All the great chicken parmesan flavors, combined in one easy one pot pasta dish that’s ready in 30 minutes! Less dishes, but a meal with maximum flavor!
Do you love chicken parmesan, but don’t love all the dishes that come with it? Then this is the dish for you! One pot, 30 minutes! The pasta cooks in the pot with all the sauce and chicken, making it super flavorful!
I’m obsessed with one pot pasta dinners. They. Are. AMAZING!! No waiting for a big pot of water to boil, no draining, no extra pot to wash… just one pot of pure comfort food.
I also love chicken parmesan… SO much. But I definitely don’t love the tedious breading process, so many dishes to wash, and how long it can take to make it!
BUT, WHERE’S THE BREADING??
I opted to omit the breading here… to save calories, recipe steps, and to keep the ultra creamy consistency. If you really want that breading crunch, you could add some toasted Italian panko breadcrumbs to the top of the dish.
Of course, you could always bread some chicken tenders and cook them before laying them on top of the pasta, but that kinda defeats the whole “one pot” idea.
You can make this one pot chicken parmesan pasta in any large skillet or pot, but I always make it in my enameled dutch oven.
When I’m stirring the pasta as it cooks, I don’t want to be worried about the liquid slopping up and over the sides. I’m a messy cook, but no one likes to clean up burn on sauces from their stovetop!
If you don’t have a dutch oven, you can use a deep sided skillet, or a stock pot… but I highly recommend picking up a dutch oven, they have so many uses!!
To go alongside this pasta, I like to serve either my homemade cheesy garlic bread, cheesy garlic crescent rolls, or no knead artisan bread. Add a nice green salad and it makes the perfect trio!
In case your family isn’t licking the pot clean by the time dinner is over, this pasta reheats well for lunch the next day!
As the weeknights get busier and busier, do yourself a favor and whip up this 30 minute one pot chicken parmesan pasta!
Things you may need for this recipe: (these are affiliate links – see my disclosure page for more details)
- Dutch oven – I own several Le Creuset’s that I love too, but this is a much more affordable option, and it’s been a workhorse in my kitchen!
- Box grater – I like to grate my own cheeses… they get extra gooey and melty this way
- Marinara – This is the brand of marinara sauce that I like to use
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 oz dried short-cut pasta (I used rigatoni)
- 24 oz jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I used Newman's Own)
- water to fill empty marinara sauce jar
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- additional dried Italian seasoning, optional
- fresh parsley and/or basil, minced for garnish
Instructions
- To a large pot or skillet (I used my dutch oven), add a drizzle of olive oil and heat over MED-HIGH heat. Add chicken, season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Cook about 5 minutes, until chicken is most of the way cooked through. Remove to a plate.
- Add onion and garlic to the pot and cook about 2-3 minutes, until soft. Pour in marinara sauce, fill up empty sauce jar with water and add to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a strong simmer.
- Add chicken and pasta, stir, then cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, until pasta is cooked to your liking. Stir in parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
- Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese on top of the dish and cook another 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted and gooey.
- Sprinkle with additional Italian seasoning if desired, and garnish with parsley or basil.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Delores says
Easy, tasty, quick. I see this as a technique more than a recipe. I added a bag of frozen mixed vegetables this time but can imagine using different protein, cheeses and sauces.
jp says
Did you cook the pasta dry in the pot or did you boil it first?
The Chunky Chef says
It goes in dry and cooks in the pot with everything else.
David says
Have you considered making an Instant Pot version of this? I bet it would work well!
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe in the Instant Pot yet, but a pressure cooker version is something on my calendar to work on over the next few months 🙂
Joy P says
Really easy and delicious!!
Tsnel says
So good. Will definitely make this again. Easy to prepare and very delicious. 💕
Meg says
I made this with some Costco staples – fusilli, Pacifica tomato red pepper soup (16oz), and marinated tomatoes in olive oil (are about 8oz). It was JAMMIN! I am not in love with baked pastas but we all crushed it. Including the 2.5 and 6 year olds 🙂 . It didn’t take long and they can help make it next time. Our side was steamed frozen broccoli, too from Costco.
Megan says
We made this last night and it was SO good! I added a zucchini from our garden that we needed to use up, and added some heavy cream to help thicken up the sauce (I added extra water because I was worried about the noodles cooking!)
Marcia says
Yum!! I used spaghetti instead of pasta, but it was still great. And, so easy. I have plenty left over for lunch. With some red wine, it hit the spot!
Melissa says
This was delicious. I just added some red pepper flakes for a kick. Do you know if this meal is freezer friendly?
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t tested freezing this recipe, so I can’t say for certain, but if you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it goes 🙂
Alyssa says
I’ve made this multiple times now, and it’s a huge hit for my husband, 1 year old son, and I! We often have plenty left over, So I divide the pan into 2 or 3 8×8 aluminum pans and freeze them! They freeze great, and when I want to eat them, I pull them out the night before to thaw completely, then I’ll reheat in the oven on 350, covered with foil for about half hour! Then I remove foil, sprinkle on some extra cheese, wait for cheese to melt and enjoy!
Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
Amber says
Oh wow! I followed this recipe exactly and it was so good! Thank you! Myself and my husband really enjoyed it and we have plenty left over for lunch tomorrow!
Alice says
This recipe was absolutely delicious and easy to make! I made it exactly as the recipe calls for because I get easily distracted/confused if I deviate from written instructions. Myself, husband, daughter, and five grands ate it voraciously.
Timerra says
Trying this tonight thank you
Xyla Dawn says
Absolutely delicious, I ended up using whole grain penne pasta instead of rigatoni. I also added a ton of grated zucchini to the recipe because we have a ton from the garden this year. Since I added zucchini to the recipe I added a bit of extra sauce. I didnt have any mozzarella cheese so I used Mexican cheese instead and added breadcrumbs on top as suggested. Another thing I did was pound the chicken thinner before cooking. This is a fun recipe to experiment with… Thanks for the recipe Amanda!
Sarah Lease says
Love, love, love… is all I need to say!
Sim says
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This dish was a hit with my family 😁
Zehra says
Tried it and the fam bam loves it cousins love it. Planning to make again for niece and nephew on Saturday
David says
Tasty, easy and minimal clean up.
Susan says
This is REALLY good! And it comes together quick and easy! We had unexpected company drop in for a couple of hours one afternoon on a night when my son was working overnight. When our company left I flew into the kitchen to get this ready before my son had to leave. I made it and was really pleased with the results!
Danielle says
So good!!!! I’m definitely saving this recipe!!!
Kevin says
Can I make this without the meat and recipe still be the same?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe without chicken, so I can’t say for certain how well that will work. My guess is that it may be a little more liquid-y, since the meat isn’t there, but it should be okay.