This One Skillet Chicken Parmesan Pasta is filled with tender, cheesy pasta and juicy chicken breasts – all made in the same pan!
Serve this delicious meal with some garlic breadsticks and a caesar salad for a complete meal.
You know I couldn’t resist sharing another one skillet dinner recipe with you, right?
Chicken Parmesan With Pasta
I sincerely feel like it’s my duty to bring you quick and easy recipes that use as few dishes as possible, so naturally one skillet dinner recipes are my forte.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to whip up One Skillet Chicken Parmesan Pasta. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Chicken Breast – Boneless and skinless
- Butter – I prefer salted butter when cooking savoury dishes
- Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs – for a delicious fried chicken taste, without the frying!
- Italian Seasoning – try my homemade blend!
- Onion and Garlic – for added flavor and aromatics
- Rotini Pasta – Uncooked (most any small pasta would work as a substitute, cooking time may vary)
- Pasta Sauce – your favorite jarred kind or my homemade marinara works great too!
- Cheeses – Shredded mozzarella and parmesan
- Parsley – Chopped
How to Make Chicken Parmesan
This Chicken Parmesan recipe is a combination of juicy chicken with pasta and sauce all cooked in just one pan. No need for making extra dishes dirty in this recipe.
Cooking the Chicken
There are a few tricks you need to know in order to get the juiciest and tender chicken – trust me on this.
Pound the Chicken! In order to cook the chicken evenly (and avoid dried out chicken) it’s crucial to use a heavy mallet or sturdy rolling pin to pound the chicken to an even thickness.
Sear the Chicken! DON’T SKIP THIS STEP. Searing the chicken will lock in the juices and create a “crust” if you will, that will help to keep the chicken very moist.
Don’t Move the Chicken! Slightly nudge the chicken rather than trying to rip it free of the skillet, if it moves freely you’re golden. If not, give it a little more time. It’ll release from the pan when it’s ready!
You’ll be shocked at how these simple steps will result in the BEST chicken 100% of the time. I promise.
Cooking the Pasta
In the empty skillet, sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Add in the uncooked pasta, pasta sauce and water. Stir together and bring it to a boil. Place the seared chicken back into the skillet and reduce the heat to a medium low.
Cover the pan and let cook until the pasta is tender. (15-18 minutes)
Finishing Touches
After everything has been cooked, the mixture should still be fairly saucy. Top the chicken with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Place the lid back on long enough for the cheese to melt.
The tender pasta is cooked in a the pasta sauce for optimal flavor, while the chicken is moist and juicy, plus a hefty layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese are never a bad idea.
This is such an easy recipe to make and takes out the extra steps of dipping the chicken in eggs and flour before cooking.
Common Questions
What is the difference between Chicken Parmesan and Chicken Parmigiana? They are actually the same dish! Chicken Parmigiana is the Italian term for Chicken Parmesan.
What pasta goes best with Chicken Parmesan? I used Rotini pasta for this dish, but you could use any type of pasta. In restaurants it is typically served with long noodles like spaghetti or fettuccini.
What kind of sauce goes with Chicken Parmesan? The dish is usually served with red pasta sauce, also known as a Marinara or a seasoned tomato sauce.
More Chicken Parmesan Recipes
I love the flavors of juicy chicken paired with a seasoned tomato sauce, pasta and plenty of parmesan cheese. Here are a few more recipes to satisfy that craving!
- Chicken Parmesan Meatball Skillet – Another one skillet recipe combining chicken parmesan and spaghetti
- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan – quick cooking chicken topped with melty cheese!
- Chicken Parmesan Soup – all the flavors of chicken parmesan in a cozy soup.
- Cheesy Chicken Parmesan Sliders – bring these delicious sliders to a party and they’ll be the first thing to go!
What I love most about this recipe is that the pasta is cooked in the sauce WITH the chicken! It’s an all-in-one winning dish that even my kids loved. I mean, what’s not to love here?!
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One Pan Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp Italian Seasoned breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 medium chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
For the Pasta:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 cups uncooked rotini pasta
- 24 oz pasta sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat then toss in the bread crumbs. Stir until the bread crumbs are toasted and then remove from the skillet to a small dish and set aside for later.
- Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and return to the stove top. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Season the chicken breasts with the Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt. Sear the chicken breasts in the olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes per side and remove from skillet to a clean plate. NOTE: The chicken will not be cooked through at this point, it will finish cooking with the pasta sauce. You're just wanting to give the outside a good sear.
- Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the empty skillet and saute the onion and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes. Add in the uncooked pasta, pasta sauce and 1 cup of water. Stir and bring to a boil. Carefully place the chicken breasts on top of the pasta and reduce heat to medium low, then cover. Let cook until pasta is tender about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Remove the lid and gently stir the pasta around. Mixture should still be fairly saucy. Cover the chicken breasts with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese then place the lid back over the top to let the cheese melt. If desired, place the skillet (without the lid on) under the broiler in your oven for a minute or two to brown the cheese.
- Finally, sprinkle the top of each chicken breast with the toasted breadcrumbs and chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
You can also use any sort of small pasta in place of the rotini.
Nutrition
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Breadcrumbs on top I followed the directions but think next time breadcrumbs under cheese! Everyone liked it easy to make.
This looks delicious! I’d like to cut up the chicken into smaller chunks. How should I cook the chicken without drying it out or overcooking it
This was delish and so much easier than dipping the chicken!
My family loved this… the teenagers said they were “impressed” 🙂
Well, I’m new here but looking forward to giving this a shot. I’m married to an Italian so that will be the real test.
You’ll love it! 🙂