Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pasta (Ready in 30 Minutes!)
10/29/2025
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Make this delicious chicken mushroom pasta for an easy dinner tonight. I absolutely love the lighter cream sauce and flavorful umami mushrooms in this dish — it’s restaurant-quality in the coy comfort of your own home. I can’t wait for you to fall as much in love with this pasta as I am ❤️.
recipe highlights
Ready in 30 minutes: When you are in a pinch for time, this 30 minute meal is the GOAT.
Easy to make: Not only is this recipe quick to make, it’s also incredibly easy. You get delicious restaurant flavor but at home. It’s easy to make but tastes like fine dining.
Perfectly creamy: There’s just the right amount of cream in this pasta as well as a little bit of parmesan. The starchy pasta water and cream together create a delicious homemade cream sauce.
Featured Comments
“I made this dish last night, and it was fantastic. I made enough for leftovers. It tasted so good last night that it will be terrific tonight.” – Timothy
“Amazing!! Had so much flavor, I was blown away by this recipe!!!” – Lindsey
What You Need for This Dish
- Chicken breast: I went for boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. For a richer, darker meat feel free to use boneless chicken thighs.
- Mushrooms: The star of the show –> mushrooms, of course! I prefer to use a variety of mushroom types for flavor and texture.
- White wine: White wine helps deglaze the pan and adds great flavor to this chicken and mushroom pasta. I prefer using a dry white wine.
- Garlic: The more garlic the better in my opinion. If you’re not a garlic person, feel free to use less than what this recipe calls for.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste adds a little acidity and thickens this chicken mushroom pasta sauce.
- Starchy pasta water: Don’t forget to set pasta water aside to thicken the pasta sauce.
- Beef Broth: When I want to add a bit of depth to pasta sauces, I like to use beef broth. It adds so much flavor and richness. Any broth will do if you prefer another variety that is a-okay.
- Flour: You’ll toss the chicken pieces with flour and spices before searing. It gives the chicken a bit of a crust and also helps thicken the sauce a bit.
Variations & Add-Ins You’ll Love
Chicken can be substituted for shrimp or cubed tofu. I’ve tested both, and both were incredibly delicious paired with the mushrooms.
Amp up the veggies by adding spinach or steamed broccoli right before serving. Whenever I’m trying to add a little extra veg to my kiddos plates, I find they’re most likely to try it if it’s mixed right into the dish!
Use a variety of mushrooms for the perfect umami flavor. I love choosing unique varieties of mushrooms from the grocery store. Anything from portobello to shiitake to oyster mushrooms would be delicious.
Make it a little spicy by sprinkling red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne right before serving.
Use Your Favorite Pasta!
One of the best parts of making pasta for dinner is choosing what kind of pasta you are going to use. I recommend any of the following for this chicken mushroom pasta:
How to Make Chicken Mushroom Pasta
- Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your pasta to al dente and before straining the pasta be sure you set aside 1 cup of starchy pasta water for later. I always like to take out a little extra just in case.
- Pound the chicken: I pound the chicken so it cooks evenly and tenderizes. Pound the chicken breasts out with a meat tenderizer until the breasts are all about 1-inch thick. Cut the chicken into strips or chunks (your choice!) and then toss them with the dry rub.
- Sear the chicken: Add olive oil to a large skillet or Dutch oven and then sear the chicken so it is a golden brown on each side. Set the chicken aside, but leave any spices or left over flour in the pan.
- Deglaze the pan: Deglaze the pan with the white wine and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. This is the most delicious flavor base.
- Cook the mushrooms + veggies: Add more oil to the pan and sauté the onions. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and a bit of beef broth and sauté all the ingredients together until the mushroom are lightly browned. Toss the sun-dried tomatoes with the vegetables.
- Make the sauce: Finally, add the starchy pasta water, broth, and tomato paste to the pan and whisk until combined. Bring the sauce to a light boil. The sauce will begin to thicken. Remove from the heat and slowly drizzle the cream into the pan.
- Toss toss toss, and serve: Return the pan to the heat and add the pasta and chicken to the pan. Toss until all the ingredients are coated. ENJOY!
Pasta Recipes with Chicken
Love pasta and chicken? I have so many delicious chicken pasta recipes.
Tips for Best Results
Don’t skip the thickening agents: The 3 things that make this sauce thick and creamy are the flour, starchy pasta water, and cream. Try not to skip any of these ingredients as it will make your sauce thinner.
Avoid overcrowding the pan: When sautéing the mushrooms, it’s important to not overcrowd the pan because it will steam the mushrooms instead of caramelizing them.
Beef broth is the way to go: I am a big fan of beef broth! It adds so much flavor and depth to any recipe, including this one.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this pasta with a simple salad to round out a full meal. Here are a few great options that are easy to whip together:
Dietary Swaps
Gluten-free is an option: If you are GF, you can use gluten-free noodles and gluten free 1:1 flour. I’ve tested this recipe with both, and both turned out great.
Make it dairy-free: I’ve tested this recipe with dairy-free heavy whipping cream, and vegan parmesan. Both worked great if you’re looking to keep things dairy-free!
Amp up the protein: Use blended cottage cheese instead of heavy whipping cream to increase the protein in this dish.
Storage & Reheating
Store this pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat: To reheat this chicken mushroom pasta, add it to a skillet and add a few tablespoons of beef broth and cream. Heat the pasta dish over low heat until it is warmed and more sauce has started to thicken.
Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 8- oz. dried pasta, I used rigatoni, but you can use any pasta of your choice
- 1- lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1.5 teaspoons salt, separated
- ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- ½ medium white onion, minced
- 12- oz. mushrooms, any kind (I used all sliced shiitake mushrooms)
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- ⅓ cup julienned sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- ½ cup starchy pasta water
- 1 cup beef broth, chicken works, too
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
- 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook the pasta until al dente.
- Remove 1.5 cups of starchy pasta water from the pot before straining the pasta.
- Rinse the pasta with cold water so it stops cooking and set aside for later.
- Prepare the chicken. Lay the chicken down on a flat surface and cover it with plastic wrap. Pound the chicken with a meat tenderizer until the chicken is all one equal thickness, about 1-inch thick.
- Cut the chicken into ½ inch strips and place the chicken into a bowl. Set aside.
- Prepare the dry rub for the chicken. Add the flour, garlic powder, dried thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ground pepper to a bowl and mix until well combined. Sprinkle the dry rub over the chicken strips and toss the chicken with the dry rub until the chicken strips are coated.
- Next, heat a large skillet or cast iron pan with sides over medium/high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. Be sure the olive oil coats the bottom of the pan.
- When the olive oil is fragrant, add one layer of the chicken strips to the pan. You may have to cook the chicken in 2 batches depending on how big your pan is.
- Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the chicken is golden brown and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ºF. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Turn the heat to medium and deglaze the pan with white wine. Use a wood utensil to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all the brown bits from the pan (this is where the flavor is).
- Add the white onion and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. Sauté for about 2 minutes.
- Drizzle the last 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan and then add the mushrooms. Toss the mushrooms with the onion and olive oil. Turn the heat to medium/high and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and ¼ cup of the beef broth to the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the mushrooms begin to brown slightly.
- Next, add the sun dried tomatoes and the remaining salt to the pan and toss.
- Add ½ cup of the starchy pasta water and remaining broth to the pan and then whisk in the tomato paste. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil. The sauce will start to thicken.
- Once the sauce has thickened, remove the pan from the heat and slowly whisk in the heavy cream until combined.
- Return the pan to the heat and heat the sauce over medium heat.
- Add the chicken and pasta to the sauce and toss all the ingredients together until the pasta and chicken are coated.
- The pasta will absorb most of the sauce and it will be absolutely delicious, but if you want it saucier, add more starchy pasta water by the tablespoon.
- Top the pasta with a generous amount of grated parmesan and fresh thyme.
Tips & Notes
- This is not a super saucy pasta. If you like a very saucy pasta, add ½ cup more of starchy water and another ½ tablespoons of tomato paste to this recipe.
- I cut the chicken in strips, but feel free to cut them into chunks, too.
- If you want to make this a gluten free recipe you can use 1:1 gluten free flour and gluten free pasta. The 1:1 flour will still help to thicken the sauce.
- Use any dry white wine you would like.
- I highly recommend using beef broth, it adds so much flavor!
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My family really enjoyed this one. Lots of umami, as the recipe states! Definitely a repeat. My only note is that it definitely took longer than 40 minutes, and while I’m not the speediest in the kitchen, I’m also not a novice cook by any means. Next time, I’m going to try to prep everything prior to.
Om
I made this dish last night.And it was fantastic.I made enough for leftovers.It tasted so good last night so it will be terrific tonight.
So glad you loved this, Timothy! And it’s such a delicious dish as leftovers too 😀
I just made it tonight
Amazing!! Had so much flavor I was blown away by this recipe!!!
So happy to hear you love this pasta, Lindsey!!