This creamy penne pasta and chicken was a HUGE HIT with the family, particularly my picky daughter. After two bites, my son asked if there was enough for leftovers. That should count for extra points, right?
The picture above shows the adult dinner; topped with sliced grape tomatoes and sprinkled with red pepper flakes. Naturally, I left them off the kiddo's plates. The cream sauce is flavored with onion slices and minced garlic cooked in butter. It's mild and flavorful. Instead of using milk, sour cream was the dairy of choice. This ingredient alone had us ALL going back for a second serving.
It took longer to cook the penne than to make the sauce. The roasted chicken was already cooked from the other day of cooking ahead. I highly recommend making a habit of roasting chicken ahead of time. You will save yourself SO much time and it opens up opportunities to try other recipes or just relax more.
HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO DO
- 2 1/2 cups penne pasta, cooked as directed
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/3 cup onion, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 (15 oz.) can or 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup sour cream, yogurt, half-n-half or whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 roasted chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
- red pepper flakes, optional
- grape tomatoes, sliced, optional
While the penne is cooking, melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Cook garlic and onions with 1/4 teaspoon salt, over medium heat, until onions have softened. Add flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in broth, stirring frequently until sauce comes to simmer. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream until it has melted.
PLEASE STAND BY FOR A KID FRIENDLY TIP
If you have one on hand, use a hand blender to puree the onions into the sauce for a smoother texture. Or, carefully move sauce to a blender with the lid secured, and pulse the sauce until smooth. The kiddos will never know about the onions and garlic. Move sauce back to pan and stir in sour cream until it has melted.
If you don't have to make a fuss over the kids, then simply stir in the sour cream until it has melted. Be sure the pasta is well drained, then move to a large serving bowl. Top pasta with chicken pieces. Pour sauce over hot pasta, tossing well to get all that creamy sauce inside the pasta. Allow to stand a few minutes before serving, so sauce can thicken. Garnish individual plates with grape tomatoes and red pepper flakes.
This looks awesome, I am going to try it!!! I love your web site!!!
Thank you, Theresa!
The creamy sauce on the chicken and penne is SOOO Good!
I’m a big spinach fan, and I can’t wait to make this dish again with spinach.
I’ll bet it will taste wonderful.
Just wanted to let you know how much we loved this dish. I’ve made it twice so far and it is my youngest daughters favorite food *ever*. Mine too! I can’t believe how quick it is to make and I can’t believe that all four of my picky eaters loved it! I enjoyed it so much that I’ve blogged about it twice this week at http://imrunningtoeat.blogspot.com/. LOL!
I tried your recipe and let me tell we enjoyed it. I added red peppers and spinach and it was very good
will be making again in the future thanks.
OH yeah, I bet it was! I haven’t made it with spinach, yet. It’s odd I haven’t with as much as I love spinach.
Did you mean to say you added red bell peppers? If yes, how did you cook them? I’m interested in that!
I made this again, but with just onions in the sauce. WOW! YUM!
I topped it with sauteed spinach & parmesan, that was ROCKIN!
[...] recipe is very close to the Creamy Penne Pasta and Chicken dinner, except I was completely out of garlic and chicken broth. I improvised with yellow onion and [...]
Great recipe! My family loved it!
I just made a Vegetarian version of the recipe with baby portabellas (http://gaucheandgluttonous.blogspot.com/2008/08/creamy-pasta-with-mushrooms.html) and it turned out great! I just wanted to thank you for sharing such a fantastic recipe.
Thank you Kacie!
I love portabellas too. (Oh, who am I kidding? I love every mushroom I’ve ever tried.)
That’s a great idea using them. I’m gonna try those next time I make this meal. Of coarse, my family is not as crazy about mushrooms as I am, so I’ll have to make a special plate for me.
Did you do anything to the mushrooms before adding them to the cream sauce?
This recipe is awesome! I added a little more garlic and some shredded Parmesan cheese too. My family loved it, including my VERY picky kids. I made a double batch and we ate it again last night. It was even better the second day!
Hi Jen!
I don’t we can go wrong when we start adding cheese to anything. Thank you for reminding me to do that next time.
Isn’t it awesome to find a recipe your picky eaters LOVE? Hallalooya!
Just made this for the rest of my housemates, three of us (not very picky at all) and it went down an absolute treat. Excellent recipe and very easy to make.
YEAAAH!!!
Thank you James!
I use this sauce quite often; over ravioli, with roasted shrimp, and with my favorite, spinach.
It’s all good!
This recipe is SO good! My husband substituted plain yogurt for the sour cream since I am lactose intolerant and added broccoli. I couldn’t stop picking out of the serving bowl at the end of the meal. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Thank you Karla! That’s an excellent substitution tip, yogurt for sour cream. And broccoli is DELICIOUS in this recipe, as well as spinach. I’ve learned to make extra, too, just so we can enjoy it again for lunch the next day.
Charles, my husband, says it really good for a take to work lunch, easy to reheat in the microwave.
hello
Good morning Mary.K!
How many does this recipe serve? Thanks!
2 adults
2 elementary age kids
I just made this for my very picky daycare kids and they loved it. I didnt have any fresh garlic so I used garlic powder with the diced onions. I will try fresh garlic next time, but it still tasted great with just the powder. I also used 1/2 sour cream and 1/2 whole milk. Excellent recipe! Thanks for sharing it.
THANK YOU, Shanna!
I have used garlic powder many times in this recipe and my family can’t tell the difference. However, the times I’ve left out the diced onions, they noticed. Never skip the onions, the sauce won’t have to same depth of flavor. And using a 1/1 ratio on the sour cream and whole milk certainly makes a soul satisfying cream sauce. I love it!
My family loves drinking fresh whole milk. The best and healthiest milk comes straight from the cow.
This was great! I needed a quick, tasty dinner that required little effort…gosh I was beat(!)…and this recipe was just the ticket: accessible ingredients, no fuss, BIG reward.
Hello,
I am from Hungary and I have tried your recipe.. It was fantastic. my parents came to visit me and I cooked it for them.They loved it! I have put some cayenne pepper in it, and it was great!
thank you for the recipe…its a keeper!
Anita
THANK YOU, Anita!
What is your favorite Hungarian meal?
Hey Jill! I just lovvve your site! Its awesomme! I just finished eating this recipe, and it was wonderful! My friends loved it!
Haha…whenever i feel hungry, i browse through your recipes and i get satisfied..mentally..lol..:) Keep it up!
Hi, tried this dish today & absolutely loved it, i had a third helping before i went to bed:)
I’m glad you’re enjoying this pasta recipe as much as we do, Phoebe.
This is the best pasta I’ve had in a long time! It is exactly as you described and my family loved it!! I appreciate this post. Nice blog!
I made this for dinner tonight and as everyone else said it was a huge hit in my house! The only thing I did different was along with the onions and garlic I added sno-white mushrooms and a red bell pepper and it made it even more delicious!!!!! You could taste each flavor and they complimented each other wonderfuly. One did not over power the other. I have a 3 1/2 year old who i swear has the most refined palete of anyone iver ever met. He is the oposite of a picky eater. He couldnt get it in his mouth fast enough! I sure will be making this again!
I will be trying this tonight! THANKS!!!!
penne is my absolute favorite pasta. I will definitely be trying this recipe soon! thanks Mary j
typo – Thanks Jill. my apologies. I was so excited about this recipe. lol
Made this AGAIN tonight!!! I added the mushrooms and red bell pepper again this time and I used sour cream but was short a little of half a cup so I made up for it with sweetened condensed milk and it added just the right amount of sweetness to it! I also put in chicken to make it a complete meal and instead of roasted chicken I made breaded chicken and it is awesome!! Tastes much better with the breaded chicken. But thats my opinion and taste. I love love love this recipe. Ive made it with just the onions, with onions & canned mushrooms for texture along with some spinach, and then one night made it as a side with just the penne and onions and the next night added breaded chicken and broccoli and made it a meal. And tonight as I said I have added the portabella’s, red bell pepper and breaded chicken pieces. So many ways to go with this!!!! and delicious every single time! My 3 year old sayd its his favorite pasta dish, he always asks for seconds!
Thank you so much, jill, for this amazing recipe that I can do so much with!!! Makes a boring meal into a very tasty one that everyone enjoys!
THANK YOU!!!!
Lindsey
THANK YOU, Lindsey! You’ve inspired me! I’ve got to try this with breaded chicken, now. And I LURV mushrooms, too.
My mouth is literally watering just thinking about it. Thanks.
This recipe has become a regular in our house now. I have read through the comments and I can’t see one special ingredient that I cannot go without adding – Avocado as well as Shiitake Mushrooms. If you haven’t tried it with the avo you should. 2 Avocados diced. Just add it to the pasta before you pour the sauce over. It gives it a whole new depth.
I’m in! I’ll try it, Matt. I have an avocado sitting on the counter right now that needs a purpose.
I am about to head to the grocery store and I would like to make this tonight for my husband. I’m not the best with cooking, so I’m excited to make this. Is Sour cream what you reccommend?
Sour cream is my family’s favorite, Taylor.
hey i dont have sour cream… and i have to make the pasta for tonite…. any substitutes for da cream?!?!?!
Do you have plain yogurt on hand?
Stumbled upon your recipe and made it tonight. Big hit! My two picky toddlers ate it as did my husband who has an aversion to anything cream-based. Yummy! I used half and half in place of sour cream, added steamed broccoli and fresh parmesan cheese and it was fantastic. Thank you for the inspiration!
You are most welcome, Lena!
I, too, have used half-n-half and yogurt and both were winners with my family. Whichever dairy product I happen to have on hand is the one I use. No one ever notices.
Just made this the other night! The family loved it! We don’t eat meat so I substituted 1 package of morning star farms chick pattys for the chicken. I added some mushrooms to the sauce and I added the Avocado as Matt suggested. It was delicious. I also used non-fat sour cream and I couldn’t even tell. I think I will try the broccoli next time. Its going to be a regular at our house. Thanks!!
Hi Michele!
We love this dish with blanched broccoli tossed in at the last minute. Spinach is my favorite.
Hi Jill,
How much broccoli do you add? Do you put the broccoli in cold water before you add it because I think thats what to do when blanching. I don’t have experience with blanching.
When adding spinach how much do you add and how do you prepare the spinach before adding? I will have to try it both ways. I love spinach too. Thanks. I can’t wait to make it again.
For 3 broccoli lovers, I chop up about 3 cups. We all enjoy it for lunch the next day, too.
Go to the following link for my instructions on blanching vegetables:
http://simpledailyrecipes.com/174/how-to-blanch-vegetables/
As for the spinach, I blanch it in boiling water for about 3 to 5 minutes, drain in a colander, then press out the extra water with a spatula or by hand. I add the pressed spinach into the cream sauce and let it warm back up with the sauce for a minute before serving.
I measure spinach by the handfuls. Two handfuls per person.
Thanks so much for the directions! I can’t wait to try it both ways! I’ll let you know when I do.
This was AWESOME! I cooked it last night for our family and everyone loved it. I have the most picky children when it comes to food, they hate anything healthy or anything that looks icky. I pureed the onion and garlic in the sauce and they couldn’t tell. Both of them ate an entire bowl. Thank you for the new recipe for our family.
Can you substitute Onion powder for the onions?
Hi Susan, I’ve never tried this recipe using onion powder but I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work just the same. Give a whirl and let us know. ;D
My sons absolutely love this creamy penne pasta and chicken recipe! My middle son is away at college and living in a fraternity house. The night it was his turn to cook, he called me and asked for this recipe. He called me later and said they made 6 times what the recipe called for AND EVERYONE LOVED IT! They all got to eat lots and then had leftovers.
They liked it even better the next day.
When making the sauce when do u add in the sour.cream
If you plan to blend the onions to make a smooth sauce, then add the sour cream after blending the sauce. (The kid friendly tip.)
Otherwise, add the sour cream after adding the broth.
Do you have a substitution for chicken broth? I really want to make it but I’m just missing some chicken broth!
This might sound crazy but water works, too. You will need to add a dash of thyme, mild oregano, or poultry seasoning to spice it up. A little curry can lend a hint of poultry flavoring as well.
I’ve learned to keep a jar Vogue Cuisine Instant Vegebase on hand. It’s low sodium and mixes well for soups and quick broths.