Chicken Caesar Pasta (One Pot!)
This One Pot Chicken Caesar Pasta recipe is so easy to make! Angel hair pasta and blackened chicken are tossed in a creamy Parmesan sauce with a hint of Caesar dressing, lemons, and capers.
Servings: 4
Calories: 625kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup Caesar salad dressing divided
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1 large
- 3 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz. angel hair pasta equal to 1/2 lb.
- 1 Tablespoon capers
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- Freshly cracked pepper
- Fresh Parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Slice each chicken breast in half to create two thinner pieces of equal size. Season each side with lemon pepper seasoning.
- Place the chicken in a freezer Ziploc bag and add ¾ cup of Caesar dressing (save ¼ cup for the pasta sauce). Coat the chicken with the dressing and seal. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (or longer if time allows.)
- Meanwhile, shred the Parmesan cheese and set it aside. It should be at room temp when added to the sauce.
- Take ¼ cup of the Caesar dressing and whisk it with ¾ cup milk. Set it aside, it should also come down to nearly room temp. Don’t worry if it’s not completely uniform in consistency.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large high-walled skillet or dutch oven.
- Add the marinated chicken and let it sear, undisrupted, for 4-5 minutes per side. Decrease heat to medium if oil begins to splatter.
- Set the chicken on a plate. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then cut it into strips. Transfer any juice left on the plate back to the pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter. Add the minced garlic. Heat for one minute.
- Add the chicken broth, and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Slowly stir in the milk/Caesar dressing. Bring to a boil.
- Add the angel hair pasta and use kitchen tongs to gently bend the noodles into the pan as they soften. (If preferred, you can also break them in half.)
- Let the pasta simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the noodles don't stick together.
- Once the pasta is softened and cooked through, add the capers and decrease heat to low.
- Gradually sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, use tongs to toss and combine. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the lemon juice. Stir to combine.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Add freshly cracked pepper and serve.
Notes
Note: Be sure to use angel hair. Substituting regular spaghetti noodles requires more liquid and cooking time. If you only have spaghetti, plan on using an extra 1/2 cup chicken broth, an extra 1/2 cup milk, and an extra 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Caesar Dressing Recommendation:
Serve this with my Garlic Bread with Cheese.
Using Rotisserie or Leftover Chicken: 2 cups of cooked chicken can be mixed in at the end once the pasta is cooked. No need to marinate or sear the chicken first.
Caesar Dressing Recommendation:
- My homemade Caesar Dressing is excellent. Otherwise I recommend Marie’s Caesar salad dressing found in the refrigerated aisle in the produce section.
Serve this with my Garlic Bread with Cheese.
Using Rotisserie or Leftover Chicken: 2 cups of cooked chicken can be mixed in at the end once the pasta is cooked. No need to marinate or sear the chicken first.
Nutrition
Calories: 625kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 1102mg | Potassium: 758mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 314IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 248mg | Iron: 2mg