Garlic chicken pasta is a great comfort meal! It’s also a very quick and easy meal to throw together when you don’t have much time. I’m almost always hungry for a bowl garlic pasta and this has just a few extra additions that take it over the top! It’s the perfect dish to make you look like you did so much and really it was just so simple.
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Quick and easy!
Garlic chicken pasta is perfect for a weeknight dinner. It comes together very quickly and there’s not much cleanup. This meal can easily be made in around 35 minutes. I don’t know about you but that is music to my ears!
Tips for the best Garlic Chicken Pasta
- Salt your pasta water before adding the pasta!! It should taste like ocean water. Depending on the size of your pot, in general I would say 2-3 LARGE pinches of kosher salt. Large as in a 4 finger pinch. This will ensure your pasta has great flavor.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil (or your favorite oil) to your pasta water before the pasta goes in. This will help your pasta not stick together.
- Make sure the pan is very HOT before searing your chicken. Get a dry pan very hot over medium-high heat. Add your olive oil, give it a little swirl and about 10 seconds to get hot before adding your seasoned chicken. Searing in a very hot pan gives the best color and flavor to this garlic chicken pasta.
- Do not over cook your chicken! Take it out at 160 degrees Fahrenheit and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This will keep it super juicy!
- I like to use a Microplane zester cheese grater to grate my asiago cheese. I prefer the taste and texture of doing it myself over store bought grated asiago cheese.
Making your Garlic Chicken Pasta
First things first. You’ll want to fill up a pot with about 2-3 quarts of water and then season it with salt and olive oil. Turn that up to high, throw a lid on it and forget about it for a few minutes. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next you can quarter your tomatoes and put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Take your peeled garlic and put it on the same sheet but off in the corner by itself. The garlic will come out before the tomatoes so you’ll want the cloves off to the side for easy access. Drizzle your olive oil over the garlic and tomatoes and sprinkle both with salt. The tomatoes will also get a sprinkle of dried oregano, pepper and crushed red pepper. Put the garlic and tomatoes into the 450 degree oven. The garlic will come out after about 5-7 minutes when it starts to brown. The tomatoes will roast for an additional 20-25 minutes or until they start to caramelize on the outside with a nice dark brown color.
Seasoning and searing the chicken
You’ll want to season both sides of the chicken breasts evenly. Typically I season one side of the chicken, put it in the hot pan seasoned side down and after the chicken goes into the hot pan I immediately season the other side. For this Garlic Chicken Pasta you’ll season each side of the chicken with salt, pepper, dried oregano and dried basil.
Searing the chicken with a hot pan
It is very important to heat your dry pan over medium high heat until the pan is very hot. After the pan is hot then add your olive oil. Swirl it around a bit and let the oil get hot for about 10 seconds. Then add your seasoned chicken. Do not touch the chicken until it is time to flip, about 2-3 minutes and a rich golden brown color. After flipping, sear that side for about 2-3 minutes as well. Add the chicken breasts to the tomato pan in the oven for 1-2 minutes. Check the chicken temperature and take it out when it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes and then slice. **Check the temperature of your chicken breast before putting them into the oven, if you’re using thin chicken breast it may already be done.
Cook the pasta
Once your seasoned pot of water comes to a rapid boil, add the pasta. Give your pasta a quick couple of stirs as soon as you add it and then periodically throughout the cooking time. Cook your pasta to the al dente cooking directions on your pasta box. I used angel hair pasta and it took about 7 minutes. Immediately drain the pasta and set to the side for a couple minutes.
Make your garlic butter while pasta is cooking
Chop your roasted garlic until it is slightly chunkier than a mince. Melt your margarine or butter in a pan, add the garlic and turn the pan off. Season with a little salt, about 1/2 tsp. Chop your fresh basil and quarter your lemon while your pasta is cooking as well. Set both of those aside.
Putting it all together
Add your drained pasta to the garlic butter and toss. Add in your roasted tomatoes, sliced chicken, chopped fresh basil, lemon juice and grate asiago cheese over the top. There you have it, a delicious homemade bowl of Garlic Chicken Pasta!
Check out more Dinner recipes!
Garlic Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus a pinch, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper divided
- 1 tsp dried oregano divided
- 2 chicken breast
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 6 oz angel hair pasta
- 1.5 tbsp butter or margarine
- 1 lemon cut into quarters
- 10 leaves fresh basil chiffonade
- 1/2 oz asiago cheese grated
Instructions
- Fill a pot with about 2 quarts of water. Season the water with 3-4 large pinches of kosher salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. 3. Quarter your Roma tomatoes and place on the baking tray. Peel 4 cloves of garlic and place in the corner of the baking tray. Drizzle about 1.5 tbsp olive oil over the tomatoes and the garlic. Season the tomatoes and garlic with 1 tsp of kosher salt. Add 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp dried oregano to the tomatoes. Place in the oven. Remove garlic after 10 minutes and set to the side on the cutting board. Garlic should be starting to brown all over.4. Place the tomatoes back into the oven for an additional 20 minutes. 5. Mix 1 tsp of kosher salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1/2 tsp of dried oregano and 1/2 tsp of dried basil together. Take half of the mixture and season one side of each chicken breast. 6. Heat a medium size skillet over medium-high heat until pan is very hot. Add about 1 tsp of olive oil to the pan and swirl it around. Wait 10 seconds to make sure the oil gets hot. Add the chicken breast into the pan, seasoned side down. Season the other sides of the chicken breasts with the remaining seasoning mixture. Do not touch chicken breasts until it is time to turn them. Sear them for 2-3 minutes and flip. Sear the other side for an additional 2-3 minutes.7. Take the chicken breasts out of the pan and place them on the pan with the tomatoes in the oven for 1-2 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts. Using a meat thermometer they should read 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If you're using a thin chicken breast, go ahead and check the temperature of them before adding them to the oven. They may already be done if they are thin enough. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes.8. While the chicken is resting, add the pasta to the water. Give your pasta a couple stirs immediately and then every couple minutes or so until fully cooked. Check your box for the correct time for al dente pasta. I cooked this angel hair for 7 minutes.9. While your pasta is cooking, chiffonade your basil, slice lemons into quarters and chop your roasted garlic just larger than a mince. Cut the seeds out of the lemons after quartering if possible. 10. Slice your chicken11. Melt your butter or margarine in the same pan you cooked your chicken breast in. Once melted, add your roasted garlic, a pinch of salt and turn the heat off. 12. Drain your pasta and add it to your garlic butter, tossing and coating the pasta with the garlic butter evenly.13. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and add them into the pasta. Add your sliced chicken, fresh basil and squeeze 1-2 quarters of lemon into the pasta. Top with asiago cheese and enjoy!
One of the best pasta dishes ever made. Basil, garlic, and lemon! All my favorites. Love it!
So happy to hear that!