A healthier version of an all-time favorite, this One pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta is great for weeknight dinners. This chicken parmesan pasta recipe is ready in 40 minutes!
Everyone loves a warm bowl of pasta. Whether its adobo pasta with chicken, jambalaya pasta or a simple roasted vegetable pasta, there is something about that warmth and flavor that makes us happy. If you love chicken parmesan but don't want to spend much time preparing a meal, this one pot pasta will be your favorite.
An easy pasta recipe made in a skillet
Skillet recipes are one of our favorites. They're so easy and are packed with flavors that everyone loves. This chicken parmesan pasta recipe is one of those skillet recipes that is hard to forget, a comfort dish that we make whenever we're wondering what to make for dinner. If you have people over for a friendly dinner or if you're going to a potluck, this one pot chicken pasta would be a good choice.
What I love the most about this one pan pasta recipe is that it doesn't take long to cook and everything is made in only one pot. You get all that saucy and tasty flavors of chicken parmesan but without the hassle. This pasta dish is a life saver.
Chicken parmesan pasta ingredients
When I tell people about chicken parmesan pasta ingredients, they usually say "That's all?" because the list of the ingredients is really short:
- Onion
- Chicken breast
- Pasta sauce (store bought or homemade)
- Pasta
- Parmesan and mozzarella
This chicken parmesan pasta is so simple but don't let that full you. The flavors are out of this world specially if your pasta sauce is a good one! I love a good homemade pasta sauce but I usually keep a jar of pasta sauce in my pantry and it definitely comes in hand at times that I need to cook a quick pasta recipe. If your homemade or store bought pasta sauce doesn't have Italian seasoning, add about 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning to the pasta sauce.
What pasta goes best with chicken parmesan? I love using rotini because it absorbs the sauce perfectly and mixes well with the other ingredients. But you can definitely use any kind of pasta you like or even broken lasagna pieces.
How to make one pot chicken parmesan pasta
I decided to make this one pan chicken pasta a little bit healthier by not breading the chicken, and also saved time in cooking by cutting the chicken into small pieces. I just sauteed onion in a skillet over medium high heat and then added the chicken pieces, sauteed the chicken until it was golden brown, then added the thick pasta sauce and some water, the pasta, covered and simmered for almost 20 minutes until pasta was cooked and the sauce was perfectly mixed with chicken and pasta.
To top this pasta dish I used parmigiano reggiano that I grated myself and, oh my, there is a big difference between store-bought grated parmigiano reggiano and a block of it that you grate yourself. It just tastes fresher, nicer and bolder. After doing this once, I'm totally getting parmigiano reggiano blocks from now on and grating them freshly myself. I think I have to do the same with mozzarella. For this recipe I used pre-packaged grated mozarella but I'm sure freshly grated mozzarella will do some good to this one pan chicken parmesan pasta! Sprinkle the cheese on the pasta and cook until the cheese is melted.
What to serve with chicken parmesan pasta
This chicken parmesan pasta is a complete meal on its own but if you'd like to serve it with a couple of side dishes, I suggest you try my garlic knots or serve it with a simple salad such as Mediterranean salad or cucumber tomato avocado salad. I also love this cajun honey jalapeno slaw, the flavors go perfectly with a comforting pasta dish. These salad will add to the freshness and flavor of the dish.
Can I made chicken parmesan pasta recipe ahead of time?
My strong preference is to serve this easy pasta dish right away. However, you can cook this chicken pasta recipe a day ahead. Prepare the chicken and sauce, add in pasta and cook it completely. Let the pasta dish cool and come to room temperature. Transfer it to an oven safe dish and then cover it with aluminum foil and refrigerate. Reheat in the oven at 250F covered and then uncover and top with parmesan and shredded mozzarella. Give it a slow stir and let the cheese melt. Serve warm.
Can I make this recipe in a pot? Absolutely! To make a one pot chicken parmesan pasta try to use either an enameled dutch oven or a non stick pot.
Other quick meals you can find here:
- 30-minute Honey Sesame Chicken
- Cheesy Lazy One Pot Lasagna
- Chicken Chorizo Rice Skillet
- Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry
- Easy Caprese Gnocchi
- Lemon Ginger Shrimp Orzo
- Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken Tenders
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Step-by-Step Recipe
One Pan Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- ½ chicken breast cut into small pieces
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- ½ cup water
- 8 ounce pasta I used rotini
- ⅓ cup grated parmigiano reggiano
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella or more
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute onion until golden brown.
- Add in chicken breast pieces and saute until the color has changed to light brown, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add in Ragu Homestyle Thick and Hearty Traditional Sauce and water. Stir and add in pasta. cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until pasta is cooked. uncover and let it simmer until the sauce is thick and reduced.
- Top with parmigiano reggiano and mozzarella, cover and cook for 1 minute until cheese is melted.
- Serve warm.
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Nutrition
Sue
Very tasty.. but needed more chicken. Will definitely put in our rotation!
Sue
Needs more chicken
Corinne
Just made this, it's still on the stove as we speak haven't tried it yet. Just wanted to ask once you add the pasta and the sauce and the water and cover, should you lower the heat? Should you stir? Because I did neither of those things and after 15 minutes the sauce was completely reduced and the noodles still weren't cooked all the way. So I had a hard time getting the noodles to cook the rest of the way without enough sauce in the pan.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Yes, you need to stir the noodles, lower the heat and preferably cover the pan with a lid and the let noodles cook.
Wendy
What amount of tomato sauce? 400, 8oo .....? There are several sizes. I make it homemade and preserve it in 1/2 kilo glass jars. Thanks in advance and take care of yourself a lot. Best regards from Spain
Kelly
Sounds and looks good, but I’d use my own sauce. I never buy sauce in a jar. It’s so easy to make a fresh sauce.
Jordan-Leigh Cran
I was wondering if it is possible to make this recipe without covering it? I do not have a lid for the pan big enough to make this recipe. Could it be made in a slow cooker?
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Hi Jordan, I would say you can do the final steps in a slow cooker, but you can also use a layer of aluminum foil instead of a lid. Always works for me!
Gabryelle Hebert
This looks delicious and perdect for my 18 month old! One quick question to be sure, is the chicken pre cooked? Or thos it cooke in with the onions?
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Hi Gabryelle! Glad you like the recipe. The chicken cooks with the onion as the pieces are small, they cook really fast 🙂
Donald Phillips
We are so busy during the week that dinner ends up being more of a chore than anything these days. And these one pan meals are a life saver for my family. Thank you for sharing! This is definitely going on next week’s menu!
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Hopefully you will like it as much as we did!
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
Ohhh... I haven't had chicken parmesan in FOREVER. This looks so good and all of those gorgeous photos of it have my mouth watering!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Thank you Carrie! It's actually really good! We ate a ton 😀
Florentina
This is one gorgeous dish, my kind of dinner for sure. Very well done !
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Thanks Florentina! We loved it,too!
Patty Haxton Anderson
The recipe sounds delicious and the photos are fantastic.
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Thank you Patty!