Juicy pan-fried chicken served in a creamy, garlic and parmesan sauce with linguine. This garlic parmesan chicken pasta is comforting and oh-so-tasty and it’s ready in about 25 minutes!
We use a perfect ratio of cream, stock and lemon juice to ensure a sauce that’s rich-but-not-heavy, perfectly balanced taste and packed with flavour
.

Close up picture of garlic parmesan chicken pasta in a dark grey pan sat on a wooden table.
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I’ll show you a few little tricks to make this pasta rich and delicious without feeling too heavy. It’s simple enough for a quick weeknight dinner, but impressive enough to serve up for date night.

📋 Ingredients

This garlic parmesan recipe is so simple we’re using mainly store cupboard ingredients. We’ve got:

Overhead photo of individual ingredients for making garlic parmesan chicken pasta on a wooden board. The ingredients include, chopped uncooked chicken in a bowl, cornflour, seasonings, oil, pasta, chicken stock, cream, garlic, parmesan cheese, onion and a lemon.
  • Chicken
  • Pasta
  • Onion
  • Double Cream (heavy cream in the USA)
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Fresh garlic
  • Chicken stock (Chicken broth)
  • Cornflour (cornstarch in the USA)
  • Seasonings

Pasta

I use linguine as I love the way the creamy garlic parmesan sauce clings to the pasta but you could substitute it for any other pasta you have in.

Chicken

I use boneless skinless chicken breast that have been chopped into bite-sized chunks. If you prefer, you can swap this out for chicken thighs. Use trimmed skinless chicken thigh fillets chopped into bite-sized chunks. You will need to cook for a couple of minutes longer than if you were using chicken breast.


📺 Watch how to make it

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***

  1. Put your pasta on to cook in a pan of boiling salted water.
  2. Whilst the pasta is cooking, season and fry the chicken, then remove from the pan.
  3. Fry onion and garlic, then deglaze the pan with stock, before adding cream and lemon juice to balance the flavours.
  4. Add the cooked pasta to the pan with plenty of parmesan and toss it all together before serving up with parsley, a good grind of black pepper and more parmesan.

🧑‍🍳 Pro Tip

A few splashes of the pasta water are key to making the sauce go a bit further but also feel light-yet-decadent. It helps loosen the sauce. plus, the starchy water helps the delicious creamy sauce cling onto the pasta elevating every bite you take.

The beauty of this dish is that it all of the sauce comes together while the pasta is cooking – making it a delicious creamy dinner that can be ready super quickly!

Overhead picture of a stoneware bowl on a wooden board, the bowl is full of pasta and chicken in a garlic parmesan sauce. There is a chunk of garlic bread on the side of the bowl and a fork sticking out of the pasta.

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🍽️ What to serve it with

This creamy garlic parmesan chicken is so quick to make and delicious served on its own. If you’re a topping and sides person (like me!), I like to sprinkle on a little fresh parsley and a little extra parmesan and serve with some store-bought or homemade garlic bread. If you wanted you could also serve it up alongside a simple green salad.

A close up picture of a dark fork full if garlic parmesan chicken pasta. The fork has a swirl of pasta on it and chunk of chicken and is being lifted from the stoneware bowl showing how the lovely creamy sauce sticks to the pasta.

The creaminess of the garlic-parmesan sauce and how it clings to the pasta and tender chicken, trust me you’re going to want to make this one again and again!


Other Ingredient swaps

Replace the cream with creme fraiche for a slightly lighter version. If you’re using a lower fat version, just heat it through gently, as low fat dairy can split at high temperatures (full-fat creme fraiche can be boiled and simmered though).

Try adding crispy bacon or chorizo for a meaty addition.

Add peas (just add frozen peas right to the pan) or chopped asparagus or mushrooms when adding the onion, or stir in baby spinach at the end if you like.

🍲 More creamy pasta recipes

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5 from 2 votes

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe

Juicy pan-fried chicken served in a creamy, garlic parmesan sauce with linguine. It's comforting and oh-so-tasty. Ready in about 25 minutes!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American-Italian, British-Italian

Ingredients

Pasta and Chicken:

  • 300 g (10.5 oz) linguine
  • 3 chicken breasts chopped into bitesize pieces (this is about 525g or 18.5oz)
  • 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in US)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 3 tbsp oil

Sauce:

  • 1 small onion peeled and chopped finely
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 180 ml (3/4 cup) strong chicken stock water plus 2 stock cubes is fine
  • 180 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (juice from approx. half a lemon)
  • 50 g (1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese

To Serve:

  • small bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
  • black pepper
  • grated parmesan
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Instructions 

  • Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions, then drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
    300 g (10.5 oz) linguine
  • Whilst the pasta is cooking, prepare the chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl and sprinkle over the cornflour, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss together to coat.
    2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in US), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 3 chicken breasts chopped into bitesize pieces
  • Add the oil to a large frying pan and heat over a medium heat.
    3 tbsp oil
  • When the oil is hot, add the chicken and fry for 6-7 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is golden and cooked throughout.
  • Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a warm bowl.
  • There should still be a little oil in the pan, if not, add a little splash more along with the chopped onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are just starting to soften.
    1 small onion
  • Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
    3 cloves garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
  • Stir in the stock and cream and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 3 minutes, until slightly thickened.
    180 ml (3/4 cup) strong chicken stock, 180 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream, 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Stir in the lemon juice.
  • By now your pasta should be ready. Add the pasta to the pan, then sprinkle over the parmesan.
    50 g (1/2 cup) finely grated parmesan cheese
  • Use a set of tongs to lift and drop the pasta in the sauce, until the pasta is fully coated in the sauce.
  • If you would like to loosen up the sauce a little, add in splashes of the reserved pasta water, until the sauce consistency is to your liking.
  • Add the cookied chicken back to the pan and stir through. Heat for a further minute to ensure the chicken is hot, then turn off the heat.
  • Divide between bowls and top with chopped parsley and an extra sprinkling of black pepper and grated parmesan.
    small bunch fresh parsley, black pepper, grated parmesan

Video

Notes

Can I make it ahead?

Pasta dishes like these are usually best served straight away. However, if you have leftovers, you can cool, cover and refrigerate right away. It should keep well in the fridge for up to two days.
Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times whilst reheating.
You may want to add a splash of water, stock and/or cream to loosen up the pasta, as the pasta will absorb more sauce during storage and reheating.

Can I freeze it?

No, I don’t recommend freezing this chicken pasta dish.

Ingredient swaps

  • Try adding crispy bacon or chorizo for a meaty addition.
  • Add peas (just add frozen peas right to the pan) or chopped asparagus or mushrooms when adding the onion, or stir in baby spinach at the end if you like.
  • Replace the cream with creme fraiche for a slightly lighter version. If you’re using a lower fat version, just heat it through gently, as low fat dairy can split at high temperatures (full-fat creme fraiche can be boiled and simmered though).
Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe serves 4).
This doesn’t include extra parmesan to sprinkle on top at the end (I don’t know how much you’re going to sprinkle on 😁).

Nutrition

Calories: 766kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 1305mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1027IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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Comments

  1. Tina says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely beautiful and so easy to make. This recipe is a keeper. More than likely another family favorite.

  2. Gillian says:

    5 stars
    Just made this for dinner and it was delicious! I added some sliced mushrooms while I cooked the onions, also added a slice of cut up cooked bacon and added spinach at the end. My hubby loved it!

  3. Ursula Robertson says:

    Have not tried this receipt yet but it looks gorgeous. Just the type of “dinner” I love and so easy to make. I will be downsizing it for one person so as you say it keeps for a few days in the fridge quantities for 2 days are easy to calculate.

    Beautifully explained in your video by the way. Well done.

  4. Ann Moloney says:

    I love all these recipes, I’m on thr slimming world programe, so could I replace the cream with fat free yougart or creme fresh