Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Quick and Easy 15 minute Chicken Pasta
Chicken pasta under melting cheese is a reassuring sight on a hungry evening. Sweet pepper and onion soften into the marinara, leaving plenty of sauce for the noodles. Add the optional Parmesan if a little more cheese sounds good; there's room for that here.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 12 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Start the pasta first
The pasta has its own short head start, and the chicken mixture is built while it cooks. Once the sauce has simmered, drain the pasta and add it straight to the pan.
2. Keep the skillet moving
The onion, pepper, garlic and chicken go in stages. That keeps the garlic from sitting too long in the hot oil before the chicken and seasonings join the pan.
3. Cheese melts off the heat
After the pasta is mixed in, add the cheese and turn the heat off. The warmth already in the pan is enough to melt it through without making the sauce feel heavy.
Get to know the ingredients
Chicken in strips
Cut the chicken breasts before they go into the pan. Strips cook quickly and make it easier to brown the chicken until it is almost cooked through before the marinara goes in.
Cooked pasta, not dry
The recipe finishes with cooked pasta. The dry amount is only there to help you get to the right finished quantity, so do not add uncooked pasta to the chicken and sauce.
Mozzarella or Italian blend
Either cheese works here because it is stirred in at the end and melts from the heat of the pan. Parmesan is separate and goes on top if you want it.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Quick and Easy 15 minute Chicken Pasta
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Once the cheese has melted, top the pasta with Parmesan if you are using it. If you want a bubbly top, the recipe also gives you the option to broil the cheese briefly after mixing.
A little more help as you go
Sauce needs the lid
Cover the pan while the marinara simmers with the chicken. Those few minutes help the chicken finish cooking in the sauce before the drained pasta is folded in.
Seasoning goes on with the chicken
Salt, pepper and garlic powder are added when the chicken hits the pan. That seasons the chicken directly, rather than only seasoning the sauce at the end.
A few questions you might have
Do I add the marinara before the chicken is fully cooked?
Add it once the chicken is browned and almost cooked through. The chicken then simmers in the covered pan with the marinara before the pasta is added.
Should the pasta be drained before it goes into the chicken mixture?
Yes. After the sauce has simmered, drain the pasta water, then pour the pasta into the chicken mixture and mix well.
Can I skip broiling the cheese?
Yes. Broiling is optional. The cheese is first added after mixing in the pasta, and it will melt from the heat of the pan.
When does the garlic go in?
Add the minced garlic after the onion and bell pepper have softened. It only needs about 30 seconds, just until lightly golden, before the chicken goes in.
Where does the Parmesan fit in?
Parmesan is optional and goes on top at the very end, after the pasta has been mixed with the chicken, sauce and melting cheese.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: gimmedelicious.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
