Creamy Chicken Pasta brings big flavor with hardly any work—rotisserie chicken, spinach, and mushrooms over fettuccine with a one-ingredient cream sauce.

Try other easy pasta dishes like one-pot Chicken Pot Pie Pasta or Creamy Pesto Pasta.

Creamy chicken pasta in a skillet with a big spoonful being lifted out to serve.

Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe

After making baked ravioli with Boursin cheese, I knew I had to try it in another creamy pasta. I love dishes like fettuccine alfredo—but don’t always have time for a full sauce.

Boursin cheese is the ultimate shortcut—it makes the cream sauce fast and flavorful.

Just toss in rotisserie chicken and boom—creamy, yummy pasta the whole family loves, ready as fast as opening a jar of Alfredo.

All the ingredients for this recipe laid out for easy assembly—meat, fettuccine, spinach, seasonings, garlic, olive oil, mushrooms, and Parmesan.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Creamy Chicken Pasta:

  • Mushrooms: Any kind works. I like baby bella or cremini best.
  • Seasonings: Taste and adjust, as Boursin cheese already has salt and herbs.
  • Fettuccine: Use 6 oz (not a full box) so the sauce coats the pasta well.
  • Boursin: No need for cream or a flour-and-butter mix. Grab the garlic-herb flavored Boursin.
  • Parmesan: Grate it fresh for the best melt.
  • Spinach: Chop and add at the end to keep it fresh.
  • Rotisserie chicken: Buy pre-shredded, shred it yourself, or use leftover grilled chicken.

Quick Tip

Boursin is easy to find at most grocery stores—look in the deli section or near the specialty cheeses. Here’s a store finder to check your local store.

Butter and oil melting in the skillet, followed by mushrooms sautéing with seasonings for this creamy chicken pasta.

Shortcuts

Make Creamy Chicken Pasta Even Faster

  • Get pre-sliced produce. Most stores sell pre-diced onions and sliced mushrooms.
  • Use jarred garlic or a garlic press. Jarred garlic is quick, or use a press for fresh garlic fast.
  • Buy prewashed baby spinach. It skips the washing and chopping.

Pasta cooking, then added to the skillet along with extra pasta water to bring the creamy chicken pasta together.

Creamy Chicken Pasta Tips

  • Salt the pasta water: My top tip: I add 1 tsp salt per 4 cups of boiling water.
  • Reserve pasta water: Before draining, save about 1 cup to help thicken and cream up the sauce. I use a glass measuring cup.
  • Undercook the pasta: Cook it 1 minute less than the package says—it’ll finish cooking in the sauce and stay firm.

Storage

  • Store leftover creamy chicken pasta in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • Reheat slowly on the stove with a little milk to help smooth out the sauce.
  • Freezing isn’t great—the sauce can separate.

Side Dish Suggestions

Here are some light side dish suggestions.

4.75 from 4 votes

Creamy Chicken Pasta

Creamy Chicken Pasta is a quick, easy dinner loaded with fettuccine, rotisserie chicken, mushrooms, and spinach—all tossed in a rich Boursin sauce. So simple, so good!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces fettuccine not the whole box
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups sliced mushrooms 9.5 ounces, crimini or baby bella
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 3 cloves
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 (5.2-ounce) package Boursin garlic and herb cheese see note 1
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional Parmesan for serving
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped rotisserie chicken
  • 2 cups packed baby spinach coarsely chopped, optional
  • Fresh parsley for serving, optional

Instructions 

  • Thinly slice mushrooms (1/2-inch thick). Coarsely chop the chicken into small, bite-size pieces. If desired, coarsely chop the baby spinach—just quickly run a knife through a few times. (It’s fine to leave it whole too.)
  • Heads-up: Save some pasta water—don’t drain it all! Bring a large pot of water to boil; once boiling, generously salt the water. (I add 1 teaspoon to every 4 cups of water; don’t skip this or the whole dish will taste under-seasoned.) Cook, following package directions, for 1 minute less than directed. Right before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta.
  • Meanwhile, heat a large skillet or pot over medium heat (I use a deep 12-inch cast-iron skillet). Add 2 tablespoons butter and the oil. Once butter is melted, add in sliced mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms start to turn a nice golden brown and all their liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.
  • In the same skillet, season to taste with salt and pepper. (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.) Add Italian seasoning. Once mushrooms are nice and golden, add remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the garlic. Stir for another 1–2 minutes or until everything is golden. By this time, you will likely be ready to drain the pasta.
  • Back to the skillet: Over low heat, add the Boursin cheese, chicken, and hot, drained pasta. Use tongs to briskly toss everything, while adding small amounts of the reserved pasta water. (I usually add about 1/2 cup up to 3/4 cup.) Mix in Parmesan, adding more water as needed, until the sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta. Add spinach and gently toss with tongs to wilt. Once wilted, remove skillet from heat. Taste and adjust, adding more salt and pepper as needed until the flavors sing.
  • Serve immediately! Add more Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley to individual plates if desired.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Boursin is available at most grocery stores. It’s typically found in the deli section or with other cheeses. Here’s a store finder to check if it’s at your grocery store.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce. Freezing isn’t recommended since the sauce can separate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 826kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 61g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 230mg | Sodium: 1226mg | Potassium: 1372mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 12002IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 527mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

 

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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4.75 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

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9 Comments

  1. Jacquelyn Fessler says:

    5 stars
    This is delicious!!! My family gave it 5 stars! I added some sun dried tomatoes just because I love them! :). Thank you for another winner!

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I am so thrilled to hear! Thanks Jacquelyn! ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Bea says:

    4 stars
    This one was a bit too rich and creamy for me but still yum none the less!~

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Bea! ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Karen Thompson says:

    5 stars
    I tried this last night and it was delicious! I used alouette instead of boursin because that is what I found at the store, and I accidentally forgot to add my garlic- but even then it was still so good. This all came together really quickly.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      So happy to hear that; thank you Karen! ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. franco says:

    Please learn the difference between pasta (Italian and Arabic) and Noodles (Chinese).
    Each have different nutritional values and ingredients. You picture of ‘fettuccini noodles” appears to be linguini.

    1. Chelsea Lords says:

      I definitely use fettuccine in this recipe, sorry it looks different to you!

    2. BeKind says:

      Please learn how to spell.

      YOUR picture of โ€œfettuccine noodlesโ€โ€ฆ