 6 garlic cloves grated or minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup cream
- salt and pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
For the Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the manufacturer’s directions. Cook until almost tender but firm (al-dente). Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water then drain the pasta and return it to the cooking pot. Place a lid on it so it stays warm.
For the chicken:
- While the pasta is cooking, slice the chicken into bite-sized strips, then sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat and when it gets hot, add the chicken. Sauté the chicken just until it is light brown. (Do not overcook as it will continue to cook after it has been added to the sauce.) Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
For the creamy garlic butter sauce:
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the wine to the hot skillet to deglaze the pan. Scrape the cooked-on bits of chicken off the bottom and cook the wine for about a minute.
- Add the butter to the skillet. When it melts, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until the garlic has softened and gets fragrant. Do not brown the garlic.
- Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and continue to cook for another 1 or 1-1/2 minutes to cook the flour. Whisk in the chicken stock then add the cream. Season with salt, pepper and the red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, whisking frequently.
- Add the reserved chicken, the pasta and the reserved pasta water to the sauce, then toss to combine.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped parsley.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
angiesrecipes
Thursday 7th of November 2019
I haven't had any pasta in a really long while...this has me seriously drool with that creamy garlicky butter sauce. I could literally drink it!
Dahn Boquist
Thursday 7th of November 2019
Ha ha, well I have been known to lick my plate when no one is looking ;0