Chicken & Pasta Recipes That Make a Clucking Good Dinner

Chicken and pasta just seem to go together. When you take each of these humble ingredients and combine them in one dish, they make hearty, classic, tasty meals that the whole family loves. Try our yummy chicken pasta recipes — they're comfort food at its finest. 

White Chicken Lasagna

Regular lasagna is good, sure. But this creamy chicken lasagna is cheesy and gooey and totally worth the effort. Save time by purchasing a rotisserie chicken and using the meat from that. It serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients

• 1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
• ½ cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups milk
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 2 (10-ounce0 packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
3. Add onion and cook until soft, about four minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add the flour and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes.
6. Whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken, about one minute.
7. Stir in one cup of mozzarella cheese, ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, and oregano.
8. Cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth.
9. Spread half of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
10. Layer three lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.
11. Mix the cottage cheese and spinach in a small bowl.
12. Spread half the spinach mixture atop the noodles.
13. Spread half the chicken on top of the spinach mixture.
14. Sprinkle with ⅓ of the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
15. Top with the second third of the sauce.
16. Repeat steps 10 through 14, except for step 11, as the spinach and cheese are now mixed.
17. Layer three more noodles on top of the cheese and pour the remaining sauce over the noodles.
18. Sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
19. Cover with foil. Place the lasagna in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly, the noodles are soft, and the casserole is hot.
20. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Related: 10 Exquisite Wine & Pasta Pairings for Flavor Perfection

Angel Hair Pasta With Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata cooks super quickly, so make sure you have your pasta cooked and ready to go. I love this as a quick, tangy weeknight supper. 

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded into thin pieces and cut into one-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
• ½ cup chicken broth
• Juice of four lemons
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• 8 ounces cooked angel hair pasta

Instructions

1. Whisk together the flour, pepper, and paprika.
2. Dredge the chicken breasts in flour mixture, tapping to remove excess.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
4. Add garlic and cook until it's fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Remove the garlic from the oil with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
6. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and heat until it bubbles.
7. Cook the chicken in the butter until it browns slightly and is cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side.
8. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside on a clean platter.
9. Add the wine to the pan, scraping any cooked bits of chicken from the bottom of the pan with the side of the spoon.
10. Simmer until the wine reduces to about a half cup.
11. Stir in chicken broth, garlic, lemon juice, and capers. Simmer over medium-high heat for about five minutes, until it slightly thickens.
12. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and parsley.
13. Toss the sauce and reserved chicken with the hot pasta and serve immediately.

Spaghetti With Chicken Carbonara

I love carbonara —  I mean, it's bacon and eggs, so what's not to love? And adding chicken and peas makes it a super satisfying supper that comes together quickly. This recipe serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ pound pancetta, chopped
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup white wine, like Chardonnay
• 1 cup frozen peas
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 package spaghetti, cooked according to package directions and drained

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high until it shimmers.
2. Add the pancetta and cook until it's crisp, about five minutes. 
3. Remove the pancetta from the fat with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
4. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
5. Cook chicken breasts in bacon fat until the juices run clear, about five minutes per side.
6. Remove the chicken from the fat and set it aside on a clean plate, tented with foil.
7. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.
8. Cook garlic in the fat until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
9. Stir in the white wine, using the side of the spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bacon and chicken on the bottom of the pan. Add the peas.
10. Simmer until thickened, about two minutes, and then remove from the heat.
11. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.
12. Add two tablespoons of the wine sauce to the eggs and whisk to temper the eggs. 
13. Pour the eggs in a thin stream into the wine and pea mixture, whisking constantly.
14. Slice chicken into bite size pieces.
15. Toss pancetta, chicken, sauce, Parmesan, and hot spaghetti. Serve topped with additional cheese if you wish.

It's Pasta Night

Sure you could have the same old spaghetti. Or you could shake up pasta night by serving one of our creamy chicken pasta recipes that we know everyone will love.