Cheesy Chicken Pasta (Easy One Pot Recipe) + Video
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Cheesy Chicken Pasta is a rich and hearty Italian meal that is bursting with flavor. It’s so easy that it just about cooks itself. Make chicken pasta with cheese for an easy and tasty dinner! The tender chicken paired with the cheesy noodles creates a delicious recipe that any picky eater will love!
This simple one pot creamy chicken pasta features a rich sundried tomato sauce that soaks into the pasta. Just toss everything together in a pot and let it cook!
Your taste buds will love this one-pot meal. (It’s enough to feed the whole family – and easy to clean up!)
Cheesy Chicken Pasta
In just 20 minutes, you’ll be ready to dig into a bowl of chicken and linguine coated in cheesy goodness and dotted with fresh baby spinach, onions, and tangy sun-dried tomatoes.
A cheesy chicken pasta recipe that practically makes itself — now that’s my kind of meal!
I also have another incredible garlic chicken pasta recipe made with tortellini and a creamy homemade sauce.
For south-of-the-border flavor, make some Mexican spaghetti.
Your favorite salsa ingredients come together with pasta and sausage to create another knock-your-sock-off, easy pasta dish!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Dried Italian Seasoning:
This is a fabulous convenience ingredient that’s common in Italian recipes.
If you don’t keep it on hand, combine 1 teaspoon each of dried basil and rosemary with ½ teaspoon each of oregano and dried thyme. - Red Pepper Flakes:
If you’re sensitive to spicy flavors, reduce this ingredient to ½ teaspoon. The chicken cheese pasta sauce will be milder, but there will still be a little heat. - Chardonnay:
The wine adds a rich, buttery flavor to the sauce, as well as a hint of citrusy brightness. If you can use the chardonnay, I highly recommend it.
Otherwise, you can use chicken stock, white grape juice, or equal parts lemon juice and water if needed. - Sun Dried Tomatoes:
Use halved grape tomatoes instead if you’re not a fan of these. Also, reduce the liquid by ½ cup and add extra salt to taste at the end.
Tips to make this Cheesy Chicken Pasta Dish
- You can save time by using leftover chicken cooked or rotisserie chicken! This is a great option if you don’t have time to cook raw chicken breasts.
- Pay attention to the cooked pasta timing as you don’t want to overcook it!
What to Serve with Chicken Cheese Pasta
No Italian meal would be complete without a side of garlic bread or homemade breadsticks!
Make a big bowl of salad using this Olive Garden salad recipe, or roast some veggies to make your table complete.
That said, you could easily enjoy this cheesy chicken pasta all on its own. With pasta, meat, veggies, and cheese, it’s enough to keep you feeling full!
One Pot Creamy Chicken Pasta FAQ
You can use any pasta for your chicken pasta with cheese. As a substitute for linguine, use another long, thin pasta like fettuccine or angel hair pasta.
Even shorter pasta like penne pasta, rotini, or rigatoni will work great. Whole-wheat penne pasta is a great option, too! And let’s not overlook the fact that eating cheesy chicken spaghetti would be super fun for the hungry recipe testers in your house!
Just be sure to use enough liquid to cover the noodles, and then cook until al dente.
I use Entwine Chardonnay. You can find it at Kroger brand grocery stores, and it runs about $10 a bottle.
No need for anything too expensive. As long as you’d enjoy a glass of it by itself, it’ll taste great when used for cooking!
I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe, but I don’t think the linguine will hold up very well under the long cook time.
If you want to try it, cook the rest of the ingredients in the crockpot first, then add the noodles during the last hour or so of cook time.
Or, cook them separately on the stove and mix together your cheesy chicken pasta just before serving. Just know that the flavor won’t be as rich since it isn’t cooked together with everything else.
The biggest thing to remember is that you want the recipe to cool down all the way, before storing it in an airtight container. Then the next time that you’re ready to eat it, you can add it to a skillet on the stove and reheat over medium heat.
To add some different flavors to this easy pasta recipe, you can top with a little bit of white cheddar cheese or different types of cheese as well. Pre-shredded cheese is a fast and simple way to get that gooey melted cheese flavor back on top of the juicy chicken and noodles.
Since I consider this recipe to be the ultimate comfort food, you can add all types of good options to the leftovers to give it a new flavor! Dicing a few bell peppers and adding them along with a little bit of garlic powder can make a leftover dish taste new and unique as well. One pot meals give a great variety on how to enjoy and eat them the next day!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other One Pot Pasta Recipes
Cheesy Chicken Pasta + Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces baby spinach leaves, divided
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil with Italian herbs, drained (about 7 ounces)
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" bite sized pieces
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 pound dry linguine
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 32 ounces (4 cups) reduced sodium chicken stock
- 8 ounces (1 cup) chardonnay wine
- 4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Combine 1/2 of the spinach with the tomatoes, onion, chicken, garlic, pasta, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pour chicken stock and wine over top. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente (with a bite to it). Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You will still have some liquid in the pan when the pasta is done cooking. This is going to make the base for our delicious cheese sauce.
- Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. Toss pasta with tongs until the cheese melts into the pasta. Toss in remaining spinach.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Donna’s Notes
- Dried Italian seasoning is a fabulous convenience ingredient. If you do not keep it on hand, combine 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.
- This dish is just spicy enough to make your tongue tingle. For a very mild sauce, reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon.
- I know some people are sensitive to alcohol. The wine adds a fabulous rich buttery flavor and a bright citrus flavor to the pasta. If you can use the chardonnay, I highly recommend it. However, you can substitute with chicken stock, white grape juice, or lemon water (1/2 cup fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup water).
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published October 2016, updated and republished November 2023
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Friends gave us apple wine they made. Would this give it a weird flavor over white wine? Just trying to find ways to use it in cooking.
I would think that the apple wine would be fine, unless it is super sweet. Sounds yummy to me!
Me again, I was the long January 16th post. I used the sun dried tomatoes in oil and drained the oil off. It might be nice to mention in the recipe to have a crusty loaf of bread on hand when you make this, to dip in the oil from the tomatoes. I didn't have bread on hand and had no use for the oil so I discarded it, seemed like such a shame.
I'd be happy if I could just find tell link to the actual recipe…
My teenage son LOVES this recipe and wants me to make it this spring (baseball season) so he can take it for lunch. The problem is he doesn't like chicken. He just eats the pasta and veggies. I'm looking for a protein alternative and how I would add it. Tofu maybe? I have zero experience cooking with that or shrimp (blehck–not a shrimp lover myself). Suggestions?
I am so happy that he loves this recipe. How about trying some smoked sausage? Costco carries an all natural chicken sausage that I absolutely love. You can slice it up and add it when the chicken is called for. You can also stir in any precooked protein at the end (sliced steak, meatballs, shredded pork, sausage, bacon, etc). Enjoy and I hope he loves it!
OMG, I didn't even think of that. Brilliant idea! Thank you!!!
Made this dish last night. Used everything as in the recipe. Had to break the pasta in half to get in the pot, and had to increase the boiling time to 12 minutes according to my pasta directions. The pasta was still a little too "al dente," but the chicken was cooked through, although a little tough. It was good, but a little too spicy for my taste. Next time I will cut the crushed red pepper flakes by at least half and probably brown the chicken before cooking it all together. Was a good dinner with lots of flavor. I'm thinking leftovers will be even better.
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I highly recommend using the wine, it gave it such a great flavor! I shared this on FB for my Friends and Family to try. I can't wait to try another one pot recipe. Thanks & Take care. ♡
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I apologize ahead of time, if this comment has already been mentioned. I don't care for chicken in my pasta. Could I substitute an Italian sausage with a red wine instead of white? Or maybe a dark balsamic vinegar?
I made this about two weeks ago. I was lucky to have any left to serve as I kept taste testing it to make sure the noodles were just so etc. It is one of the most flavorful taste explosions I have ever experienced and it's so simple to make. I'm so thrilled to find this recipe. Just out of curiosity, would this work with spaghetti squash??
My husband does not eat any vegetables, so I won't be making this without the spinach, tomatoes, and onion, so I'm wondering if I should add less liquid to the meal?
Full nutrition information would be super helpful….
Made it tonight…added mushrooms, too. So easy and delicious! Will make it often.
Making this tonight… smells amazing! Sweetie passed by the stove and started complaining about the chicken not looking cooked enough. Had to explain about it being a one pot dish! LOL
Made this tonight and loved it. Did sauté the chicken, onions and spices before adding the remaining ingredients as well as added the juice and zest of a half a lemon and a handful of fresh chopped parsley at the end.
Moms on weight watchers, we made this tonight, she is freaking out wanting to know how many points??? Absolutely delicious
Perhaps it was just for the video; however, what did you do to prevent the pasta from gluing itself into a solid mass with all of it laying neatly lined up next to itself?
Stir it!
I was skeptical about this whole thing working as simply as it states. I was even worried when I put it all in the dutch oven. But seriously – it couldn't have been easier and more delicious!! I am hooked. The whole family loved it! Thanks for the easy, tasty dinner!
Thank you so much, Barb! We are very happy you enjoyed it!
I have made this dish twice and it is fantastic; however, there is absolutely no fat in the recipe and the second time, the chicken and spinach were on the bottom of the pot and they burned, but we got to it in time enough to change pans and save the dish for the most part. Next time, I think I am going to saute my chicken in a bit of butter/olive oil and then add the remainder of the ingredients with a little extra chicken stock and white wine. I will let you all know how it turned out. Very very delicious though. Also as a tip, I used my handy-dandy microplane to "grate" the garlic in and sliced my onions (last time I used shallot) very very thin. Great recipe, just not quite enough liquid.
My mouth was absolutely burning after eating this. Too much red pepper? Onion? Delicious though!
We a re happy you enjoy it! For a very mild sauce, reduce the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon.
Does the chicken cook fully after only 7 minutes?
This was probably the best pasta dish I've ever made. The only change I made was to use less pasta…but we still had leftovers. Next time I think I'm going to add artichokes, too! Yummmmm!
Thank you so much!
My second time making this & it's absolutely delicious! I love how easily you can customize it to whatever veg I have in hand & it's still a WINNER! This recipe is permanently in my rotation. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much, Doris! We are so happy you enjoy it!
We absolutely love this recipe!! I also loved the video and have to know what the name of that song is!!!??? I want to play it for my guests while dining on the best cheesy pasta and chicken!!! Thanks!!!
Made this for dinner tonight. I sautéed the onions and garlic in butter, then deglazed the pan with the wine. It was absolutely delicious! My hubby doesn't typically care for food cooked in wine, and isn't a fan of tomatoes, but he had 2 dishes of it, and commented numerous times how good it was.
Thank you so much, Patti!! We are so happy to hear you both enjoyed it!
This is just FANTASTIC!!! My husband and I LOVED EVERY BITE!!
Thanks you so much! We are so happy you enjoyed it!
I made this for the first time tonight and OMG….DELICIOUS! And it's so easy and fast. A great weeknight dinner. I will be adding this to the regular rotation. It's so full of flavor!
Thanks so much Joanna! We are so happy you loved it! This is one of my favorites!
Could you use rotisserie chicken in place of raw?