Penne with Chicken and Peas
Looking for a comforting and flavorful pasta dish that’s easy to whip up on a busy weeknight? This penne pasta with chicken and peas in a cream sauce is a perfect choice.
Combining tender pieces of chicken, sweet green peas, and al dente penne pasta, this recipe brings a rich and creamy sauce to the table that everyone will love. It’s the ideal blend of heartiness and freshness, making it a family favorite.
The cream sauce, made with heavy cream, garlic, and a touch of Parmesan cheese, coats the pasta and chicken beautifully, while the peas add a pop of color and sweetness. Whether you’re cooking for a large group or just craving something indulgent, this dish is simple enough for beginners but impressive enough to serve guests.
Ready in under 30 minutes, this one-pot meal minimizes cleanup while delivering maximum flavor. You can create a restaurant-quality dinner without breaking a sweat with just a few basic ingredients that you may already have in your kitchen. Perfect for weeknights or casual weekend gatherings, this recipe will quickly become a go-to in your kitchen.
Penne with Chicken & Peas in a Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ pound penne pasta cooked to al dente
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 slices red onion diced
- ½ red bell pepper finely diced (Ricco suggested using roasted red peppers for more flavor and adding them toward the end of the recipe)
- ¼ cup white wine or brandy
- 1 chicken breast cut up into pieces (cooked or uncooked)
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Parmigiano cheese grated
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add the oil and butter.
- When hot but not smoking, add the onion and diced pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine or brandy and continue cooking until most of the wine has cooked off. This will add another layer of flavor.
- Season the already cut up cooked chicken with some freshly ground pepper and add it to the pan to reheat for about one minute.
- Add the half and half, nutmeg, parsley and peas being sure to mix together with a wooden spoon. Raise the heat to medium-high but as soon as the half and half comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium or medium-low and reduce the sauce to desired consistency (thickness).
- When the sauce is just the way you like it, add some freshly grated cheese or try the crumbled up Roquefort.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Drain the pasta but reserve a few tablespoons of the pasta water to add to the sauce if the sauce appears to be too thick. This thins out the sauce while giving it a little flavor from the cooked pasta.
- Add the pasta to the saucepan; toss well and serve.
Using Uncooked Chicken in the Recipe
Start by cutting the uncooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Sauté the chicken first in a mix of butter and olive oil, before cooking the onions and peppers. Cook the chicken until it is almost done, but not fully cooked—you’ll finish it when you return it to the pan. This prevents the chicken from becoming overcooked.
Once the chicken is nearly cooked, remove it from the pan. Then, add the onions and peppers and continue with the rest of the recipe as written.
Alternatively, you can sauté the whole chicken breast, let it rest while you make the sauce, then slice it before returning it to the pan. Both methods work well. Try them and let us know which you prefer!
Ideas for Leftover Roasted Chicken Breasts
Idea | Description | Wine Pairing |
| Chicken Caesar Salad | Toss sliced chicken with crisp romaine, croutons, and creamy Caesar dressing | Sauvignon Blanc or Vermentino |
| Chicken Quesadillas | Stuff tortillas with chicken, cheese, and veggies, then grill or pan-fry | Zinfandel or Garnacha |
| Chicken Fried Rice | Stir-fry chicken with rice, vegetables, soy sauce, and scrambled egg | Riesling or Grüner Veltliner |
| Chicken Alfredo Pasta | Mix chicken with creamy Alfredo sauce and fettuccine | Chardonnay (oaked or unoaked) |
| Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry | Quick sauté of chicken with fresh vegetables and Asian sauce | Gewürztraminer or Pinot Gris |
| BBQ Chicken Pizza | Top pizza crust with BBQ sauce, chicken, red onion, and cheese | Syrah or Barbera |
| Chicken Tacos | Fill corn tortillas with chicken, salsa, avocado, and cilantro | Albariño or Rosé |
| Chicken Pot Pie | Combine chicken with creamy filling and bake under a pastry crust | Chardonnay or Viognier |
| Chicken Soup with Noodles | Simmer chicken in broth with noodles and vegetables | Pinot Gris or Chenin Blanc |
| Chicken Wraps with Hummus & Veggies | Wrap chicken in a tortilla with hummus, cucumber, and greens | Rosé or Sauvignon Blanc |
| Mediterranean Chicken Grain Bowl | Combine chicken with quinoa, olives, feta, cucumbers, and tzatziki | Assyrtiko or Vermentino |
| Chicken Curry | Simmer chicken with curry sauce and serve with rice | Gewürztraminer or off-dry Riesling |
| Chicken Enchiladas | Roll chicken in tortillas, cover with enchilada sauce, and bake | Tempranillo or Grenache |
| Chicken and Pesto Pasta | Toss chicken with pasta, pesto, and Parmesan | Verdicchio or Sauvignon Blanc |
| Chicken and Mushroom Risotto | Stir chicken into creamy mushroom risotto | Pinot Noir or Chardonnay |
7 Responses
Anyone else tried this? Looks really tasty, I bet you can swap the peas out with something else, broccoli or anything really!
I added some cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2, towards the end. Delicious.
Good recipe.
sounds just like chicken carbonara if you add bacon
how it can be compare with carabonara , as cream cheese, chicken goes with white wine and carbonara goes with brown sauce, red wine.
lovely to add muschrooms and some cream!!
=]
I just made this recipe, thinking of adding more parmesan cheese, more salt, and mushrooms, but it was VERY delicious. Everyone liked it except my little sister, who doesn’t like anything.
Hi M and J, I know how that is- RG