Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta with Thyme
Ingredients
- 1 poundboneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ·salt
- ·black pepper
- 2 tablespoonolive oil
- 4 clovesgarlic
- ½ cupdry white wine
- 1 cupheavy cream
- ½ cupchicken broth
- 3 sprigsfresh thyme
- ¾ poundpappardelle pasta
- ½ cupparmesan cheese
- 1lemon
Prep
- 01
Mince 4 cloves garlic.
- 02
Cut 1 lemon in half.
Method
- 01
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pappardelle and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water, and set aside.
- 02
While pasta cooks, season chicken breasts generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
- 03
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add chicken and cook 6 to 7 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through (165°F at thickest point). Transfer to a cutting board.
- 04
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil from the pan. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 05
Pour in white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
- 06
Add heavy cream, chicken broth, and thyme sprigs. Stir and simmer 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 07
Slice the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and return it to the skillet. Stir in parmesan cheese until melted and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- 08
Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss gently to coat, adding splashes of reserved pasta water as needed to reach a silky consistency. Remove thyme sprigs.
- 09
Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve immediately in shallow bowls.
Spice Tips
For subtle warmth, add a pinch of red pepper flakes when you cook the garlic. If you like earthiness, increase the thyme to 4 or 5 sprigs. A touch of Dijon mustard (½ teaspoon) stirred into the cream sauce adds pleasant tang.
For a lighter version, swap heavy cream for half-and-half or crème fraîche. The dish is also excellent with fresh tagliatelle.