Description
Chicken garlic parmesan pasta is one of my son John’s favorite pasta recipes. He is fond of cooking and loves to toss his favorite penne pasta in garlic parmesan cheese sauce and serve it with brown chicken tenderloin every weekend. He always said, “Mom, my secret ingredient to this pasta is Sun-dried tomatoes,” and I can’t resist this statement!
This recipe is from John’s mini kitchen. I love how this recipe is so delicious and better than any “fancy” restaurant.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb chicken breasts, tenderloin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika powder
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 8 oz penne pasta (227g)
- 2 tablespoons of butter, unsalted
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained and chopped
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Season the Chicken: Season the chicken tenderloin with salt, smoked paprika, black pepper, and dried thyme. Make sure that all the chicken is coated with the seasoning properly.
- Cook the Chicken: Pour olive oil into the saucepan and add the seasoned chicken tenderloins. Cook on medium-low flame or gentle heat for 3 minutes on one side. Flip the chicken and cook the other side for another 3 minutes until it is cooked well and turns nice and brown. Once the chicken is cooked, take it out and set aside.
- Boil the Pasta to Al dente: While I was cooking the chicken, I put the water with a pinch of salt on the flame to boil. Add the penne or your favorite pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 7-10 minutes or until al dente, then drain. If you are unsure about boiling the pasta to al dente, then just cook according to the package instructions. Set aside ½ cup pasta water for later use.
- Cook the Secret Ingredients: Melt the butter over a medium flame in the same saucepan in which we cooked the chicken. Once the butter is melted, toss in chopped white onion. Cook the onions for 1-2 minutes, or until they are caramelized. Toss the sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic. Cook for about half a minute, or just until the garlic begins to be fragrant.
- Creamy Twist: Toss half-and-half and grated Parmesan cheese. Mix and stir everything together until a creamy, cheesy, thick sauce consistency is achieved. Add ½ a cup of pasta water that we have separated from the thick sauce to thin it out.
- Toss the Pasta: Toss the cooked penne pasta in the creamy sauce. Add chopped parsley for a refreshing flavor. Toss the cooked chicken and fold everything together. Turn off the heat and serve in a pasta dish.
Notes
- Cooking Chicken Can Be Tricky: Sear the chicken without moving it much, as this will help in the Maillard reaction, creating a nice brown crust outside. Check the temperature of the chicken with help of meat thermometer. If it reads the internal temperature of chicken as 165°F, then it means it is cooked.
- Handle Garlic Carefully: To make the garlic bold and have a nice taste, never cook it too long. Just cook it until it is fragrant for about 30 seconds. Never burn the garlic because it tastes bitter.
- Present Like a Chef: Place the pasta in the center of the plate and top with chicken. Sprinkle fresh basil, pepper, or other herbs with shaved parmesan to create a beautiful presentation. Wipe the sides of the plate to clean the sauce mess for a neat presentation.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner