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Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta is a delicious and comforting dish that is sure to please. This easy-to-make recipe features tender chicken and al dente pasta smothered in a rich and creamy garlic sauce.
Perfect for a cozy night in or a dinner party with friends, this creamy garlic chicken penne pasta recipe is a crowd-pleaser that will leave everyone wanting seconds. Start the meal with a hearty Steakhouse Chopped Salad and end with a delicious Strawberry Ice Cream Cake!
This chicken penne pasta recipe is a thing of beauty. Tender pasta and chicken coated in a rich creamy, and incredibly flavorful sauce with so much garlic – the aroma alone will have you melting.
The sauce is super creamy and flavorful with tons of garlic. You can adjust the amount if you want a little less.
Ingredients
- Penne pasta – The preferred pasta cut for this recipe, but honestly any type of pasta will work.
- Chicken Breast – boneless and skinless. While you can use thighs, I don’t recommend it because they can be a little greasy.
- Garlic – Fresh is generally preferred, but especially for this recipe it adds a lot of the flavor.
- Flour and butter – To make a roux that will thicken the sauce.
- Milk – I use nonfat milk but a higher fat percentage will give you an even creamier finished dish.
- Chicken broth – Opt for the low sodium variety or make your own.
- Italian seasoning – If you don’t have this particular blend you can use some dried basil and oregano.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly shredded off the block. The pre-grated cheese will not melt into the sauce.
- You will also need fresh parsley, olive oil and salt and pepper.
How to Make Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
The Pasta: Get a good quality penne pasta like De Cecco and cook it according to the instructions on the package. Usually, the amount of time needed to cook is universal, but it can vary by brand. You want to cook to “al dente” which means that it’s tender but still has a bite to it.
The Chicken: Cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season them with salt and pepper. You could also cook the breasts whole, it will just take a bit more time. Cook them in olive oil or butter in a large skillet until browned and cooked through.
The Sauce. The garlic cream sauce starts with a roux made from butter and flour. There’s a ton of garlic cooked into it, for that deep garlic flavor you’d expect from something called Garlic Chicken Penne Pasta. Add some milk and chicken broth to form the sauce, then add Parmesan for another layer of flavor. finish it off with some fresh chopped parsley.
Combine. Stir the chicken and pasta into the sauce and mix everything together, then it’s time to dig in!
We love this meal, because it’s easy, it’s quick and it’s super creamy and flavorful.
FAQs
This is tough to make in advance because the pasta absorbs some of the sauce as it reheats. You can certainly prep things in advance like the pasta and the chicken, but I recommend making the sauce fresh.
Pre-grated cheese, whether in a green can or a plastic bag, has a starchy anti-caking agent that keeps the cheese from sticking together. It also prevents proper melting, so I don’t recommend it.
You can, but thighs are more greasy so they don’t work as well in the cream sauce.
Serving
Serve with your favorite green veggies, like Air Fryer Green Beans or Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or start the meal with a Caesar Salad and Air Fryer Garlic Bread.
For a complete one-dish meal, stir in some steamed broccoli
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat gently in the microwave.
Expert Tips
- If you want an extra cheesy sauce, add more Parmesan or an additional cheese like Mozzarella.
- Add the cheese a little at a time for the best melting.
- Wait to add salt until the end. Parmesan can be salty and you want to taste before adding more.
- Stir in some steamed broccoli to the finished dish for a complete meal.
More Pasta Recipes
- One Pot Chicken Alfredo
- One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Tortellini with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
- Authentic Pasta Carbonara
Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta cooked to al dente
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/4 cup milk Any % milkfat is fine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese divided
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley plus some for garnish
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside until ready to use.
- In a large, deep skillet, heat olive oil. Add chicken and season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside with the pasta.
- Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and melt, then stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and italian seasoning cook for about 1 minute or until golden.
- Whisk in milk and chicken broth and simmer for several minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in half of the Parmesan cheese until melted.
- Toss the cooked pasta and chicken with the sauce to coat, then stir in remaining Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh grated Parmesan and fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Can I use almond flour instead ?
I haven’t worked with almond flour, so it would be an experiment. Let me know how it turns out!
I made it twice already. It’s easy and delicious I also made the sauce with just the chicken and we had it with rice , Definitely making it again my husband loved it .
Hi Maria,
So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!
This recipe was my 1st pin on pinterest. I made it for my family that night. My husband doesn’t like chicken, so I used browned 1 lb.ground park. I didn’t have penne’ so used the smaller, same shaped pasta. We really liked it and decided on a couple things we’d do different next time! 1/2 lb. meat and mushrooms is what we’ll do different next time.I just wanted to let you know. I have a cooking with MS site that I’m trying to have simple recipes on it, so feedback would be important to me. I’m glad I had my husband’s help because I’m not sure I could’ve done it myself. Just wanted to say it was a definite hit for my family! THANKS!
Does this separate when reheating?
It depends on how you reheat it, but it could. I recommend adding a little milk (like a tablespoon or two) and microwave at 50% power. It will take longer but has a much better success rate!
Would it be okay if I used 2% milk instead?
Yes, absolutely!
This is one of the best recipes I have ever found on the web. Delicious. I was out of penne but small shells worked great. I’m usually reluctant to try variations to the traditional bechamel but I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. Great dinner. I will definitely make again. My only disagreement is that the summary says it will serve 4. Seems to me it will serve about 8. I’m ok with the leftovers.
Thank you Joe! and thank you for your feed back.
I made this for the first time last month. My family loves this meal, and they request if often. I followed the recipe exactly.
Hi Patti, So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!
Can I leave the cheese out? The hubby doesn’t eat cheese but I am dying to try this recipe.
The cheese is what makes the sauce creamy, so I wouldn’t leave it out.
This was a hit in my house, my son who never asks for seconds……did!! It was easy to make & a very creamy pasta dish. We loved it!
That’s great to hear!
I just made this, I added some chopped red peppers and some sliced fresh mushrooms and grape tomatoes sliced in half! It was amazing, really tasty and folks this makes enough for ten people! The veggies gave it a nice twist and added to our veggie count! Hubby loved it and he’s not a pasta fan. I will make this again but I will cut the recipe in half or wait for a crowd!
Does it have to be fat free milk? 🙂
Nope! That’s just what we use.
What can I use if I have no Chicken Stock?
You can use water instead if you have no chicken stock.
I had some left over chicken breasts that I was struggling to find something to do with. I happened upon this recipe to use for my daughter and her friends while they were putting on a school play. They ate it in between shows. It is an amazing recipe. It is even good left over and does not separate. Truly a wonderful recipe! Thank you!!
When I mixed the flour and seasoning to the garlic and butter it made like a play doh consistency… can some one tell me if this is normal or did I do something wrong? I added broth and milk and it’s simmering now but there’s chunks of flour and garlic 🙁
Sounds like maybe the flour didn’t get cooked long enough, or the ratios may have been a little off. We love this sauce and it always comes out great. I hope you’ll give it another shot!
I see that it says 1/4 parsley… is that 1/4 cup?
It is, good catch!
This is AMAZING Love this recipe Thank you!!!
Well…after reading reviews here and on Pinterest (Yes, I have had this pinned for a bit) many said it needed some extra spicing up. I did and the hubby said this is definately a make again meal. We both enjoyed it! Thank YOU Kristin!
Made this for dinner tonight, it was pretty good. Better than I expected. I tasted the sauce as it was and decided it needed to be seasoned. I like more spice and salt so I added a bit more salt/pepper and some homemade cajun seasoning. It was also pleasantly creamy, I’ll be adding this to the rotation. Thanks!
I found on Pinterst. Your Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta with Chickenlooked amazingly yumm, made with many of my favorites and going to make tonight…can’t wait to dive inbecause I know it will be fabulous!
Sounds amazing! I see that Italian seasoning in the ingredient list but don’t see when to add in the directions.
I add it with the flour – thanks for the head’s up that it was missing.
Can Inmake it with Shrimp?