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Chicken Mushroom Pasta
4.82 from 11 votes

Chicken Mushroom Pasta

This chicken mushroom pasta recipe is creamy, flavorful, and so delicious. Made with your favorite mushrooms and a bit of heavy cream.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 40 minutes
Fat 20
Carbs 31
Protein 47
Yield 4

Ingredients

  • 8- oz. dried pasta we used rigatoni, but can you use penne?
  • 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
  • teaspoon ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil separated
  • cup dry white wine
  • ½ medium white onion minced
  • 12- oz. mushrooms any kind (we used all sliced shiitake mushrooms)
  • 5 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • cup julienned sun dried tomatoes in oil drained
  • ½ cup starchy pasta water
  • 1 cup beef broth chicken works too
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 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.
    Chicken Mushroom Pasta in pan.
  • 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.
    Chicken mushroom pasta sauce in a pan with cream.
  • 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.
  • We 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.
  • We highly recommend using beef broth, it adds so much flavor!

Watch it

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 513kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 20g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g