Creamy Chicken Pasta
Staying away from creamy style pasta because of calorie conscious not anymore. I made this pasta dish made with peppers, chicken, mushrooms and milk which turns out creamy and delicious. This dish is perfect for weeknight or weekend dinner.
About Creamy Chicken Pasta
Delicious pasta tossed in a creamy chicken, mushroom garlic sauce made with milk, butter and parmesan cheese. This creamy chicken pasta is not only yummy but is easy to make and also light because of the use of milk. This pasta is created because many people including me stay away from my chicken alfredo because of the use of heavy cream. Not anymore, this pasta taste so creamy yet light because it uses a combination of milk and parmesan cheese to create the creaminess. The starch from the pasta water is added into the sauce which creates a emulsification makes this cream pasta chicken so good.
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Creamy Chicken Pasta Ingredients
Pasta - I used spaghetti. but I have made this pasta with many different pasta shaped like bowtie, fettuccine, penne and macaroni. Chicken - you can use whole chicken breast, season them, sear and chop them and add into pasta. Sliced chicken breast is easy option. Vegetables - I used mushrooms and peppers. You can use corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower. Garlic - Most important flavouring in the pasta dish is garlic. Add a good amount of chopped garlic for flavour. Milk - to create the creamy sauce, I used whole milk. Instead of milk you can use any plant based or nut milk. Parmesan cheese - parmesan cheese emulsify with milk and starch in the pasta to create a creamy sauce. Butter or Olive Oil - I used these two in this pasta dish. For vegan option, use olive oil instead of butter. You can use vegan butter as well.
How to Make Creamy Pasta Sauce with Milk
The above picture is the same recipe which I made few years back. I used bowtie pasta and also skipped adding vegetables. You can make creamy pasta sauce without cream. I used milk for making the pasta sauce. The starch in the pasta will emulsify with the parmesan cheese and milk to create the creamy texture, so allowing it to rest covered is essential.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Pasta (Stepwise Pictures)
Cooking Pasta
1)Cook pasta in boiling salted water. Cook pasta 2 mins less than the timing mentioned in the package. Drain and set aside. I used spaghetti, but you can use bowtie or any shaped pasta.
Cooking Chicken
2)Heat olive oil in a saute pan. You could use butter for cooking chicken as well. Let the oil heat. 3)Add in sliced chicken breast and sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper powder. In fact you could season the chicken with any of your favorite seasoning like cajun, peri peri. 4)Saute the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes till it is cooked. Chicken breast won’t take much time at all. 5)Remove the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.
Making creamy chicken sauce
6)In the same pan, add i some butter. I used garlic herb flavoured butter. But you could use regular butter. I also added 1 tbsp of olive oil which prevents the butter from burning. 7)Add in chopped onions or shallots. Saute the onion in butter for 1 minute till it starts to soften. 8)Add in chopped garlic and saute for 1 more minute till the garlic is fragrant. 9)Now add in sliced bell peppers and mushrooms. You can add any vegetables of your choice like baby corn, corn, carrots, green peas. 10)Add in red chilli flakes, salt and black pepper powder. Toss well. 11)Now pour in milk. I used full fat milk. You can add a splash of cream if you want. 12)Add in the cooked chicken into the milk and mix well.
Making Creamy Chicken Pasta
13)Add in the cooked pasta into the sauce. 14)Add in chopped parsley and parmesan cheese into the pasta. Toss well. 15)Mix everything well and lower the flame. Cover with lid and cook on low heat for 3 mins. 16)Remove the lid and mix everything well. The pasta would have absorbed all the milk and become really creamy. Finish with parmesan cheese and serve hot.
Expert Tips
I used whole milk. You can add a splash of cream along with milk for more thickness. The starch in the pasta will emulsify with the parmesan cheese and milk to create the creamy texture, so allowing it to rest covered is essential. Serve this pasta dish immediately, else it may thicken more. You can add any vegetables of your choice like broccoli, corn, carrot, peas. You can skip chicken if you want to keep it vegetarian.
For Vegan Creamy Pasta
For vegan option, use olive oil instead of butter. You can use vegan butter as well. Skip chicken and add any vegetables of your choice like broccoli, corn, carrot, peas. Instead of milk you can use any plant based or nut milk.
More Pasta Recipes to try
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