Delicious Breaded Chicken Pasta
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. This helps keep the content on this site free. Please read full disclosure (Disclaimer) for more information.
This Delicious Breaded Chicken Pasta is the perfect weeknight meal with less than 15 mins prep time!
Chicken Parmigiana (Chicken Parmesan) is arguably one of the most well known Italian influenced recipes in North America. It’s eponymous with everything there is to love about Italian food: warm, hearty, and fresh with a beautiful contrast of creamy cheese and savoury bright tomatoes.
This Breaded Chicken Pasta recipe is my take on that classic Chicken Parmigiana. However, as a twist, you’ll see my dish doesn’t actually contain Parmesan. Parmigiano Reggiano is a beautiful hard cheese, aged at least twelve months, in the area of Parma, Italy. Parmigiano is an art form. I adore Parmesan, however my family prefers that I make my Delicious Breaded Chicken Pasta without it. If you wished, you could certainly grate some beautiful fresh Parmesan over your dish before baking it in the oven, but I promise that this dish is just as beautiful without it.
This Delicious Breaded Chicken Pasta is a perfect weeknight meal. The flavourful crispy breading is the perfect contrast to the juicy chicken thighs, while the creamy fresh mozzarella balances the bright acidity of the fresh marinara sauce. It may look and taste fancy, but this meal comes together easily in under an hour. It’s a favourite in my home, and I think it will soon become one in yours!
TOTAL TIME
- Preparation Time – <15 minutes to set up and bread the chicken thighs
- Cooking Time – 45 minutes
- Total Time – Under an hour
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Plain breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp Dried oregano, divided in half
- 1 tsp Onion powder, divided in half
- 4 Cloves of garlic, divided in half
- 2 Large eggs
- 6-8 Boneless and skinless chicken thighs
- 1/8 tsp Kosher salt, plus additional to taste
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 680 ml Passata
- 4-5 Basil leaves
- Mozzarella to taste
- 500 g/one box Short pasta (I like De Cecco and Garafole)
CHICKEN THIGHS OR CHICKEN BREASTS?
If you’d prefer, you can substitute chicken breasts for thighs in this recipe. I prefer using thighs because they have more flavour, and don’t get as dried out in the oven.
PASSATA vs CANNED TOMATOES: WHICH IS BEST?
Passata is crushed, strained, tomatoes. There are many brands and styles of passata, but I like to buy Mutti which is bottled in Italy. It is smooth and brightly flavoured with fresh tomatoes. If possible, buy passata that has no spices or herbs so that you can season your sauce to your own tastes. Canned tomatoes can be purchased whole, diced, or crushed. The two products are mostly interchangeable in terms of taste, but the resulting texture is quite different. I like to use passata because it results in a smooth and velvety sauce that is preferred by my family. If you like a chunkier sauce, use canned tomatoes and simply squish them with your hands before adding them to your pan.
WHAT IS KOSHER SALT?
Kosher salt has larger crystals than traditional iodized salt. It is mined from traditional salt mines, but is less processed than normal table salt. It has larger flakes which make it easier to distribute, and therefore less likely to over salt your dish. It also adds some brine flavour and crunch.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
As noted, you can easily substitute canned tomatoes for passata if you’d prefer. You can also use coarse sea salt if you do not have kosher salt.
EQUIPMENT FOR BREADED CHICKEN PASTA
Cooking With Carbs is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, but all of the equipment listed on this site is recommended without incentive and are products I strongly believe in.
Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make Breaded Chicken Pasta.
- Braising Pan – My most used pan by far is my Le Creuset Braising Pan. It is made of heavy cast iron and coated in ceramic as all Le Creuset cast iron pans are. It’s large and deep which makes it perfect for everything from frying to making sauces. I can’t recommend it enough.
If you don’t have a Braising Pan you can use a heavy bottomed pan.
- Parchment Paper – I highly recommend lining your cookie sheets with parchment paper to ensure they don’t stick. Paper Chef is my favourite brand, and comes in a large format roll that is easy to cut to any size.
- Baking Sheet
- 3 Bowls
COOKING DIRECTIONS
BREADED CHICKEN
This recipe has a number of steps, but is still quite easy to prepare. If you’d like to save some time when you actually cook your Breaded Chicken Pasta, I would recommend making your marinara sauce in advance. It can easily be stored in the fridge for up to five days, and even longer in the freezer.
Breading the chicken itself is also very easy: just set up all your ingredients before you start! The last thing you want is to be reaching from spices while your hands are covered in raw chicken. I like to use a different fork for each stage of dipping as well. You can use your fingers, but they will soon get completely encased in egg and breadcrumb batter.
I find it easiest to set my dishes up in a semicircle with all the ingredients prepared, and my chicken waiting on a tray in the middle. That way, you can bread each thigh consecutively without having to move and spread raw chicken drippings around the kitchen. It also allows you to place your breaded chicken directly onto the baking pan so they are ready to go into the oven immediately.
PASTA
I always cook my pasta al dente (“to the tooth”: with a bit of chew), some brands will include two times on the box: one for al dente, and one for cooked. When trying a new brand, I always cook a minute or two under the al dente time, taste the pasta, and continue cooking if needed. Don’t rinse your pasta after cooking! Although removing the starch keeps the pasta from sticking, it’s that same starch that helps your sauce cling to your pasta.
If you have a picky kid like I do, you may want to keep some chicken separate and sauce free from the rest of the Breaded Chicken Pasta. My daughter loves the breaded chicken, and happily eats it with pasta on the side. However, she will not touch the chicken that has been baked with marinara and mozzarella!
MAKE AHEAD/STORAGE
Although this dish is quick to put together, you could make it even faster by portioning out your dry ingredients ahead of time, and cooking your marinara in advance. I wouldn’t recommend breading your chicken before cooking it, as it will start to get soggy.
This dish keeps beautifully for up to three days in the fridge, and can also be frozen easily.
FINISHED DISH
Enjoy this final dish of Delicious Breaded Chicken with Pasta!
OTHER CHICKEN DISHES
Flavourful Yoich (Chicken Broth)
OTHER PASTA DISHES
Penne Alla Vodka with Pancetta
DID YOU MAKE THIS DISH?
I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment and rating below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cooking.with.carbs.
Breaded Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Bowls (x3)
- Baking Tray
- Le Creuset Braiser (optional) or Heavy stainless steal pan
- Baking Pan or Stoneware Dish
Ingredients
Breaded Chicken
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs unseasoned
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano divided
- 1 tsp Onion powder divided
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Large eggs
- 8 Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/8 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Marinara Sauce
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 680 ml Passata
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 4 Basil leaves
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
Instructions
BREADED CHICKEN
- Step 1: Line a baking tray with parchment and place on your counter. Turn your oven to 400 F.
- Step 2: Set out three shallow bowls in a row on your counter close to the baking sheet.
- Step 3: In the left hand bowl, put your flour, salt, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and mix.
- Step 4: In the middle bowl, crack your eggs and gently beat them.
- Step 5: Grate or finely mince your garlic and mix it into your egg.
- Step 6: In the right hand bowl, put your breadcrumbs, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and mix.
- Step 7: Take a chicken thigh and dredge it in the flour mixture, gently shaking off the excess.
- Step 8: Dip the floured thigh into the egg mixture, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl.
- Step 9: Dredge the coated thigh in the breadcrumb mixture, then place it on the baking sheet.
- Step 10: Continue for each of the chicken thighs.
- Step 11: Drizzle the breaded thighs with olive oil, and put the pan in the oven for 30 minutes, turning once, until they are golden brown and cooked through.
MARINARA SAUCE
- Step 1: Pour your olive oil into a heavy bottomed pan, I like using my Le Creuset braiser.
- Step 2: Dice your garlic.
- Step 3: When your oil starts to glisten, add your garlic.
- Step 4: When your garlic starts to brown (a few minutes) add your passata.
- Step 5: Cook for 5 minutes then toss in some torn basil and set aside.
PASTA
- Step 1: Set a large pot of water on the stove on high.
- Step 2: When it starts to boil, add some salt.
- Step 3: Cook to desired texture.
- Step 4: Drain and pour back into your pot.
- Step 5: Add 2 cups of the finished marinara to your pasta. Mix and set aside covered.
- I always cook my pasta al dente (“to the tooth”: with a bit of chew) When trying a new brand, I always cook a minute or two under the al dente time, taste the pasta, and continue cooking if needed.
BREADED CHICKEN PASTA ALL TOGETHER
- Step 1: When your chicken is beautifully brown remove it from the oven.
- Step 2: Transfer it to a deep rimmed baking pan, or stoneware dish. I love my Le Creuset stoneware for this.
- Step 3: Pour a few ladles of marinara over your chicken.
- Step 4: Grate a healthy amount of mozarella over your chicken.
- Step 5: Place your prepared thighs back in the oven for 10 minutes until the mozarella is melted and starting to turn golden.
- Step 6: Serve your chicken over your pasta. Make sure to get all the melted cheese in there!
I always bought my chicken pre-breaded. I wish I had known how easy it is to DIY! This was delicious and simple
I’m so glad you tried it Beth! The best part about doing it yourself is you know exactly what went into the dish, and you can season it to your liking.
Thanks for your feedback,
Anneke
My husband loves eggplant Parmesan so I’ll have to try this recipe next! Thanks for the step by step instructions!
Comfort food at its finest right here. Love how easy it is to make too.
Served this for dinner last night and it was a hit all around the table! So bold and delicious; easily, a new family favorite dish!
This is my kind of comfort food! The breading was perfectly crisp, and I’m such a sucker for that melted cheese. We loved every single bite.
This is such a huge hit every time and so delicious! My family and I love having this for dinner. Such a tasty and yummy comforting dish!