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Creamy Chicken Pasta
Creamy chicken pasta for the nights when that is exactly what the household has voted for.
BASIC
Chicken, garlic, cream, parmesan and pasta. Reliable, mild and very easy to modify.
Method
Cook the pasta
Cook pasta in well-salted water until just shy of done. Keep a mug of pasta water before draining.
Cook the chicken
Season the chicken and brown it in a large frying pan until cooked through. Remove if necessary to avoid overcooking.
Make the sauce
Lower the heat, add garlic for 30 seconds, then add cream and parmesan. Stir until smooth.
Bring it together
Add pasta and chicken to the sauce. Loosen with pasta water until glossy rather than stodgy. Stir in spinach if using.
UPGRADE
More browning, mushrooms, white wine and a sauce built from the pan rather than just adding cream.
Method
Brown the chicken
Season and brown the chicken hard in a large pan. Remove once cooked.
BrownLet the food develop actual brown colour. Grey meat can be cooked, but it is not browned. If liquid pools in the pan, use more heat or cook in smaller batches.Cooking words →Brown the mushrooms
Cook the mushrooms without crowding them until properly browned. Add shallot and garlic.
BrownLet the food develop actual brown colour. Grey meat can be cooked, but it is not browned. If liquid pools in the pan, use more heat or cook in smaller batches.Cooking words →Deglaze
Add white wine and scrape the browned bits from the pan. Reduce by about half.
DeglazeAdd liquid to a hot pan and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Those bits are flavour, not washing-up failure.Cooking words →Finish the sauce
Add cream and parmesan and simmer gently. Add lemon zest and enough juice to stop the sauce feeling heavy.
Combine
Toss through pasta and chicken, loosening with pasta water. Finish with parsley if using.