Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta with Parmesan and White Wine Sauce
By Emma Collins
Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Total
25 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Cooking chicken with both olive oil and butter can provide the benefits of olive oil's high smoke point and butter's flavor when cooking chicken․ Creamy garlic chicken penne pasta with cooked chicken and Parmesan sauce can be prepared in 25 minutes․
Penne is cooked separately, and sauce is cooked in a large or deep pot․ Minced shallot and garlic are cooked briefly․ Italian seasoning is added․ Dry white wine is poured into the sauce to deglaze․ Heavy cream is poured into the sauce․ Minced parsley and Parmesan cheese are added to the cooked, drained pasta․
The sauce consistency is appropriate if it is thick and clings well to pasta after the cream cooks for 1 to 2 minutes․ Reserve some pasta cooking liquid before draining the pasta for use as needed to add starch and creaminess to the sauce․ Common problems include thick pasta-sauce mixtures; add liquid to the pasta-sauce mixture slowly, rather than at once․
Serve immediately, seasoned with salt and ground pepper․ Leftovers can be microwaved, but the cream sauce will not be as thick as when it was freshly made․
Why you'll love this recipe
- Olive oil and butter are cooking ingredients for chicken․ Olive oil has a higher smoke point than butter․ Butter provides flavor to the final pasta dish․
- Brief cooking of garlic for 30 seconds keeps it from lingering over the heat before cream and Parmesan are included as part of a sauce․
- Dry white wine is added to the pan to deglaze and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to enhance the creamy sauce with browned pan juices․
- Reserving pasta water helps maintain the creamy coating and prevents the pasta from drying out․
- Heavy cream is simmered with cooked pasta to create a thicker mixture that will combine well with the Parmesan cheese․
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is mixed with warm sauce and chopped parsley at the end․
Ingredients
- •10 ½ oz pasta (300 g)
- •1 tablespoon olive oil
- •1 tablespoon unsalted butter (20 g)
- •1 lb chicken breast (450 g, cut into 1-inch pieces)
- •1 medium shallot (finely diced)
- •4 cloves garlic (minced)
- •½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- •⅓ cup dry white wine (75 ml)
- •1 cup heavy cream (200 ml, double cream)
- •½ cup Parmesan (50 g, grated)
- •fresh parsley (a handful, chopped)
- •salt (to taste)
- •freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of pasta to a boil, salt it, and cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve a couple of cups of pasta water before draining.
- 2
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan or heavy-bottomed pot and melt the butter in it.
- 3
Add the chicken breast and cook for 5 to 6 minutes over medium heat or until cooked to your liking.
- 4
Stir in the shallot and cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
- 5
Stir in the Italian seasoning, then deglaze the pot with the dry white wine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the alcohol evaporates.
- 6
Stir in the cream and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- 7
Add the cooked pasta and toss well to coat in sauce. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if it looks too thick.
- 8
Add the grated Parmesan and fresh parsley, stir to combine, then season to taste and serve immediately.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
649
Protein
46g
Fat
36g
Carbs
31g
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