Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is a dinner recipe as impressive as it is delicious. Ingredients like garlic purée, bacon, and freshly grated parmesan meld together to make this chicken and pasta dish simply irresistible!

I have just a few magic words for you to consider as you debate with yourself about making this comfort food… Bacon. Parmesan. Chicken. Pasta. GARLIC. So, so much garlic. If that alone doesn’t sell you, I really don’t know what will! I mean really, this dish has it all.

All of those ingredients come together in the most beautiful way in this easy dinner recipe. Garlic and a medley of other bold seasonings are blended together, then used to coat the chicken before it’s seared and baked to juicy perfection. That chicken then is served with the BEST pasta sauce and noodles!

The sauce here is made with bacon grease, butter, flour, heavy cream, and more garlic paste… And just the right amount of freshly grated parmesan. Trust me, no part of this easy dinner is lacking in the flavor department. Toss out that store bought jar of pasta sauce and treat yourself to this easy pasta dinner instead!

What You’ll Need:

For the chicken:

• Chicken – Use chicken breasts, not thighs.
• Garlic – You MUST use fresh garlic. Pre-minced won’t work here.
• Olive Oil – Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
• Seasonings – You’ll need a medley of sea salt, ground mustard, black pepper, and garlic powder.
• Basil
• Lemon Peel – You can use a zester or cheese grater to finely grate a lemon peel.
• Italian Bread Crumbs
• Canola Oil

For the rest:

• Pasta – I use linguine, but you can use whatever you prefer.
• Bacon – Pork bacon is preferred since it renders the most fat. However, turkey bacon can be used instead if needed.
• Butter – Unsalted is best to cut back on the sodium.
• Flour – Thicken the sauce with all-purpose flour.
• Heavy Cream – Don’t substitute this with any other dairy product!
• Garlic Paste
• Parmesan – It’s imperative to use freshly grated parmesan only.
• Black Pepper – Freshly cracked yields the best flavor.
• Parsley

How to Make Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

For more detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Make the paste. Purée together the garlic, olive oil, ground mustard, salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder, and lemon zest. Fold in the breadcrumbs.

Bake the chicken. Coat the chicken with garlic paste, pan sear it, then bake at 350°F for 10 minutes to finish cooking. Let it rest before slicing.

Cook the pasta. Cook your noodles in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.

Make the sauce. Cook the bacon. Remove it from the pan and set aside, reserving the fat in the pan. Add butter and stir in the flour once melted. Whisk in the heavy cream. Stir in the garlic paste and pepper. Keep whisking! Remove from heat and stir in parmesan.

Assemble! Cut the chicken into strips. Add pasta to a large bowl. Combine with bacon and parsley. Pour in the sauce and pasta water. Toss, top with chicken, and enjoy!

Common Questions

How long will Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta stay fresh? In an airtight container in the fridge, any leftovers you have of this dish will stay fresh for about 2-3 days.

Can I add spice? The answer to this is always yes! Feel free to toss in some crushed red pepper flakes at any point, but just remember, a little goes a long way.

Check out more of the BEST pasta dinner recipes!

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Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

This creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta is a weeknight dish that is simply irresistible!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8

Author: Julie Chiou

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Ingredients 

½1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

For the chicken:

• ▢ 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 6 garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• ▢ ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon canola oil

For the rest of the dish:

• ▢ 1 pound dried pasta noodles, like linguine or similar
• ▢ 6 strips bacon, diced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 ½ cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• ▢ ½ cup parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• ▢ Minced flat leaf parsley

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

Equipment

• Cast iron skillet

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Instructions

• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Bring 4 cups of seasoned water to a boil in another pot. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
• Combine garlic cloves, olive oil, stone ground mustard, sea salt, pepper, dried basil, garlic powder, and lemon zest in a food processor. Purée and transfer to a small bowl. Fold in bread crumbs.
• Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Coat with garlic purée.
• Add a swirl of canola oil to the skillet. Sear chicken 2 minutes per side. Place into the oven to finish cooking for 10 minutes.
• Add pasta to the boiling water and cook Al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water and drain.
• Remove chicken from the skillet and let rest on a wooden cutting board.
• While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Cook the bacon in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove bacon bits and set aside. Add butter to the bacon grease. Once melted, stir in the flour. Whisk until smooth. Slowly incorporate the heavy cream, ¼ cup at a time. Add in the garlic paste and cracked pepper. Whisk consistently. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese to melt.
• Cut the chicken into strips.
• Add pasta to a large serving bowl. Combine with bacon and chopped parsley. Pour in the sauce and reserved ¼ cup pasta water. Toss to coat.
• Top with chicken and parmesan. Enjoy!

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 584 kcal | Carbohydrates: 50 g | Protein: 26 g | Fat: 30 g | Saturated Fat: 14 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10 g | Trans Fat: 0.04 g | Cholesterol: 102 mg | Sodium: 498 mg | Potassium: 450 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 3 g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken and pasta recipe, easy pasta recipe