This creamy garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe is just like a dish you’d find at your favorite restaurant! Unlike some of those restaurant meals though, it uses some ingredient swaps to make it a little lighter and a healthier choice you can feel good about.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I don’t know about you, but I can eat a whole lot of pasta without really feeling too full – or feeling full for a little bit only to be raiding the pantry for late night snacks. The reality is that traditional pasta dishes tend to be high in carbs, low in fiber, and low in protein.
This garlic parmesan pasta dish combines a creamy sauce with healthy ingredients that boost the nutritional value significantly and will keep you full for hours. Comfort food that you can feel good about? Sign me up!
With the addition of flavorful and tender chicken thighs, Greek yogurt, and chickpea pasta, this recipe boasts an impressive 47 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber per serving. The protein and fiber combo is the perfect mix of nutrients to keep your blood sugar levels stable and keep you feeling full.
If you’re wondering if you have to sacrifice taste for nutrition, absolutely not! This garlic parmesan chicken pasta is just as tasty as your favorite takeout dish.
Plus, the best part besides it being healthy? It only takes one pan to make it and is ready in 30 minutes, making it the perfect choice for busy weeknights.
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Ingredients You’ll Need
This easy recipe uses simple ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need to make this garlic parmesan chicken pasta recipe.
For the Chicken:
- Chicken. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. I think they’re more flavorful and more forgiving than chicken breast. Chicken breast can easily be substituted though in this recipe.
- Spices for Chicken. To season the chicken thighs, you’ll need Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Adding seasoning to the chicken before cooking it helps to really seal the flavor into the chicken.
- Olive Oil. This oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and is one of my favorite oils to cook with. You can easily substitute avocado oil, canola oil, or whatever oil you prefer instead of olive oil though.
For the Pasta + Parmesan Sauce:
- Butter. You could omit the butter and just use olive oil but salted butter adds a more creamy texture and taste to this dish in my opinion.
- Onion. I used yellow onion for this recipe and to cut down on chopping time, I usually use my veggie chopper – a very worthwhile investment if you chop a lot of vegetables!
- Garlic. I use fresh garlic in this dish. You could substitute pre-minced garlic or garlic powder, however, I don’t find the garlic flavor to be as prominent. If you’re new to using fresh garlic, I’d highly recommend getting a garlic press – it makes mincing garlic significantly easier! For my fellow garlic lovers, feel free to use the 4 cloves of garlic as a loose suggestion and add more!
- Chicken Broth. I use reduced sodium chicken stock in this recipe to cook the pasta in. You can also use just plain water too, but the chicken broth makes it a bit more flavorful.
- Chickpea Pasta. This is one of my favorite swaps for traditional white pasta. Chickpea pasta is made from chickpeas and it’s loaded with fiber and protein compared to regular pasta. I personally prefer penne pasta and this brand for this recipe. You could also use whole wheat pasta, lentil pasta, or bean pasta.
- Greek Yogurt. I usually use a plain, full-fat Greek yogurt. It gives you a creamy sauce that you’ll love plus a little bit of protein and healthy probiotics for gut health.
- Milk. I recommend using whole milk. Using milk instead of heavy cream cuts down on a lot of fat in this dish.
- Parmesan Cheese. Grab a block of parmesan cheese and grate it! The parmesan cheese gives this dish the cheesy flavor that you’ll love.
- Parsley. Fresh parsley adds another flavor dimension to this dish. If you don’t have it on hand, don’t worry – you could skip it!
How to Make Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Remember one of the best parts of this dish? It’s all cooked in one pan! This makes cleanup a breeze and well worth the 30 minutes to make this recipe for a weeknight dinner.
This dish is essentially made in two different parts. First, you’ll cook the chicken. Then, in the same pan, you’ll cook the creamy pasta.
To Make the Chicken:
To make this dish, you’re first going to season and make the chicken. Start by combining the Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, plus some salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
If your chicken thighs are really thick, pound them down so that they’re no more than 1” thick when laid flat. This will help your chicken cook faster and more evenly. Pat the dry seasonings onto each side of your chicken thighs.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken thighs to the pan. Cook on medium heat for about 5 to 6 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and move to a cutting board to rest.
To Make the Pasta + Creamy Garlic Sauce:
In the same pan that you just cooked your chicken in, lower the heat to medium-low heat and add the butter. Once the butter melts, add diced onion and sauté for about 2 minutes or until the onions start to become fragrant and translucent. Add the 4 cloves of minced garlic to the pan and sauté for about another minute.
Add chicken broth to the pan. If needed, use a wooden spoon or spatula to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bounce bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Allow to heat up for about 2 minutes.
Add chickpea pasta to the skillet and spread it out to ensure it’s mostly submerged in the chicken broth. Add up to ½ cup more water if needed to submerge the pasta. Note: your pasta doesn’t need to be completely covered in liquid, but you want each piece of your pasta to be mostly submerged in the water. Cover and cook for about 7 to 9 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
While the pasta cooks, slice chicken thighs into strips.
Once you have al dente pasta, turn off the heat. Stir in Greek yogurt, milk, parmesan cheese, and parsley until the parmesan cheese is melted. Taste the dish and add salt and pepper to taste if needed. Add chicken into the cooked pasta mixture and toss to combine well.
Serve this parmesan garlic chicken pasta dish immediately. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Variations + Substitutions
- Make it vegetarian by omitting the chicken breast. You could substitute tofu or a plant-based chicken if desired, but the chickpea pasta still offers a good source of protein as is!
- Make it gluten free by ensuring you use gluten-free pasta, chickpea pasta, or lentil pasta. Ensure the broth you use is gluten free.
- Make it dairy-free by substituting dairy-free alternatives like vegan butter, plant-based milk, and vegan parmesan cheese. I’ve never personally tried to make this dish vegan or dairy-free so can’t comment on how it turns out – just be aware that vegan products, such as vegan cheese, don’t always melt the same way that traditional cheese does.
- Don’t want to use chicken thighs? Substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts instead.
- Cut down on time by using pre-cooked chicken such as rotisserie chicken.
- Add red pepper flakes or more parsley for extra flavor.
- Increase the nutritional value by stirring in some fresh spinach at the end of the recipe and allowing it to wilt. Roasted veggies like broccoli or asparagus are also a great addition to this dish too!
Other Healthy Recipes You’ll Love
Firecracker Meatballs (Hello Fresh Copycat Recipe)
Cookies + Cream Overnight Oats
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Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta (Healthy + One Pot)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp butter salted
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth reduced sodium
- 8 oz chickpea pasta uncooked
- ⅓ cup greek yogurt plain, full-fat preferred
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Chicken:
- In a small bowl, combine Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.
- If needed, pound chicken thighs to be no more than 1” thick when laid flat. Pat the dry seasonings onto each side of your chicken thighs.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add chicken thighs to the pan. Cook on medium heat for about 5 to 6 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove chicken from the pan and move to a cutting board to rest.
For the Garlic Parmesan Pasta:
- In the same pan, add butter and lower the heat to medium-low heat. Add diced onion and saute for about 2 minutes or until onions start to become fragrant and translucent.
- Add 4 cloves of minced garlic to the pan and saute for about another minute.
- Add chicken broth to the pan. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Allow to heat for about 2 minutes.
- Add chickpea pasta and spread it out to ensure it’s mostly submerged in the chicken broth. Add up to ½ cup more water if needed to submerge the pasta. Note: your pasta doesn’t need to be completely covered in liquid, but you want each piece of your pasta to be mostly submerged in the water.
- Cover and cook for about 7 to 9 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, slice chicken thighs into strips.
- Once pasta is cooked, turn off the heat. Stir in Greek yogurt, milk, parmesan cheese, and parsley until parmesan cheese is melted. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste if needed. Add chicken into pasta mixture and toss to combine well. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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