Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken
This easy Angel Hair Pasta recipe has a creamy Parmesan sauce, simple seasonings, and flavorful chicken! This will quickly become a new favorite in your dinner rotation!
Be sure to try my Shrimp Scampi recipe next!
Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken
I am a sucker for Angel Hair Pasta, and this is truly, hands-down, my NEW FAVORITE pasta recipe. If you’ve ever had my One Pot Garlic Parmesan Pasta, this is like a *seriously* amped up version of that.
The Parmesan cream sauce with a simple blend of herbs and seasonings is sensational. The chicken is juicy and rounds out this meal perfectly.
The pasta takes just 4 minutes to cook, and I like to reserve some of the pasta water to have full control over the consistency of the sauce. This way it’s not too thick, not too thin, just perfect.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Season chicken with salt/pepper and sprinkle with flour. Sear in olive oil until golden on each side. Let rest for 10 minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
Deglaze with white wine (or chicken broth) and reduce by half. Add butter and garlic.
Stir in flour, then add chicken broth, half and half, and seasonings in small splashes, stirring to incorporate. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Add cooked angel hair and chicken and toss to combine. Add splashes of pasta water and toss until desired consistency is obtained. Serve!
Pro Tips
- Wine: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc are great in this recipe. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- Cheese: Shred the cheese from a wedge, it will melt and taste much better than packaged grated cheese. I use Belgioioso parmesan.
- Chicken Seasoning: I like to use Redmond lemon pepper seasoning on the chicken which is really high quality. (Enter promo code “Cozy” at checkout for a discount!) If I’m out of the good stuff, I go with salt and pepper.
- Pasta: If you prefer to use a thicker pasta like linguine, penne, or fettuccine, check out my Creamy Herb Pasta, Chicken Alfredo Pasta, and my Lemon Chicken Pasta recipes!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does reheat pretty well, but the pasta itself (being so thin), might break slightly.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 3-Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan– The same size as pictured in this recipe.
- Kitchen Tongs– To handle the chicken while it sears and to toss the pasta in the sauce.
- Cheese Grater– Always shred your cheese from a block for soups and sauces, it melts and tastes much better than packaged shredded cheese.
- Pasta Strainer– I have this one and love it.
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
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Angel Hair Pasta (with Chicken!)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast
- Salt/pepper, or lemon pepper seasoning. See notes.
- 2 tablespoons flour
Pasta/Sauce
- ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup Half and Half, half milk half cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ½ lb. angel hair pasta
- Parsley, to garnish
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon EACH: mustard powder, oregano, onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: salt, pepper
Instructions
Prep Work
- Combine chicken broth, half and half, and seasonings and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients. Take a measuring cup (1 cup or larger) and place it in the colander that you’ll use to drain your pasta, this will remind you to save some of the pasta water when that step arrives.
Sear the Chicken
- Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Place plastic wrap over the chicken and pound each side to about 1-inch thick, it will plump up more when cooked. Pat each side dry. Season with salt/pepper (OR lemon pepper seasoning, see notes). Sprinkle each chicken slice with 1 tbsp. flour and rub it over the surface of each side. (This gives it a little texture and prevents it from sticking to the skillet.)
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until a golden crust develops, 3-4 minutes per side. Set aside and let rest for 10 minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
Make the Sauce
- Turn the heat off. Add the wine and then set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to clean the bottom and sides of the skillet, the “fond” will add more flavor to the sauce. Bring to a gentle bubble and reduce by half, about 3-4 minutes.
- Start boiling water for the pasta.
- Add the butter and garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes, until the flour turns a light brown, and the raw flour smell is cooked off.
- Add the chicken broth/half and half mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in the cheese. Cover partially.
Boil the Pasta
- Salt the boiling water and add the pasta. Cook until no more than al dente (about 4 minutes). Set a timer to avoid overcooking. Use kitchen tongs to lift the pasta from the water now and then to ensure the noodles aren't sticking together.
- Drain once cooked and reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add the pasta to the sauce and use kitchen tongs to gently toss to incorporate. Add the chicken and stir to combine.
- If desired, add pasta water, small splashes at a time, and gently toss until desired consistency is reached.
- Garnish with parsley and serve!
Notes
- Wine: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc are great in this recipe. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- Cheese: Shred the cheese from a wedge, it will melt and taste much better than packaged grated cheese. I use Belgioioso parmesan.
- Chicken Seasoning: I like to use Redmond lemon pepper seasoning on the chicken which is really high quality. (Enter promo code "Cozy" at checkout for a discount!) If I'm out of the good stuff, I go with salt and pepper.
- Pasta: If you prefer to use a thicker pasta like linguine, penne, or fettuccine, check out my Creamy Herb Pasta, Chicken Alfredo Pasta, and my Lemon Chicken Pasta recipes!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does reheat pretty well, but the pasta itself (being so thin), might break slightly.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.
Nutrition
My husband and I enjoyed this recipe. I served it with oven roasted carrots. I will definitely make this again. Delicious!
I’m so happy he liked it, oven roasted carrots is the perfect side!💖 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
This was delicious! We are gluten free and low dairy so we used gluten free Tinkyada spaghetti & oat milk. I only had frozen chicken breasts so baked those and chopped and added them at the end. Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re very welcome Amy, I’m so happy it was a success gluten free, nice work! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
So yummy! So easy ! Will definitely make it again ! Hubby loved it ❤️
That’s so great to hear Karen! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review!💖
I made this a few nights ago and really enjoyed it. I have to admit that I cheated and used a rotisserie chicken but it still worked out great. It’s a yummy, creamy sauce that I feel would work well with any type of pasta, rice or even as a dipping sauce for a loaf of crusty garlic bread. I love all of your recipes – they have taught me so much about how easy it can be to make soups, sauces, and other things from scratch! And it makes all the difference taste-wise! Thanks for another keeper! 💛
Hey Amy!!! I am soo happy that you loved this recipe- I don’t blame you at all for using a rotisserie chicken, I bet that added lot of savory flavor! This recipe has a special place in my heart, I LOVEEE it. I’ll make a whole batch just for myself, I know it’ll never go to waste! I’m thrilled that you are enjoying my recipes Amy, it really means a lot- thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and to share such kind words, you’re the BEST!! -Stephanie ❤️
I would love to know if you can make this dairy free?
Hi Lynda! I know that there are a lot of dairy free products on the market that could theoretically be used as substitutes here, but I do not have experience making cream based sauces dairy free.
Hi Stephanie. I ran across this older question when browsing comments on your chicken/pasta recipe. My sister is a vegan and uses dairy-free subsititutes, like coconut milk or almond milk. She acquires the creamy texture buy adding a small amount of cornstarch (using 1 tsp at a time), as a thickening agent. She makes casseroles, and other assorted recipes that call for cream. I’ve never tried using her subs, but have tasted some of her dishes and their tasty. But as for texture, they’re thick and somewhat creamy, but tend to lack richness in flavor.
That’s great info Robert, thank you so much for taking the time to share! I appreciate that! 🙂
What a quick amazing recipe! The sauce is so rich and creamy, and the lightly breaded chicken compliments it perfectly. Angel hair pasta is the only way to go for this dish. Thank you so much for sharing! I will be coming back to this dish any time I need something fast and savory. <3
Thanks so much for the great comments, I’m so happy you liked this one! I love making enough for leftovers. Makes a yummy lunch the next day!💖
Delish! I doubled the recipe for 5 adults, 2 kids and it was the perfect amount. Note for home cooks – I did have to add 1.5 cups of pasta water, and it was still dry once it got to the plate. I probably should have added at least 2 or 2.5 cups total. But still, delicious flavor!
So happy that you enjoyed it KT! Yes, doubling the recipe would also mean doubling the amount of pasta water that you reserve! 🙂 (Elevation can play a role as well!) Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! -Stephanie
So so so delicious. Just made this for dinner. I accidentally made it too thick but just added pasta water to thin it out! Easy pezzy 💕
Thank you for another hit.
Hi Janet!! I’m sooo happy that you enjoyed it! The pasta water is part of the recipe so I’m glad that you incorporated it and enjoyed it! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
Easy and tasty. I added leftover peas to make it a complete meal of meat/carbs/veggies. Family loved it.
I’m so happy the family loved it Jennifer, peas are a great addition, nice work! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!💖
Question cook
This was excellent. I always have to make 2 batches of pasta as my husband has gluten sensitivity and I’m not willing to eat the GF stuff (although the Barrila brand is pretty decent). I can see how this dish is made for everything to be mixed together as the sauce is more hearty than a traditional Alfredo. That sauce must be the definition of cozy itself! In a pinch I had to feed my mother in law and gave her these left overs from the night before. She said it was really REALLY good. Now she thinks I’m a good cook- and who doesn’t want that type of approval from the mom in law so thank you for that!
Anyways I have a few sorta-technical things I wanted to get your opinion on. I’ve been going through a ton of chicken and beef broths. Is it best to buy the liquid broths or would the Better than Bullion prepared into broth be the same quality? I know there’s a difference between broth and stock, but if I made my own chicken stock could I use it interchangeably with recipes that call for chicken broth?
And one last question ☺️. While I’m on the subject of broth, what’s your position on MSG seasoning ie) Accent? I rarely see it listed in recipes or even mentioned in the notes sections of food blogs. While I know that many recipes ingredients already have msg in them (broths and bullion), OR have the umami qualities of MSG (Parmesan cheese), I find adding a sprinkle here and there is a game changer! One thing that often turns a copycat recipe from tasting like you made it at home to tasting like you got it at the restaurant is MSG 😃
I know there’s still a stigma attached to it, but the theory that it’s bad for you or causes headaches has long been debunked and it’s considered no less healthy than table salt. I’ve found it to be such an all around flavor enhancer I’m surprised it’s so rarely mentioned. I’m super interested in your opinion on this.
Ok thanks for reading my mini novel ☺️
Hi Stephanie! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the Angel Hair Pasta recipe! It’s one of my favorites!! I really like to use Better than Bouillon to make my broths because it takes up such a small amount of space and it’s easy to measure out customized amounts. I don’t have a strong stance on MSG, I add bouillon to some of my recipes as it adds depth of flavor, and I am a huge cheese lover and use that for flavor and substance as well. I love adding a rind of Parmesan cheese to some of my soups while they simmer too. Super tasty 🙂