Chicken Penne Alfredo

Chicken penne alfredo is one of those dishes that everyone cheers for when it hits the table. Tender pasta and moist chicken in a rich creamy cheesy sauce, this one-pot recipe is the perfect easy dinner for busy weeknights and the whole family will love it.

Why We Love Chicken Penne Alfredo

• Great Family Meal – This chicken penne alfredo pasta recipe always brings cheers when my kid asks “what’s for dinner.” It’s a family favorite recipe that I know your entire family will love as much as mine does.
• Delicious Creamy Sauce – The creamy cheesy sauce on this recipe really shines bright! It’s silky with the perfect amount of seasoning, and once you add it to that tender chicken and pasta it just is gobbled up. This is a classic dish at American Italian restaurants for a reason, but you can make this restaurant favorite right in your own kitchen.
• Easy Clean Up– One-pot meals are some of my favorites for weekdays because it means less cleanup for me, while still being the perfect easy meal for family dinners.

Ingredients For Chicken Penne Alfredo

• butter – you could also use olive oil
• onion – chopped small
• minced garlic – you can also use fresh garlic minced finely
• chicken breasts – cubed into one inch pieces, cooked rotisserie chicken can also be swapped into the recipe, see below for tips.
• Italian seasoning
• salt divided
• black pepper divided
• penne pasta – penne noodles can be swapped for other short noodles
• chicken broth – low sodium
• heavy cream – you can also use heavy whipping cream or half and half for the homemade cream sauce.
• parmesan cheese

How To Make Chicken Penne Alfredo

1. On a cutting board with a large knife, dice the onion into small pieces. Cube the chicken breast into about one inch cubes, removing any fatty bits from the chicken as needed. Set the chicken to the side.
2. Melt the butter in a large dutch oven or 5-7 quart skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sautee until softened, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Place the cubed chicken breast pieces in the pan. Season chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ pepper and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Cook about 4-5 minutes until it is no longer pink on the outside and just beginning to brown. It is ok for the chicken to be a little pink in the center as it will continue to cook in the sauce later in the recipe, but you don’t want the chicken to be pink on the outside at all. The chicken should be mostly cooked through.

4. Pour the chicken broth into the pan carefully. Add 1 teaspoon italian seasoning and the heavy cream.  Give the sauce a good stir, then add the pasta to the pan. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring the pot to a boil gradually, after a few minutes a thick ring of bubbles will start along more than just the edges. When the bubbles start cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to medium low so the pot is simmering. You want the liquid to be gently simmering around the edges of the pot when you add the lid.

5. Cook the pasta and chicken mixture for 10-12 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally (about every five minutes) to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, adding the lid back on when you have finished. After 10 minutes, taste the pasta to see if it is tender, then continue cooking until the pasta is tender. Once the pasta is al dente you can then remove the lid.
6. Add the parmesan cheese a little at a time, stirring until well mixed.

7. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Taste and add additional salt and pepper to taste if desired, then enjoy. The sauce will continue to thicken as the dish cools.

Variation Ideas

• Change The Meat– Try this dish with chicken thighs, shrimp, steak or Italian sausage.
• Swap The Pasta– You can swap the pasta shape for any short pasta like farfalle (bow ties), ziti, or rotini. Long pastas like fettucini made need a little more liquid to cook until tender. Start with a half of a cup extra chicken broth.
• Make The Dish Meatless – You can skip adding the chicken all together if you like.
• Use Rotisserie Chicken– Have cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken on hand? Just warm the chicken until warm when you’re supposed to be cooking the chicken, then keep following the recipe from there to make the homemade alfredo sauce. Easy Peasy!
• Add Vegetables– Adding vegetables to this dish is a great way to fill it out even more. I like to add steamed broccoli, sauteed zucchini, sauteed mushrooms or some colorful bell peppers. Spinach is also another great option! I added chopped spinach to my creamy sausage pasta at the end and just let it wilt from the heat of the pasta.

How Long Will Chicken Penne Alfredo Last?

Expect that chicken penne alfredo will last for about three days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When reheating the next day I sometimes add a little broth, milk or water to the cooked penne as it is normal for the sauce to thicken overnight.

Can I Freeze Chicken Penne Alfredo?

This dish does not tend to freeze well. The creamy alfredo sauce can separate when you are reheating it from frozen which can cause the texture to be not as delicious as it is the first time you made it. I don’t recommend freezing this dish.

If you need a dish that does freeze well try the jumbo ground beef stuffed shells. Not only do they portion well, but the cheesy and meaty filling in this dish freezes great.

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Chicken Penne Alfredo

Author Kristy Richardson

Course Dinners

Cuisine American

Prep Time 8 minutes minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 Servings

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Creamy cheesy chicken penne alfredo is the perfect one pot family dinner. This easy one pot pasta is the perfect weeknight dinner.

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 1/2 medium onion chopped small, about 1/2 cup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2-3 cloves minced finely
• ▢ 1 pound chicken breast cubed into one inch pieces
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt divided
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper divided
• ▢ 16 ounces penne pasta
• ▢ 3 cups chicken broth low sodium
• ▢ 2 cups heavy cream
• ▢ ½ cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

• On a cutting board with a large knife, dice the onion into small pieces. Cube the chicken breast into about one inch cubes, removing any fatty bits from the chicken as needed. Set the chicken to the side.
• Melt the butter in a large dutch oven or 5-7 quart skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sautee until softened, about 2-3 minutes.
• Place the cubed chicken in the pan. Season chicken with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ pepper and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Cook about 4-5 minutes until it is no longer pink on the outside and just beginning to brown. It is ok for the chicken to be a little pink in the center as it will continue to cook in the sauce later in the recipe, but you don’t want the chicken to be pink on the outside at all. The chicken should be mostly cooked through.
• Pour the chicken broth into the pan carefully. Add 1 teaspoon italian seasoning and the heavy cream. Mix, then add the pasta to the pan. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring the pot to a boil gradually, after a few minutes a thick ring of bubbles will start along more than just the edges. When the bubbles start cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to medium low so the pot is simmering. You want the liquid to be gently simmering around the edges of the pot when you add the lid.
• Cook the pasta and chicken mixture for 10-12 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally (about every five minutes) to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, adding the lid back on when you have finished. After 10 minutes, taste the pasta to see if it is tender, then continue cooking until the pasta is tender. Once the pasta is al dente you can then remove the lid.
• Add the parmesan cheese a little at a time, stirring until well mixed.
• Add ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Taste and add additional salt and pepper to taste if desired, then enjoy. The sauce will continue to thicken as the dish cools.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 527kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 670mg | Potassium: 440mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 995IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 1mg

Keyword chicken, pasta

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