You may not be a chef or have a passion for cooking but you will for sure have a pasta recipe on hand that you file neatly under the category of “comfort food” to keep nit-pickers at bay – because this recipe is your emotional support in times when you feel like you just need a friend but you have no social battery. Well, you can at least make pasta. That’s just how life works and I’m here to tell you the recipe I go back to when I’m hungry (or need a hug). Lol.
You want to get to the recipe. I do too but read this.
– This is strictly a one-person recipe because I mostly cook for myself, unless I’m looking for compliments.
– Secondly, SEASONING is important and personal and subjective. You got to know your salt and pepper and chilli flakes requirement. If you don’t, that’s fine but then what you have to do is a thing called taste-test (and adjust accordingly) before you sit down to eat.
– Avoid using Kolson or Adam’s Cheese because they will make your pasta taste bland. I really recommend using the mozzarella cheese of Nurpur and the Reggia brand for pasta.
– Don’t skip the vegetables because that’s where the flavour is at.
Ingredients List for Creamy Chicken Pasta
The following will be good for 1 person (and maybe a sibling who wants a bite)
- 1 cup uncooked pasta (I used shell)
- Boneless chicken cubes [two]
- 1/2 a bell pepper (chopped)
- Garlic Cloves (6 minimum, chopped)
- 7-8 cherry tomatoes
- Dairy Cream (I used half of the 200ml pack)
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Olive Oil
- Salt (preferably himalayan pink salt)
- Black pepper
- Pasta water (this is leftover water from the pan you have cooked your pasta in)
- Cottage cheese (ricotta would also be great)
- Parsley (or dill or any other herb to garnis
Here's how to make it:
Step 1:
Add 1 cup of uncooked pasta in 2 cups of water in a saucepan with a tbsp of salt and bring it to a boil.
Step 2:
Chop two boneless chicken cubes into smaller chunks and marinate in yogurt, salt, pepper and red chilli flakes for 15-20 minutes.
In a pan add 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat and stir fry the marinated chicken cubes until they change colour and are cooked through. Set aside.
Step 3:
In the same pan you cooked the chicken, add another tbsp of olive oil, chopped garlic cloves, chopped bell peppers and a handful of cherry tomatoes. Saute till the cherry tomatoes are soft and starting to burst. You can smash them further with a wooden spoon and stir.
Step 4:
Add 1 tsp of salt and red chilli flakes and 100ml of dairy cream to the sauteed vegetables and mix.
After the cream is thoroughly mixed, stir in 4-5 tbsp of pasta water and cook till it achieves a saucy consistency.
Step 5:
Add the cooked chicken cubes and boiled pasta to the sauce and mix until the pasta is fully coated.
(If the sauce thickens too much, add some of the reserved pasta water to bring it back to a sauce-like consistency)
Step 6:
Taste-test the sauce and add salt, pepper and red chilli flakes accordingly.
Add shredded mozarella cheese (half a cup) and mix. The pasta should have a rich consistency at this point with cheese pulls. If it’s watery, let it cook further.
Step 7:
Do a final check for seasoning and serve your pasta in a bowl. Garnish with your favourite herbs – chopped parsley/dill – whatever you have and another round of freshly cracked black pepper.
(optional) spread cottage cheese on top.
Enjoy!
So there you have it! A step-by-step of the pasta that I make quite often. This is creamy, the cherry tomatoes and bell pepper add amazing flavour and the chicken is there so you can tell yourself that you also had protein.
Do you have a favourite pasta sauce? Let me know below.
Try this recipe out and tag me on our instagram at @hungryinkarachi.
Read More: This is how I make chimichurri.
