Chicken Parmesan Pasta

This Chicken Parmesan Pasta is hot, saucy, cheesy comfort food at its most addictive and a must have recipe for your easy dinner arsenal! Juicy, seasoned chicken is sautéed then simmered WITH pasta, crushed tomatoes, and Italian seasonings all in one pot, so the pasta soaks up tons of flavor then is loaded with nutty Parmesan and pools of buttery mozzarella. This Chicken Parmesan Pasta is fabulous as is, or you can add zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli etc. and even swap the chicken for sausage or ground beef. Serve this Chicken Parmesan Pasta recipe with Parmesan asparagus and garlic bread or garlic breadsticks for an easy, cheesy weeknight dinner win with little cleanup and TONS of YUM!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breasts (chopped into 1-inch pieces)
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 medium yellow onion (chopped)
• 2 medium carrots (chopped)
• 2 stalks celery (chopped)
• 4-6 garlic cloves (minced)
• 3 cups water
• 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes (not drained)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tsp EACH dried basil, dried parsley, chicken bouillon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (more or less to taste)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp EACH salt, pepper
• 16 ounces uncooked short pasta (such as rotini or penne)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (see notes)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1While the chicken is still on the cutting board, pat it dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon paprika and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. 2Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken and cook just until the outside is opaque (it will not be cooked through); transfer to a plate.
3. 3To the now empty skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute.
4. 4Stir in water, crushed tomatoes, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken bouillon, sugar, and all seasonings.
5. 5Bring to a boil, then reduce to a strong simmer. Add chicken back to skillet along with pasta and stir to combine.
6. 6Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally and replacing the lid, just until the pasta is al dente. Taste pasta often as reaches the end of cooking to ensure you don’t overcook your pasta.
7. 7Reduce heat to low and stir in the Parmesan and 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese until melted, followed by the heavy cream. Evenly top the pasta with remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook another 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted.