Easy Creamy Mushroom Chicken Pasta
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This easy one pan creamy mushroom chicken pasta has all the flavor but way fewer calories than your restaurant version. The white pasta sauce recipe has no cream but still delivers all the lusciousness your heart desires.
Why This Easy Chicken Mushroom Pasta Recipe Is So Awesome
Our creamy chicken mushroom pasta without cream has all the creaminess without any guilt. We used the starch from the pasta plus Parmesan and a bit of cream cheese to achieve a mouthwatering result.
Did I mention you only need one pan to make this simple creamy chicken mushroom pasta? Instead of boiling the pasta separately and wasting all that starchy goodness, the pasta is cooked directly in chicken broth. Yay for minimal cleanup!
The chicken in this recipe is generously seasoned so that each bite is packed with flavor. And the dried herbs remaining in the pan are melted with butter and used to brown the mushrooms to perfection.
With our recipe, you can not only skip the cream, but you can also make the creamiest and tastiest chicken mushroom pasta without wine. White wine may add extra flavor, but it also adds extra glucose and calories. The chicken broth does just as good of a job of deglazing all the scrummy flavors in the skillet.
What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Healthier Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pasta?
This recipe calls for a few simple ingredients, and I bet you have most of them in your pantry!
For the chicken and seasonings, you’ll need:
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (approx. 2 large breasts)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. each dried thyme, ground black pepper, and fine salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
And for the creamy mushroom sauce with pasta, you’ll need:
- 8 oz. pasta of choice (I used farfalle – bowtie)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 8 oz. brown button mushrooms (cremini or Portobello work as well)
- 3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: freshly chopped parsley to garnish and more Parmesan cheese
How To Make Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta With Mushrooms
Step 1: Coat the fillets with olive oil.
Butterfly the chicken breasts all the way through so that you have 4 even chicken fillets. This will give you more surface to coat with delicious seasoning and will make the chicken cook faster.
Step 2: Thoroughly mix the fillets with dried seasonings in a bowl.
Now, add the fillets to a bowl and coat them with olive oil and dried seasonings – thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Mix well with your hands to get the spices everywhere.
Step 3: Pan-fry the chicken fillets until golden and thoroughly cooked, then set aside.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken fillets for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown or until no longer pink in the center.
Step 4: Set the cooked chicken fillets aside.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and add the butter to prevent the remaining spices from burning.
Step 5: After resting for 5-10 minutes, slice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized slices after 5-10 minutes.
Step 6: Stir-fry the mushrooms until browned
Now add the mushrooms to the same pan and stir-fry until browned. Then add onions and garlic and sauté for about 4-5 minutes or until tender. Stir often so that the garlic doesn’t burn.
Step 7: Add chicken broth
Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring it to a boil.
Step 8: Simmer pasta
Then add the pasta and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes until al dente and the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid. Stir as needed, especially as the liquid is absorbed, adding more liquid if needed.
Step 9: Blend in cream cheese and Parmesan, incorporate chicken slices, and season to taste.
Once the pasta is al dente, stir in the cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. Then stir in the chicken slices and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 10: Enjoy your Easy Creamy Mushroom Chicken Pasta!
Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving to let the sauce thicken. Garnish with fresh parsley and optional more Parmesan cheese to serve. Enjoy!
Notes & Tips
- Keep a close eye on the pasta while it simmers in the broth. The cooking and liquid evaporation time can vary depending on your stovetop, the humidity, and other factors. Add more liquid if needed to cook the pasta to your liking.
- If you plan on having leftovers, I recommend cooking the pasta al dente. Otherwise, you’ll end up with mushy pasta the next day. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese, don’t use pre-grated. Store-bought grated cheeses have additives that impair their melting capacity. No Bueno.
Ways To Personalize This Creamy Mushroom Chicken Pasta Recipe
Switch up the protein. I’ve used chicken breasts just because they’re the leanest option and I wanted to keep this recipe as low-cal as possible. But it’s delicious with chicken thighs, sausage, pancetta, or even shrimp.
Make it dairy-free. I find the best way to make this easy chicken mushroom pasta recipe dairy-free is to use vegan butter, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese. You can also use more olive oil instead of butter. And for the cream cheese, you could also sub coconut cream or unsweetened soy milk. For the Parmesan cheese, try nutritional yeast or omit it.
Add more veggies! Up the nutritional value with some fresh vegetables. My best suggestions would be spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, asparagus, or Brussels sprouts. You can also add some fresh cherry tomatoes before serving.
Make it vegetarian. Instead of meat, make this recipe with white beans, tofu, or garbanzos (chickpeas). Or just double the amount of mushrooms since they have a nice meaty texture. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Increase the fiber content and lower the calorie count by using high-fiber or whole-wheat pasta. You’ll save about 47 calories per cup and get an additional 4 grams of fiber per serving. The benefits of fiber are endless.
For more easy tasty pasta recipes, check out our pasta section here. We’ve got enough pasta recipes to keep your taste buds and families happy year-round!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts approx. 2 large breasts
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. each dried thyme ground black pepper, and fine salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 8 oz. pasta of choice
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 8 oz. brown button mushrooms
- 3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: freshly chopped parsley to garnish and more Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken breasts all the way through so that you have 4 even chicken fillets. Add them to a bowl and coat them with olive oil and dried seasonings – thyme, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown or until no longer pink in the center. Remove the chicken from the pan. Cut into slices after 5-10 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add butter to the same pan.
- Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until browned. Add onions and garlic and sauté for about 4-5 minutes until tender. Stir often so that the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring it to a boil. Then add the pasta and let it simmer for 12-15 minutes until al dente and the pasta has absorbed most of the liquid. Stir as needed, especially as the liquid is absorbed.
- Once the pasta is al dente, stir in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Then stir in the chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
