It’s traditional to serve chicken parmesan with pasta, but what about in the pasta? Chicken Parmesan Pasta mixes the tender rotini pasta (the perfect pasta shape to scoop up sauce, we might add) in a herbaceous and rich marinara sauce just begging to be scooped up! And of course, there’s the golden, crispy, pan-fried, and savory chicken. With melty cheese on top! How can anyone say no? Well, with Chicken Parmesan Pasta, they won’t! Simple as that!
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 1 pound whole wheat rotini
For the chicken:
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for the chicken, to taste
- 1 teaspoon pepper, plus more for the chicken, to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup seasoned fine breadcrumbs
- 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
For the sauce:
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 12 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated, divided
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 –Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Step 3 –In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta to just shy of al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than indicated on the package directions.
Step 4 –While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil.
Step 5 –In a bowl, stir 1 cup of the flour, the salt, the pepper, and the garlic powder together.
Step 6 –In a second bowl, add the eggs.
Step 7 –In a third bowl, stir the panko breadcrumbs, the seasoned breadcrumbs, and the remaining flour together.
Step 8 –Season the chicken with the salt and the pepper.
Step 9 –Dip each piece of the chicken in the flour, then in the egg.
Step 10 –Dip each egg-coated chicken piece in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere.
Step 11 –Place the breadcrumb-coated chicken pieces in the skillet in batches and cook until they are deeply golden, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Step 12 –Repeat the cooking process until all the chicken is cooked.
Step 13 –Add 3/4 of the marinara to the prepared baking dish.
Step 14 –Stir the minced garlic, the basil, and the pasta into the marinara.
Step 15 –Stir 1/2 of the fontina cheese into the pasta mixture.
Step 16 –Place the chicken on top of the pasta.
Step 17 –Add the remaining sauce on top of the chicken and sprinkle with the remaining fontina cheese and the parmesan cheese.
Step 18 –Bake until the pasta is cooked through and the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Step 19 –Let the pasta cool slightly and serve.
