Chicken Pasta Dinners From Marry Me to Cajun

Chicken over pasta earns its place as a counter special because it can make a generous dinner without a complicated service. Brown a little meat, put the noodles on and use the skillet to build a sauce while they cook. The part that matters is getting those jobs to meet at the right time. I want the chicken just cooked, the pasta still able to finish in its sauce and a mug of starchy water ready before anything gets drained. A baked spaghetti or a slowly simmered bolognese asks for more time, but the same balance of meat, noodles and enough sauce still applies. Set the table before the final toss so the first plate gets there while its coating is smooth.

Marry Me Chicken Pasta

Sun-dried tomatoes give this sauce its sharp, savory center, and a little tomato paste deepens the color before the cream goes in. Brown the chicken separately so the pieces don’t spend their whole cooking time simmering in dairy. The penne finishes in the sauce. Add pasta water a spoonful at a time until the coating moves between the tubes instead of standing in thick patches. I want enough sauce to cling to the chicken and pasta, with the tomatoes easy to find in each serving.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Keep the chicken strips close in thickness so they brown in the same few minutes, then let the peppers and onions soften in the skillet they leave behind. The spice mixture is measured from the cupboard instead of relying on a salty seasoning packet. A small amount of cream rounds the paprika and cayenne without burying the vegetables. Toss the fettuccine while the sauce is still loose. Long noodles are harder to coat evenly once everything has cooled and tightened into the bottom of the pan.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Cook the bacon first and use a little of its drippings to brown the chicken, then build the herb milk sauce after the meat comes out. Dill, parsley and chives give it the ranch flavor, while a small flour base keeps the coating smooth around the spirals without a jar of sauce. Save most of the bacon for the last toss so it keeps some texture, and serve before the noodles cool and thicken the sauce in the pan.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Hot sauce brings plenty of seasoning, so keep the added salt modest and let the cream cheese soften its edge without making the pasta taste flat. The chicken cooks in small pieces before the sauce comes together. A little finely diced celery gives the dish the familiar crunch-adjacent flavor without putting raw sticks on top of dinner. Toss until the orange sauce reaches inside the rotini, then stop heating once the cheese is smooth. A hard boil won’t make the coating any better.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Mushrooms need time to lose their water before flour and milk turn their browned base into the tetrazzini sauce. Keep the spaghetti a little firm before baking because it will absorb more liquid under the lid. The crumb topping only needs the final uncovered stretch to turn golden. Beneath that crust, the casserole should stay spoonable, with chicken, peas and mushrooms visible among the strands instead of a dry block you have to cut.

Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel

Chicken spaghetti with Rotel is an easy, simple, and delicious spaghetti casserole dish for weeknight family dinners! The Velveeta cheese, cream cheese, and heavy cream (or cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup) make this dish extra special!

Angela Latimer, Bake It With Love

Get the full Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel recipe at Bake It With Love.

Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Burst cherry tomatoes and a few white beans give this skillet a brothy sauce with enough body to cling to rigatoni, while spinach added at the end keeps its green color and soft folds around the chicken. Cook the tomatoes until their skins split so their juices become part of the sauce, then finish with a small amount of Parmesan and enough pasta water to coat the tubes without turning the tomato-and-bean base into another cream sauce.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

Make the pesto while the pasta cooks, then keep it away from a hard boil once it meets the noodles. Fresh basil loses its bright flavor when it spends too long over heat. The chicken browns separately and rests before slicing. Toss everything with a little warm pasta water so the pesto spreads in a thin coating instead of sitting in oily green clumps. Toasted walnuts make a useful small batch without needing a large bag of pine nuts, and they belong in the blended sauce rather than scattered over the plate.

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Lemon zest carries the fragrant part of the flavor without making the sauce sharply acidic, while the juice goes in off the heat. Rest the quickly cooked cutlets before slicing and keep the linguine moving as you toss it with butter, a little Parmesan and enough starchy pasta water to spread the coating. The shine comes from that gentle mixing, so serve while the sauce is loose instead of waiting for it to become thick in the pan.

Chicken Carbonara

Keep the egg mixture ready before the pasta comes out of the pot, because this sauce depends on a steady toss while the noodles are hot. Pancetta supplies the browned, salty pieces and a little fat for the chicken. The eggs and cheese become the coating. Add pasta water gradually and use gentle heat only as needed to bring the sauce through its temperature check without making scrambled bits. Chicken makes this a larger main dish, while the sauce stays an egg-and-cheese emulsion with no cream.

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake

Keep the breaded chicken on top of the sauced pasta so some of its crust survives the bake. Small pieces brown quickly in a shallow skillet, and they still need a thermometer check before they go into the dish. The mozzarella is a light finish over the chicken. Use enough tomato sauce beneath it to keep the ziti moist, but don’t pour another layer over the crisp crumbs just before serving. That small separation gives the dinner both tender pasta and chicken with a little texture.

Chicken Lo Mein

Cut the chicken into thin strips before the skillet gets hot so it can cook quickly without leaving thick pieces behind. Fresh wheat noodles need only their package cooking time and a thorough drain before tossing. Keep the cabbage and carrots moving so they soften but still hold their shape. The measured soy-and-oyster sauce should coat the noodles lightly, with no deep pool waiting beneath them when you lift a serving from the pan.

Chicken Piccata Pasta

Thin, lightly floured cutlets leave a useful browned base for the lemon-caper sauce. Shake off the extra flour so it doesn’t form a thick crust that falls away into the wine. Angel hair cooks quickly, so start it when the chicken is resting and the sauce is nearly ready. The capers bring salty little bites throughout the noodles. Keep the butter finish gentle and use a little pasta water if the sauce tightens before you’ve divided everything among the plates.

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Brown the thigh pieces first, then let the skillet cool slightly before cooking the thin garlic slices so they turn pale golden instead of bitter, with broth and pasta water providing a light base for the Parmesan. Add the peas for the brief finishing stretch, keep extra pasta water beside the stove and stir the cheese in off the heat so the sauce moves around each bow-tie fold instead of collecting in grainy clumps.

Chicken Florentine Pasta

Spinach is the main vegetable here, with enough in the sauce to show up in every serving. Let it wilt and release its first moisture before adding the milk sauce so the finished pasta doesn’t collect greenish water at the bottom. A little nutmeg suits the spinach without making the sauce taste sweet. The chicken cutlets rest while the sauce comes together, then return in slices. Gentle heat keeps the dairy smooth and gives the pasta time to pick up flavor without boiling the chicken again.

One-Pot Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Pasta cooked directly in broth needs regular stirring once the noodles start releasing starch, with a lid between stirs to hold the heat and moisture. Chicken goes in early enough to cook through, while broccoli waits until the last part so its florets stay intact. Use the reserved water in small measured additions if the bottom dries before the noodles soften, then stir in cheddar off the heat for a light sauce made from the cooking liquid itself.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Build the chile sauce in the skillet instead of treating it as a thin liquid to pour over finished noodles. A little flour gives it enough body to coat the pasta, and the chicken poaching broth supplies the measured liquid. Black beans make the filling more substantial without needing extra cheese. Stir the Monterey Jack in at the end, when it can melt into the red sauce smoothly. This is a stovetop pasta dinner, so keep it moving through the last toss rather than giving it a long casserole bake.

Chicken Stroganoff with Egg Noodles

Sour cream belongs at the end, after the mushroom broth has thickened and the chicken has cooked through. Stir a little warm sauce into it first so it blends smoothly back into the skillet. The egg noodles catch the gravy in their folds. Brown the mushrooms well and keep the chicken strips broad enough to stay tender through the short finish, rather than chopping everything into tiny pieces. A low flame after the sour cream goes in is enough to bring dinner together without boiling away its smooth texture.

Jerk Chicken Rasta Pasta

Allspice and thyme give the chicken its jerk-style seasoning, while three colors of bell pepper bring sweetness to the pasta. Brown the thighs whole, let them rest and slice them while the peppers cook. Coconut milk rounds the heat in this version. Keep the vegetables tender with a little bite and reduce the sauce just enough to cling, because a thick coconut coating can make the penne feel heavy. The chicken’s browned spice crust should remain visible among the peppers instead of disappearing under a deep sauce.

Chicken Bolognese Pasta

Ground chicken makes fine, tender pieces that settle around ribbons of pasta, especially when the onion, carrot and celery have softened before the meat goes in. Let the tomato mixture simmer long enough to lose its raw edge, with a small amount of milk rounding the sauce without turning it creamy. Keep the heat low and stir across the bottom so the finished bolognese stays moist enough to cling loosely while the tagliatelle ribbons still separate easily on the plate.

Grilled Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

An amazingly rich, creamy grilled chicken fettuccine alfredo dinner combines fettuccine pasta, alfredo sauce, and just-grilled chicken breast! This homemade alfredo sauce takes your dinner to a better-than-restaurant quality meal for all of your pasta lovers in the family!

Recipe by Angela Latimer, Bake It With Love

Get the full recipe at Bake It With Love.

Greek Style Chicken with Orzo

Served over a bed of orzo, this dinner is light yet satisfying.

Courtesy of Catherine Pappas and Living the Gourmet

Get the full recipe at Living the Gourmet.

Cooking chicken for pasta so it stays juicy

Match the cut to the method before the pan gets hot. Thin breast cutlets can brown quickly and rest while you make a sauce, while thigh pieces tolerate a slightly longer skillet finish. Cut strips and cubes close in size so the small ones don’t dry while a few thick pieces finish cooking. A whole thick breast is usually the wrong shape for a quick pasta recipe unless you slice it horizontally first. Pat the surface dry and season it before cooking so the skillet can brown it without steaming away a layer of water.

Check the thickest meat for 165°F and take it out of the skillet when it is ready. The vegetables or sauce may need several more minutes, but the chicken doesn’t need to spend that time boiling beside them. Rest cutlets on a clean board before slicing, and save their juices to stir into the sauce. For shredded chicken, a gentle poach gives you both tender meat and broth; measure the amount reserved for the sauce so an uneven reduction doesn’t leave the recipe short of liquid.

Return cooked chicken near the end, giving it only enough heat to warm through with the pasta. Ground chicken needs its own thorough 165°F check before the sauce simmers, even though the pieces are small. Breaded chicken is a special case: keep it above the sauce when you want some crust to remain. No cut can stay crisp after being submerged for a long time, and no sauce can put lost moisture back inside chicken that has already cooked far past its useful point.

Finishing pasta in the sauce

Take pasta out of its boiling water just short of tender when the recipe gives it another minute or two in the skillet. Taste a piece rather than relying only on a package number, since brands and shapes differ. Save the measured pasta water before draining; its starch helps oil, cheese and cooking juices form a coating that stays with the noodles. Start with a small amount and toss. You can add more water, but reducing an overly diluted sauce with the chicken already in it risks overcooking the meat.

Use a wide skillet so you can lift and turn the pasta through the sauce without crushing it. Short tubes need sauce inside as well as outside, while long noodles need enough room to separate as they move. The sauce should look a little looser in the pan than you want on the plate because it thickens as the pasta absorbs liquid and cools. Stir grated cheese in gradually off the heat unless the recipe says otherwise, and keep egg sauces at the gentle temperature described so they stay smooth.

Pesto and pasta salad use different finishes. Fresh pesto benefits from warm noodles and a little pasta water without another hard boil, while salad pasta should be fully tender before cooling because there is no hot sauce left to finish it. Baked pasta starts slightly underdone and needs sauce around the edges during its covered oven time. Choose the finish for the dish you’re making instead of treating every drained noodle the same, and serve the skillet versions promptly once their sauce is ready.

Keep reading

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