25 Best Pasta With Chicken Recipes (Each Under 30 Minutes)

Chicken is THE white meat, and pasta is THE ultimate comfort food. When combined, the two make epic dinner fellows. This roundup of Simply Recipes’ most crave-worthy chicken pasta recipes will kick you out of your dinner-time rut.

Are you ready to hear the best part? Most of these chicken pasta dishes are ready in about 30 minutes, some even quicker. Get ready to face some hard choices on which of these 25 crave-worthy chicken pasta dishes will be the first you make. I’m warning you: It won’t be easy.

Robin Shreeves joins Marta Rivera in compiling this list.

Chicken scampi with angel hair pasta is a 20-minute meal that’s bursting with flavors. Bright lemon juice combined with acidic white wine creates a light pan sauce. If you’re not a fan of cooking with wine, replace it with chicken stock. This is a true pantry meal as most of its components come from your kitchen cabinets.

One-pot chicken and orzo is a succulent twist on arroz con pollo. Devote a little over half an hour to this one-skillet meal, and you’ll be rewarded with fewer dishes and tons of flavor. Speaking of time, you can sub out the bone-in, skin-on thighs for boneless, skinless thighs for a quicker cooking time.

Eggs, Parmesan cheese, and pasta sauce create a creamy sauce for this simple pasta dish. The sauce goes over spaghetti with chicken and bacon (or guanciale or pancetta), and it all comes together in 30 minutes.

4. Rasta Pasta with Jerk Chicken

A popular Caribbean dish that’s perfect for a weeknight meal, Rasta Pasta is sort of an Italian-meets-Jamaican dish. This recipe calls for penne pasta, but you can use whatever pasta you want. However, the jerk part with its heat is mandatory.

Simply Recipes Contributor Alexandra Domrongchai says, “Typically, pad see ew is made with Chinese broccoli (also known as gai lan), a leafy green vegetable with broad leaves and sturdy stems. If you can’t find it, you can use equal parts broccoli or broccolini in its place.”

Tuscan chicken pasta skillet is a true one-pot dish, though you can serve it with a green salad on the side for a heartier meal. If you marinate the chicken a day ahead, you’ll have less prep come dinnertime. Use linguine, spaghetti, or even fettuccine in this skillet meal.

Simply Recipes Recipe Developer and Food Stylist Melissa Gray says, “The sauce has all of the makings of Caesar dressing but swaps the egg for heavy cream and combines it with juicy chicken tenderloins. You can’t go wrong serving it over your favorite pasta, or, for a low-carb option, serve it over romaine hearts with croutons.”

Penne pasta, chicken, and broccoli combine to make one tasty dish. The secret to the full flavor is flavorful boneless, skinless chicken thighs plus some white wine and Parmesan cheese. Don’t forget to save some of the pasta water to make the sauce silky.

Use an oven-safe skillet like cast iron to go from stovetop to oven seamlessly with this skillet chicken parmesan. Eliminate the breading for a low-carb chicken parm option. If you have a bit more time, make your pasta sauce from scratch. You’d be remiss if you didn’t turn leftovers into a chicken parmesan sandwich for the following day’s lunch!

Roast chicken on angel hair pasta is a true meal-in-one, but you can bulk it up by serving it with warm, crusty bread. Chicken legs and breasts bake over the pasta that comes out tender—like magic. The chicken juices and tomatoes seep into the pasta to make an effortless sauce on its own.

Chicken piccata pasta has basically elevated chicken nuggets, which means it’s especially kid-friendly. Its bright lemony sauce is punctuated with briny capers. This recipe makes a lot, so you can enjoy leftovers the following day.

The classic breaded chicken cutlet—topped with a quick homemade sauce and bubbly, melted cheese—sits on a bed of spaghetti. It’s as satisfying and delicious as it sounds.

Pasta skillet with chicken sausage, cheese, and spinach is another great one-skillet meal, with only 5 ingredients. This rich, tomato-y dish is ready in 30 minutes—that’s faster than ordering and receiving your takeout. But you can make it even faster by using a jarred marinara sauce.

Simply Recipes Recipe Developer and Food Stylist Melissa Gray says, “When cooking pasta in a skillet like this, you want to make sure that you are always returning the pasta to an even layer so it’s as covered with liquid as possible. This will help ensure it cooks evenly.”

Simply Recipes Contributor Devan Grimsrud says, “The recipe calls for bone-in chicken thighs. Use six boneless chicken thighs—skin on or off, up to you—and cut the cooking time by a third to just 10 minutes.”

Creamy chicken and asparagus pasta has extra tang thanks to goat cheese. A hint of nutmeg adds more warmth and excitement to an already flavorful cream sauce, but you can go a step further and add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes to make it spicy. If it isn’t asparagus season, swap green beans for them.

Rotisserie chicken alfredo snatches help from the grocery store to make a (less than) 30-minute dinner. You’ll find that the creamy alfredo tastes richer when made from scratch, so be sure to use a wider noodle, like fettuccine or linguine, to hold the sauce. If you don’t feel like picking up a rotisserie chicken from the store, use poached boneless, skinless chicken breast instead. Toss in a couple of handfuls of peppery arugula or green spinach for a complete meal.

Skillet chicken with cheesy orzo and zucchini is a one-pot, stand-alone meal. Everything cooks in the same skillet, which you can also serve straight from the pan. You can always swap the zucchini (if it’s not in season) for broccoli florets, sliced asparagus, or haricot verts. Add another level of tang to this cheesy meal by adding 1/4 cup of finely shredded pecorino cheese to the fontina or Havarti.

This American salad uses some traditional Asian ingredients in the dressing—soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil—plus chow mein noodles that give the salad some great crunch. If you already have cooked chicken, it’s a quick, easy, and satisfying salad.

Use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or quickly poach chicken breasts to add to macaroni and cheese made with a homemade cheese sauce that includes onions and garlic. Roasted cauliflower makes a great side. The family will love it!

Senior Editor Laurel Randolph says, “If you find the chicken sticks to the pan, let it cook a little longer. It will separate from the pan as it cooks.”

Chicken and pasta get the soup treatment. This healthy soup has fresh vegetables and beans, too. It’s topped with a drizzle of basil pesto to pump up the flavor of the soup.

A sauce made from stock thickened with beurre manie (butter and flour) takes the place of canned cream soup in this classic casserole that’s sure to hit the spot. It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken.

Rotisserie chicken is the hero of so many meals, including this stroganoff with mushrooms, butter, onion, and sour cream. It all tops light and fluffy egg noodles.

Simply Recipes Test Kitchen Assistant Catherine Jessee says, “Almost any combination of vegetables works well with this recipe. In addition to mushrooms and carrots, try radishes, red cabbage, bell peppers, or other mushroom varieties.”