chicken and mushroom pasta

this creamy chicken and mushroom pasta features silky ribbons of pasta tossed with golden-seared chicken and mushrooms in a garlic cream sauce. best enjoyed with a slice of crusty bread and an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese!

why you will love this creamy chicken mushroom pasta recipe

• easy recipe – this chicken and mushroom pasta recipe uses simple ingredients and comes together in a matter of minutes. it’s also packed with flavour and great for beginners who want something a little different to the typical pasta recipe.

• versatile and easy to customise – you can easily customise spice levels to your taste in this chicken and mushroom pasta recipe by adjusting the spices in the sauce and the chicken. this chicken and mushroom pasta dish can also be made healthier by using whole grain pasta and adding some extra vegetables like spinach or broccoli. this easy pasta recipe would not only be great as an easy, weeknight meal, it would also be a great meal to make for a special occasion!

• satisfying and comforting -there’s nothing better than a warm, cheesy, creamy bowl of pasta on a long day, especially when it’s cold.

learn how to make chicken and mushroom pasta

to make this chicken and mushroom garlic pasta, we’re going to start off by marinating the chicken in a mixture of spices. then, we’ll set that aside and start cooking the pasta. once that’s done, in a pan, we’ll cook the chicken in a little bit of oil. remove the cooked chicken from the pan, and in the same pan, we’ll start making our chicken and mushroom pasta sauce. to do this, we’ll cook onion and garlic in butter until it becomes a light golden colour and then add green bell pepper and sliced mushrooms and cook them until soft. then, we’ll add flour to make a roux. gradually add milk and continue to cook until the pasta sauce thickens up.

then, we’ll add cream, cream cheese, half of a stock cube and some extra seasonings, as well as some freshly grated parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese. once our pasta sauce looks thick and creamy, we’ll add the cooked pasta and add some leftover pasta water. leave this to cook for a while, then top your chicken and mushroom pasta with the cooked chicken as well as some more freshly grated parmesan, and we’re done!

chicken and mushroom pasta ingredients

• pasta – you can use any shape of pasta that you prefer – i’m using mafaldine here but you can use anything you like. boil the pasta with salt and water. we’re going to add it to the chicken and mushroom pasta sauce at the end and cook for slightly longer, so you might want to undercook it slightly at the beginning.

• chicken – i like to use boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes, for this chicken and mushroom pasta recipe. we’ll just marinate it in a mixture of spices, cook it in some oil, then remove from the pan.

• seasonings – we’ll marinate the chicken in a mix of seasonings and spices like paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, red chilli powder and salt. i also add some seasonings to the garlic parmesan sauce, like onion powder, mixed herbs, black pepper, red chilli flakes and garlic powder.

• vinegar – i like to use a small amount of white vinegar in the chicken marinade.

• dark soy sauce – just a small amount of dark soy sauce in the chicken marinade is great for some extra flavour.

• hot sauce – just a small amount of hot sauce in the chicken marinade adds a hint of spice that works really well with the cream sauce.

• oil – just a small amount of oil will be used to cook the chicken at the beginning. you can use any neutral tasting oil for this. we’ll also use some oil to cook the onions and garlic when making the cream sauce.

• butter – when making the chicken and mushroom pasta cream sauce, we’re going to start by cooking the onion and garlic in a mix of butter and oil. THISNrecipe uses unsalted butter.

• onions – we’ll add some chopped onions to the butter and cook until they soften and become a light golden colour.

• garlic – i like to make thIS QUICK chicken AND MUSHROOM pasta with fresh, minced garlic. cook in the butter until it becomes a light golden colour.

• BELL PEPPER – THIS IS OPTIONAL BUT ADDING SOME BELL PEPPER TO THIS PASTA DISH ADDS SOME REALLY NICE EXTRA FLAVOUR.

• MUSHROOMS – we’re also going to be adding sliced mushrooms and cooking them until soft.

• flour – we’ll add a small amount of plain flour or all purpose flour to thicken up the cream sauce slightly.

• milk – i like to have this chicken and mushroom pasta with milk making the base of our sauce. the sauce will thicken up and be creamy but won’t be too overly rich. i’m using whole milk or full fat milk for this recipe.

• double cream or heavy cream – i like to make this chicken and mushroom pasta with fresh cream. making this chicken and mushroom pasta with cream as well as milk will just add a little bit of extra richness than if you were to only use milk. if you prefer a thinner, less creamy sauce, you can also use single cream or cooking cream in place of this.

• cream cheese – i also like to make this chicken and mushroom pasta with cream cheese as, again, this will just add a little bit of extra richness and make the sauce a bit more creamy.

• chicken stock cube – i like to add half of a chicken stock cube to the chicken pasta for some added flavour. you can also use stock powder in place of this or even use chicken stock instead of pasta water.

• cheese – for this chicken and mushroom parmesan pasta, i’m using a a mix of cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese. you can use whatever cheese you like, or skip it altogether, but some freshly grated parmesan cheese in the cream sauce and then some extra parmesan before serving works really well with this pasta.

• pasta water – save some pasta water when draining the cooked pasta – this will be used to adjust the consistency of the sauce, and will also help the sauce stick to the pasta better.

tools:

• 2 bowls – one for marinating the chicken, and one for the cooked chicken

• pot – for boiling the pasta

• large pan with lid – for making the chicken and mushroom pasta and sauce

step by step instructions

for full measurements, keep scrolling down to the recipe below.

step one: in a bowl, add chicken breast, cut into cubes, and then add the paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, red chilli powder and salt. then, add the white vinegar, dark soy sauce and hot sauce. mix everything into the chicken until it’s completely coated, and then let this sit while you boil the pasta.

step two: boil your pasta in water with some salt and cook pasta for a little bit less time than stated on package instructions. we’re going to add the pasta to the sauce and cook it again for a few minutes so you don’t want to cook it for too long or it’ll be overly soft. drain the pasta and set it aside, making sure to save some of the pasta water.

step three: heat up a large pan, then, add oil and add the chicken. cook the chicken at medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, stirring as you cook it.

step four: add some water to the pan, then cover the pan with a lid and leave the chicken to cook over low-medium heat until the water dries out. this should take around 3-4 minutes. once this is done, remove the chicken from the pan and place in another bowl.

step five: to the same pan, add oil and unsalted butter and let the butter melt in the pan. add chopped onion and the minced garlic, and cook this over medium heat until it becomes a light golden colour.

step six: add the mushrooms and bell pepper to the pan and cook them over medium heat for about one minute.

step seven: add the flour to the pan and continue to stir that in over medium heat and cook for about 30 seconds.

step eight: gradually add milk to the mixture and continue to stir as you pour it in. bring the mixture to a gentle simmer or a very low boil, stirring as you do this, until the cream sauce starts to bubble and thicken up.

step eight: once the mixture begins to bubble, add the heavy cream to the sauce, as well as the cream cheese and the black pepper, mixed herbs, red chilli flakes, garlic powder, onion powder and chicken stock cube. mix all of this together, and again, bring the mixture to a gentle simmer or a very low boil, stirring as you do this, until the cream sauce starts to bubble and thicken up.

step nine: remove the pan from the heat, and add cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese. mix the cheeses into the cream sauce until they melt into the sauce.

step ten: add the cooked pasta to the pan. gently stir it into the cream sauce until the pasta is coated in the sauce.

step eleven: add some pasta water to the pan and mix it in. let the mixture cook over medium heat for around 1-2 minutes until it begins to bubble gently.

step twelve: once the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency, top the pasta with the cooked chicken, serve, top with more freshly grated parmesan cheese and let’s eat!

tips and notes

• cook the pasta al dente – slightly undercook the pasta initially as it will continue to cook and soften when you add it to the cream sauce at the end. this ensures the perfect texture and prevents the pasta from becoming overly soft and mushy.

• if you want to adjust the consistency of the sauce and feel like it needs to be thinner, feel free to add more of the pasta water than stated. if you find that the pasta sauce is too thin, then just let it simmer for longer so that it thickens up.

• adjust seasonings to your taste – this chicken and mushroom pasta recipe uses some spices that are nicely balanced out by the creamy sauce. as a result, i didn’t find it particularly spicy. however, if you don’t like much spice or are worried about the spice, feel free to reduce the amounts of the black pepper and the red chilli flakes in the cream sauce or the red chilli powder, cayenne pepper and hot sauce in the chicken. the chicken stock cube, the parmesan cheese and the pasta water will be salty so this recipe does not call for any extra salt in the cream sauce, but if you do feel that it needs some salt, feel free to add some to your taste.

• marinate the chicken first before doing anything else so that it has some time to sit in order to enhance the flavour of the chicken. ideally, you’d want to marinate for around 30 minutes, but if you’re impatient or don’t have too much time, you can also just do this step first, let it sit while you cook the pasta, and then just cook the chicken.

• for the best flavour, use fresh minced garlic when making the pasta sauce.

• i would recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese in the cream sauce, as it gives the best flavour and will melt easily into the sauce.

• i used mafaldine pasta for this chicken and mushroom pasta recipe, but you can use any shape of pasta that you like.

• once you add the milk and cream to the cream sauce, gradually heat it up so that it’s not suddenly exposed to high heat. make sure you continue to stir it as it heats up, and don’t let it boil vigorously. bring it to a gentle simmer or a very low boil, then reduce the heat. all of this will prevent the milk and cream from curdling.

frequently asked questions

1. can i use pre-cooked chicken in this chicken and mushroom pasta recipe ?

   – you can definitely use pre-cooked chicken in this recipe! just warm it up and add to the pasta at the end.

2. can i make this chicken and mushroom pasta without cream ?

   – i’m using cream in this recipe in order to make this chicken and mushroom pasta creamy and rich. if you want to make this without cream, just keep in mind that the sauce won’t be as rich. if you’re okay with this, you can make this pasta recipe with all milk instead of cream. the bulk of the creamy sauce is made with whole milk anyway, so it shouldn’t make too much of a difference, but the sauce will be thinner and you might need to adjust the amount of pasta water used later on.

3. can i make this chicken and mushroom pasta without cream cheese ?

   – i decided to make this creamy chicken and mushroom pasta using cream cheese for added richness. however, if you’d like to skip this, that’s also completely fine and won’t impact the dish too much.

4. do i have to make this chicken and mushroom pasta with parmesan ?

   – parmesan cheese adds a delicious savoury and salty note to this pasta dish but feel free to leave it out if you don’t have it or would prefer a lighter version of this dish. if you’re looking for a vegetarian or halal substitute for parmesan, there are vegetarian and halal parmesan cheeses available, or you can use other vegetarian hard cheeses instead.

5. do i have to use butter for the sauce in this chicken and mushroom pasta recipe or can i just use oil ?

   – i like to use a mix of butter and oil in the cream sauce as the butter adds extra richness and flavour to the pasta sauce. but, it is absolutely not necessary. you can use all oil instead of the butter, you can use a mix of oil and butter as stated or you can use all butter. it’s up to you.

6. can i make this pasta dish ahead of time ?

   – this chicken and mushroom pasta is best served fresh, but if you want to make this ahead of time to serve later, you might want to make the separate components of the dish, such as the chicken and the cream sauce, separately, and then warm them together before serving.

7. can i make this as a chicken and mushroom pasta bake ?

   – yes you can! for a pasta bake, to start with, make the chicken and mushroom pasta on the stove, then transfer it to a baking dish. you can sprinkle mozzarella cheese between the layers if you like, top with extra cheese, and then bake this until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

8. can i add extra vegetables to this chicken and mushroom pasta ?

   – absolutely! you could make this chicken and mushroom pasta with spinach or broccoli or cherry tomatoes or any other vegetables you like.

9. is this chicken and mushroom pasta healthy ?

   – this chicken and mushroom pasta dish is relatively high in calories due to the heavy cream and cheese. it should be relatively easy to make a healthier version of this dish by making a few swaps e.g. using whole grain pasta or using all milk instead of cream. you could also add some extra vegetables of your choice for some added nutrition.

10. how long does this chicken and mushroom pasta keep in the fridge ?

    – stored in an airtight container, this chicken and mushroom pasta should keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

recipe