Creamy Chicken Pasta Dish (Printable View)
A comforting pasta with tender chicken, sautéed veggies, and a smooth, rich sauce.
# Ingredient List:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine pasta
→ 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 of ground nutmeg
→ Garnish
15 - Fresh parsley, chopped
16 - Extra Parmesan cheese for serving
# How to Prepare:
01 - Boil pasta in salted water until al dente, then drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
02 - Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium-high, season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook for 5–7 minutes until golden and fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
03 - Reduce heat to medium; sauté onion for 2 minutes until translucent, then add garlic and bell pepper and cook 3–4 minutes until softened.
04 - Add heavy cream and chicken broth; stir in Parmesan, Italian herbs, and nutmeg. Simmer 3–4 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
05 - Stir in baby spinach and cooked chicken, cooking 1–2 minutes until spinach wilts.
06 - Mix cooked pasta with sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed for consistency.
07 - Plate the dish and garnish with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan cheese.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- It comes together faster than ordering takeout, which means weeknight dinners stop feeling like a chore.
- The sauce is genuinely creamy without being heavy or pretentious—just pasta, cream, cheese, and comfort on a plate.
- You can have this ready while your coffee is still warm, and everyone still gets to feel like you fussed.
02 -
- Don't let the sauce boil hard once the cream is in—it can break and get grainy, and there's no real fix except starting over.
- The pasta water is genuinely magic here; it has starch that helps the sauce cling to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the plate.
- If you slice the chicken too thick, it takes forever to cook and the edges dry out while the center is still undercooked—thin and fast is the way.
03 -
- Keep the heat moderate once cream is involved; high heat and dairy don't get along, but gentle simmering makes them friends.
- If you have white wine open, a splash of it instead of some of the broth adds a subtle sophistication that people notice but can't quite name.