What Can I Cook With Chicken and Pasta?

Chicken and pasta is a 20-minute dinner if you cook them in the right order: sear the chicken, build a pan sauce in the fond it leaves behind, boil the pasta while that happens, and combine with a splash of pasta water.

The browned bits stuck to the pan after searing chicken are concentrated flavour. Deglazing lifts them into whatever liquid you add, which is how a two-ingredient dish ends up tasting layered.

Dishes you can make

• Garlic butter chicken pasta — Butter, garlic, pasta water and lemon. Emulsify off the heat so the butter doesn't split.
• Creamy chicken pasta — Cream reduces fast — add it after the chicken is cooked and take it off the heat while still loose.
• Chicken noodle soup — Poach the chicken in the broth itself and shred it back in; the broth gains everything the chicken loses.
• Chicken pasta bake — Sauce should look too wet going into the oven. Pasta drinks a surprising amount while baking.
• Cold chicken pasta salad — Dress the pasta while still warm so it absorbs the dressing instead of sitting in it.

Tips that actually matter

• Slice chicken breast horizontally into cutlets — half the thickness, half the cooking time, far less dryness.
• Salt the pasta water properly: it should taste like a seasoned soup.
• Rest seared chicken for five minutes before slicing or the juices end up on the board.

Frequently asked questions

Breast or thigh for chicken pasta?

Thighs for anything simmered or baked, breast for quick-seared dishes where you slice it on top.

How do I keep the sauce from going watery?

Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce for the last minute. The starch it releases thickens everything.

Can I use leftover cooked chicken?

Yes — add it at the very end, only long enough to warm through, or it goes stringy.

Related guides

• chicken and rice
• ground beef and pasta
• chicken and broccoli

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