Chicken Parmesan Pasta

This one pot chicken parmesan with pasta is made in under 30 minutes! Chicken parmesan pasta is a quick and easy dish that tastes like an even more comforting version of chicken parmesan. This dish is a combination of grilled garlicky chicken breast cooked with orzo in a marinara sauce. Then, I mixed in some cheese and added some toasted buttery breadcrumbs on top for crunch.

If you would like to see a video of how I made this, check out my instagram page.

Chicken Parmesan Garlic Pasta

I have been trying to find an easy way to make a one pot chicken parmesan meal. Using large pasta shapes can be challenging when you are trying to cook them in the same pot with meat. The meat tends to cook faster than the pasta. Orzo pasta is a great choice for this dish because it cooks super fast, but you still get to enjoy pasta.

I also like that this dish uses grilled chicken breast instead of fried chicken cutlets. This lightens up the meal significantly and when you add all of the other ingredients you don’t miss a thing. I topped the dish with toasted breadcrumbs so that you still get the feeling of “breaded” chicken but it way less time consuming and it ends up being a little healthier.

This type of meal that has everything included in one dish really saves me for meal prep. I normally make a one pot rice dish or one pot pasta dish each week. Then I divide it up into 8 portions and this way, we all have dinner made for one night, my wife and I each have a couple of portions to take for lunches, and our daughter will eat some for dinner another day or as a side dish to a fresh dinner I make throughout the week.

One Pot Chicken Parmesan

Normally chicken parmesan uses up a lot of dishes in the cooking process. First you need to set up the breading station for the chicken, plus the pan with the oil, and then a separate pot to boil the pasta. It’s all just a mess. This chicken parmesan garlic pasta dish will save you.

This one pot chicken parmesan pasta cooks in the one pot and I then use a separate pan to toast up the breadcrumbs with some garlic and butter. To be honest, you could skip the breadcrumb step but this I really love this step and would urge you to try it at least once. The breading is what really makes this similar to chicken parmigiana so I feel it is necessary.

I love one pot meals because they always seem a bit easier to make and clean up goes by a lot faster. If you love this one pot meal, check out my other favorites like this One Pot Chicken Alfredo, Arroz Con Pollo (Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice), or my One Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs.

I wanted to make a one pot version of chicken parmesan because growing up chicken parmesan was such a favorite. I grew up in the central part of New Jersey and there are A LOT of Italian restaurants. There is a huge Italian-American population in New Jersey so it is just very common to order Italian food on the weekends, even during the week. Chicken Parmesan was always what I wanted. This easy and creamy chicken parmesan pasta bake is such an easy and fun way to recreate my childhood favorite.

What to Serve with Garlicky Chicken Parmesan Pasta

Well, if you are a true garic lover, I would definitely suggest my Stuffed Garlic Bread, because that bread is the best garlic bread ever. Another great option would be these Parmesan Crusted Brussels Sprouts. If you are more of an air fryer type of cook, then this Air Fryer Cauliflower is for you. You can also serve a fresh green salad using one of those convenient salad kits.

How to make Chicken Parmesan Pasta

INGREDIENTS  

• 16 oz Orzo
• 1.5 lbs Chicken Breast cut into 1″ pieces
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 1 tsp Lawrys Seasoning Salt
• 25 oz Marinara Sauce
• 25 oz Water
• 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
• 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp Salted Butter
• 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Dice your chicken into 1″ chunks and then coat in the seasoning salt
• In a large skillet over medium heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add your garlic and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and lightly browning the outside of each piece of chicken.
• Once chicken is lightly brown, add your orzo to the pan and mix it around with the chicken. Then, add in your marinara sauce and water. Mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and cover. Cook for 8-10 minutes, checking to see if the orzo is done after 8 minutes.
• Add butter and olive oil to a separate medium skillet. Add in your breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and mix well. Cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes, mixing frequently to ensure it does not burn. You want to toast the breadcrumbs so you want to get them a nice even golden brown color.
• Once the pasta is soft, turn off your heat. Uncover your pot and add shredded mozzarella on top. Mix well and cover for a few more minutes so that the residual heat can melt the cheese.
• Once the breadcrumbs are golden, top the pasta and chicken with an even coating. Enjoy!