One Pan Creamy Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Tender chicken, vegetables, and penne in a luscious creamy parmesan sauce—all in one pan.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
02 - 1 teaspoon salt
03 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
08 - 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped

→ Pasta & Liquids

09 - 10 oz penne or short pasta
10 - 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
11 - 1 cup heavy cream
12 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Oils & Extras

13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
15 - Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Season the chicken pieces evenly with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, ensuring all surfaces are coated.
02 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add seasoned chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside on a plate.
03 - In the same pan, add chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn.
04 - Stir in the diced red bell pepper and cook for another 2 minutes until slightly softened but still retaining some crunch.
05 - Add uncooked pasta to the pan, followed by chicken broth and heavy cream. Stir well to combine, making sure to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan for added flavor.
06 - Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
07 - Return the cooked chicken to the pan. Add baby spinach and stir in Parmesan cheese. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the spinach wilts and the sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
08 - Serve hot while the sauce is creamy and glossy. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one pan so you can spend more time eating and less time scrubbing dried sauce off multiple pots
  • The pasta absorbs all those chicken and vegetable flavors while it cooks, creating depth that usually takes hours of simmering
  • Ready in under 45 minutes but tastes like you spent all Sunday afternoon tending to it
02 -
  • The sauce will look dangerously thin when you first add the liquid but thickens dramatically as the pasta releases starch into it
  • If your pasta absorbs all the liquid before its fully cooked, add broth in quarter-cup increments rather than dumping water
  • Resist the urge to crank up the heat—a rapid boil breaks down the cream and can make the sauce separate into an oily mess
03 -
  • Grate your own Parmesan—pre-shredded cheese is coated in cellulose that prevents it from melting smoothly into sauce
  • Room temperature cream incorporates better than cold, which can sometimes cause it to seize when it hits the hot pan

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