Creamy Chicken Pasta Dish (Printable Version)

Silky pasta tossed with tender chicken, sautéed veggies, and creamy sauce for an easy satisfying dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine

→ Protein

02 - 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
03 - 1 tbsp olive oil
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

→ Vegetables

06 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
07 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
09 - 1 cup baby spinach leaves

→ Creamy Sauce

10 - 1 cup heavy cream
11 - 1/3 cup chicken broth
12 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
13 - 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
14 - Pinch of ground nutmeg

→ Garnish

15 - Fresh parsley, chopped
16 - Extra Parmesan cheese, for serving

# How-To:

01 - Boil salted water in a large pot and cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water, and set aside.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken strips with salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 5 to 7 minutes until golden and fully cooked. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
03 - Reduce heat to medium in the same skillet. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and red bell pepper, cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
04 - Pour in heavy cream and chicken broth. Stir in Parmesan cheese, dried Italian herbs, and nutmeg. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens slightly.
05 - Add baby spinach and cooked chicken to the sauce, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach wilts.
06 - Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss together with the creamy sauce. Use reserved pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
07 - Plate the pasta and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and extra Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's faster than ordering in, and honestly tastes better than most Italian-American restaurants.
  • The cream sauce is foolproof—no fancy techniques, just a few minutes of gentle simmering.
  • Tender chicken and wilted spinach make it feel hearty without weighing you down.
02 -
  • Don't wash the skillet between cooking the chicken and the vegetables—those browned bits are liquid gold and they'll dissolve into your sauce.
  • Add that pasta water gradually near the end instead of all at once; you can always add more but you can't take it back.
  • The spinach will shrink to about a third of its volume, so don't be shy with how much you add.
03 -
  • Slice your chicken uniform thickness so it cooks evenly and you're not fighting raw centers and overcooked edges.
  • Keep the heat medium once you add the cream—a rolling boil will make it break and separate, which tastes fine but looks sad and separated.
  • Taste as you go and adjust salt and nutmeg at the end rather than the beginning, because the sauce concentrates as it simmers.

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