One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta

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My sister called me last Tuesday night asking what to make for dinner. She had chicken, pasta, and jarred sauce but was tired of making the same boring spaghetti. Told her about this recipe and she texted me an hour later saying her kids asked if they could have it again the next night.

That’s the power of one pot pasta, apparently. Makes you a hero with minimal effort.

Why This Recipe’s A Game Changer

Traditional chicken parm is amazing but it’s also a production. You’re breading chicken, frying it, making pasta separately, heating up sauce, assembling everything. By the time you eat, you’ve got a sink full of dishes and you’re too tired to enjoy it.

This version gives you all those flavors – the chicken, the marinara, the melty cheese – but everything cooks in one pot. The pasta absorbs all that sauce while it cooks, which makes it taste way better than just pouring sauce on top of already-cooked noodles.

No breading means it’s faster and honestly? I don’t even miss it. The cheese on top gets this gooey, browned situation that scratches that same itch.

The One Pot Thing

I use my Dutch oven for this because it’s deep enough that nothing boils over when I’m stirring the pasta around. A deep-sided skillet works fine too, just need something big enough to hold a pound of pasta and all the liquid.

The pasta cooks right in the sauce, soaking up flavor the whole time. It’s the same principle as risotto but way less babysitting. Just stir it a few times and you’re good.

First time I made this, my husband came into the kitchen and asked where the rest of the dinner was. Like, what side dishes was I making. Had to explain that this IS dinner. Complete meal, one pot. He was skeptical until he ate three servings.

What Goes In It

Chicken breasts – Two or three boneless skinless ones, cut into bite-sized chunks. Not thin slices, actual chunks so they stay juicy.

Italian seasoning – One teaspoon for the chicken. That dried herb blend in the spice aisle.

Garlic powder – Half a teaspoon, also for the chicken.

Onion – One medium yellow onion, chopped small.

Fresh garlic – Three cloves, minced or chopped fine.

Pasta – 16 ounces of short pasta. I use rigatoni or penne. Needs to be the short chunky kind, not spaghetti.

Marinara sauce – One 24-ounce jar of whatever brand you like. I usually grab Newman’s Own because it tastes good and isn’t expensive.

Water – Fill up that empty marinara jar with water. Thins out the sauce so the pasta cooks properly.

Mozzarella – One cup shredded. Grate it yourself for better melting.

Parmesan – Half a cup grated. The real stuff, not the powdery kind in the green can.

Salt and pepper – For seasoning.

Fresh basil or parsley – For sprinkling on top at the end if you’re feeling fancy.

Making This Happen

Get your Dutch oven or big deep skillet going over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil.

Season your chicken chunks with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Toss them in the hot pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. They don’t need to be completely cooked through – they’ll finish later. Just get them mostly done and a little browned. Take them out and put them on a plate.

In that same pot (don’t wash it, the flavor’s in there), add your chopped onion. Cook for a couple minutes until it softens. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute until it smells amazing.

Pour in your jar of marinara sauce. Fill up the empty jar with water and pour that in too. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn it down to a strong simmer – you want it bubbling steadily but not violently.

Add your chicken back in along with all the dried pasta. Stir it up so the pasta’s submerged as much as possible. Put a lid on it.

Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The pasta will absorb the liquid and cook. You want to stir it so the pasta doesn’t stick together or to the bottom of the pot. If it looks too dry and the pasta isn’t cooked yet, add a splash more water.

When the pasta is tender (taste a piece to check), stir in the parmesan cheese and a quarter cup of the mozzarella. This makes everything extra creamy.

Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella – the remaining 3/4 cup – all over the top. Put the lid back on and let it cook another 2-3 minutes until that cheese melts.

Take off the lid, maybe sprinkle some more Italian seasoning on top if you want, and throw on some fresh chopped basil or parsley.

Done. Thirty minutes start to finish.

What I’ve Learned Making This

Don’t skip cooking the chicken first. I tried just throwing raw chicken in with everything else once to save time. Bad move. The chicken didn’t brown at all and the texture was weird.

Stir the pasta regularly. It’ll stick together or burn on the bottom if you just leave it alone for the whole 15 minutes.

The water is essential. Just using straight marinara sauce isn’t enough liquid to cook the pasta. It’ll burn before the pasta gets soft.

Use the right pasta shape. Long pasta like spaghetti doesn’t work well here. Stick with short shapes – penne, rigatoni, shells, rotini, whatever. Just needs to be bite-sized.

Fresh mozzarella gets weird. Use the pre-shredded kind or shred a block of low-moisture mozzarella yourself. Fresh mozzarella has too much water and makes everything soupy.

Ways to Switch It Up

Basic recipe is great but you can definitely modify it.

Add vegetables. Throw in some frozen spinach or chopped bell peppers with the onions. Mushrooms work great too.

Make it spicy. Add red pepper flakes with the garlic or use spicy Italian sausage instead of chicken.

Want that breading crunch? Toast some panko breadcrumbs with butter and Italian seasoning, then sprinkle them on top at the end.

Could use Italian sausage instead of chicken breasts. Brown it the same way, break it into chunks as it cooks.

My neighbor adds a splash of cream at the end to make it richer. Not necessary but pretty good.

Serving This

I usually just put the pot on the table and let everyone serve themselves. It’s that kind of meal.

Goes well with:

• Garlic bread for soaking up extra sauce
• Simple green salad
• Roasted broccoli or green beans
• Honestly it’s complete on its own

My kids eat this without complaining, which is basically a five-star review in parent world.

Leftover Life

Keeps in the fridge for about 3-4 days in a covered container.

Reheats great in the microwave. The pasta soaks up even more flavor sitting in the fridge overnight, so it almost tastes better the next day.

Add a splash of water when reheating if it seems dry. The pasta keeps absorbing sauce as it sits.

Haven’t tried freezing it but I bet it would work fine for a couple months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat.

When to Make This

Perfect for:

• Busy weeknights when you need dinner fast
• When you’re sick of doing dishes
• Feeding picky eaters who like cheese and pasta
• Using up chicken breasts before they go bad
• Sunday dinner without the Sunday effort

Not great for:

• Impressing your foodie friends (it’s comfort food, not fancy)
• When you’re trying to eat low-carb
• Hot summer days (heats up the kitchen a bit)

Why It Works

It’s the ease-to-deliciousness ratio. Takes thirty minutes and one pot but tastes like you worked way harder.

Everyone likes chicken parm. Taking away the fussy breading step and combining it all into one dish? That’s just smart. You get all the flavors without all the work.

And there’s something about pasta that cooks in the sauce that just tastes better than pasta with sauce poured over it. The noodles soak up all that flavor instead of just being coated on the outside.

Make this next Tuesday when you’re tired and don’t know what to cook. Your family will think you’re a genius and you can just nod and accept the praise while secretly knowing it was the easiest thing ever.