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.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
Video
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.
Chad says
Thanks so much for this !
@ #4 I might “place in oven to brown chez on top”
Question @ #2 “add water”. R U simply refilling the jar just emptied of sauce (so equal water’n sauce)? Wanna follow ur recipe 1st time so I can try it (w/o any customizing… 1st time anyway).
Thanks again~
The Chunky Chef says
You can certainly add this to the oven to brown the cheese on top if you’d like. Just make sure the pan you’re using is oven/broiler safe. With regards to instruction #2, yes you are using the empty jar to fill it with water as indicated in the ingredient list and this verbiage, “fill up empty sauce jar with water and add to the pot”. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! 🙂
Lisa says
This recipe is a good start (at least for my family). Next time, I wouldn’t use Newman’s Own marinara (I recommend Rao’s or another family favorite brand). I will likely make this again but will use Italian chicken sausage or boneless thighs. I also recommend using a lot of seasonings. It is really good with freshly shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Based on that, I think my family will end up loving this recipe.
Ashley says
This is the most requested dinner from my kids who range from ages 8-16 as well as all of their friends. I do add a ton of seasoning to the chicken…a little bit of this and that but it’s delicious! I’m so glad I found this and the kids are as well! Thank you!
H says
Not very flavorful, sadly disappointed because it was pretty easy
Jessica says
Made this but added a little pesto/feta and used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breast.
Also made it into a bake with panko on top, OMG so amazing!! Am definitely going to be making this again
Brain says
Do I cook the pasta before adding it or does it cook when I add to the pot with the chicken?
The Chunky Chef says
It cooks in the pot with the chicken 🙂
Ooga booga says
Good a** sh*t!
Maureen Murphy says
Hi, Can I make this in the crock pot? Trying to get a head start on my Easter dinner.
The Chunky Chef says
This recipe wasn’t developed to be cooked in a slow cooker, so I can’t say how well it would work, or what changes would need to be made. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it goes 🙂
Ibtesam says
I have made this recipe multiple times now, my 6 going in 7 years old son, who is on spectrum for autism eats it every time and even takes a few bites when I’m eating it and he’s not hungry at the moment. So it’s safe to say he loves it. I haven’t tried giving it in lunch to school but I certainly plan to 😊
Taya says
In love with this recipe. I love chicken Parmesan but I also love my pasta.
Frank says
Very very good !
Quill says
I love this recipe! The only tip I’d add is that the pasta took about 25-30mins to cook to el dente. Other than that, it’s perfect!!
Rose Rankin says
It was fast and easy to make. My fa.ily loved it.
Camille says
I’m 10, and I made this for dinner for my family for dinner, and they loved it! The one thing I changed was I used bowtie pasta! 😊
Steven says
The sauce was really soupy, not sure if I missed a step or what but it didn’t look like the picture. Followed the recipe step for step, wondering if I should have added less water?
The Chunky Chef says
It sounds like maybe your stovetop burner was a little low (they all heat a bit differently), so not as much water was cooked out. If the pasta was cooked the way you like it, then you could try adding a bit less water, or leaving the amount as is and increasing the heat a bit.
Jackie Staples says
Very nicely ce. Will make it again
Jasmine says
I made this recipe to the letter, but it ended up being a little bit on the bland side so I upped the spices by quite a bit to get it to where I liked it. I also would have loved if it were a little more meaty. If I were to make again id put a lot more chicken in, but overall it was a good meal with a few tweaks.
Jane Livingston says
Amazing
But less than I expected
Patty says
Tried this recipe. Meal was delicious! My family loved it.
The only thing it takes a little longer for the rigatoni to soften than the 15 minutes. I probably added 5 minutes.