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 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.
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.
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.
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.
- A quick garden salad with a light dressing
- A crunchy side like a cucumber salad
- Fresh fruit or my favorite fruit salad recipe
- Roasted veggies like broccoli, carrots, or asparagus
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!
Equipment
- Large skillet or another pot
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.
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!
I am so thrilled to hear! Thanks Jacquelyn! 🙂
This one was a bit too rich and creamy for me but still yum none the less!~
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Bea! 🙂
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.
So happy to hear that; thank you Karen! 🙂
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.
I definitely use fettuccine in this recipe, sorry it looks different to you!
Please learn how to spell.
YOUR picture of “fettuccine noodles”…