Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pasta
Creamy pasta, one pan, and dinner on the table before you mentally check out.
If you want something warm, filling, and calming without signing up for a long recipe, this is a good night for creamy chicken mushroom pasta. It gives you classic comfort-food energy: tender chicken, browned mushrooms, and a sauce that clings to pasta without feeling fussy. You can make it with pantry basics and a handful of fresh ingredients, and it works well when you’re too tired to think but still want an actual dinner. Expect a cozy, straightforward skillet meal, not a restaurant-style cream sauce. It comes together in under 45 minutes and tastes like you put in more effort than you did.
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta — short pasta like penne or rotini
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast — cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 8 oz mushrooms — sliced
- 1 unit small yellow onion — diced
- 3 unit garlic cloves — minced
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 0.5 cup parmesan cheese — finely grated
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.25 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp parsley — chopped, optional
Method
- 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- 2 While the pasta cooks, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then cook the chicken until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- 3 Add the mushrooms and onion to the skillet and cook until the mushrooms release their moisture and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme for 30 seconds.
- 4 Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the broth, scraping up any browned bits, then stir in the cream and simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- 5 Return the chicken and pasta to the skillet. Add the parmesan and toss until everything is coated. If needed, splash in a little reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning, then top with parsley if using.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Skip the chicken and use 12 oz of extra mushrooms or a can of drained white beans for a meatless version.
- Faster swap — Use pre-sliced mushrooms and rotisserie chicken, then start at the sauce step to shave off several minutes.
- Substitutions — Use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for a lighter sauce, or swap parmesan for another hard grating cheese you already have.
Notes
For the best texture, stop cooking the pasta while it still has a little bite. If the sauce thickens too much after standing, loosen it with a splash of broth or pasta water when reheating.
Equipment that helps
- Large skillet — A wide pan helps the chicken and mushrooms brown instead of steaming.
- Large pot — You need it for boiling the pasta while the sauce comes together.
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