This herb chicken pasta tosses tender bites of chicken breast with caramelized onion, garlic, fresh tomato, rosemary, and sage in a light wine and stock pan sauce. It skips heavy cream and jarred sauce, so the fresh herbs and the browned bits in the skillet do all the flavor work. The whole thing comes together in about 25 minutes, which means the sauce is ready right about the time your pasta is drained. I have been making some version of this dinner for well over a decade because it is the one I reach for when the fridge is looking thin and everyone is hungry now.

If you love a skillet chicken dinner with a little bit of sauce, you will also want to try my French Onion Chicken and Orzo and this bright Charred Lemon Chicken Piccata. And when you are in more of a creamy pasta mood, my Pasta alla Vodka is another fast weeknight favorite.

Why You’ll Love this Quick Herb Chicken Pasta

This is the kind of dinner that tastes like you put in far more effort than you did. Sweet caramelized onion, savory garlic, and piney rosemary and earthy sage simmer together with juicy tomato, red wine, and chicken stock to create a light, glossy sauce that clings to every piece of pasta. It is savory and herby without being heavy, so it works just as well on a warm summer night as it does in the middle of winter.

It is also a true weeknight hero. You need just one pot for the pasta and one skillet for everything else, and the ingredient list is short and budget friendly. One pound of pasta and three chicken breasts feed six people, which makes this an easy pick for family dinners, feeding a crowd, or cooking once and eating twice.

Maillard Reaction

The deep flavor in this simple sauce starts with the Maillard reaction, the chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that happens when food browns over medium-high heat. When the chopped onion hits the hot oil, its natural sugars begin to brown and caramelize, building sweet, savory, slightly nutty flavors that a raw onion simply does not have. Giving the onion those few minutes on its own before adding anything else is what turns a basic pan sauce into something that tastes slow cooked.

The chicken adds another layer. As the cubed chicken sears, it leaves browned bits, called fond, stuck to the bottom of the skillet. When you pour in the red wine and chicken stock, the liquid loosens that fond and dissolves it right into the sauce. That is why it pays to use a stainless steel or cast iron skillet here and to resist crowding the pan, since overcrowded chicken steams instead of browning.

Equipment Needed

• Large stockpot for boiling pasta
• 12-inch stainless steel or cast iron skillet
• Colander
• Chef’s knife and cutting board
• Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
• Kitchen tongs for tossing the pasta

Ingredients for Chicken Pasta

• Cooked pasta – use any shape you have on hand
• Olive oil – or other light neutral oil like grapeseed
• Onion – sweet yellow onions work really well in this recipe
• Chicken breasts – boneless & skinless. Sub boneless skinless chicken thighs.
• Fresh herbs – fresh rosemary and sage leaves are minced to add depth of flavor.
• Tomato – a medium slicing tomato or a couple roma tomatoes, chopped up.
• Garlic – always reach for fresh garlic cloves for the most flavor.
• Red wine – adds a hint of umami, or sub more chicken stock.
• Chicken stock – homemade or store-bought
• Salt and pepper – to taste

Recipe Variations & Substitutions

• Swap the wine: Use a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio for a lighter sauce, or skip the wine entirely and replace it with more chicken stock.
• Use chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs stay extra juicy and are a little more forgiving if you get distracted at the stove.
• Change the herbs: Fresh thyme or oregano sprigs work well in place of, or alongside, the rosemary and sage.
• Add greens: Stir a few big handfuls of baby spinach or chopped kale into the sauce during the last minute of cooking until just wilted.
• Finish with pesto: Toss the finished pasta with a spoonful of my 5-Minute Pistachio Pesto for an extra hit of fresh herb flavor.

How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat

• Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
• Freeze: For the best texture, freeze the chicken and sauce without the pasta for up to 3 months. Cooked pasta tends to turn soft after freezing and thawing.
• Thaw: Move frozen sauce to the refrigerator the night before you plan to serve it.
• Reheat on the stove: Warm leftovers in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of chicken stock to loosen the sauce and keep the chicken moist.
• Reheat in the microwave: Cover the bowl and heat in 1 minute bursts, stirring in between, adding a splash of stock or water if the pasta looks dry.

What to Serve with Herb Chicken Pasta

• Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli for an easy green side that roasts while the pasta cooks
• Easy Cheesy Garlic Bagels for sopping up every last bit of sauce
• How to Roast Butternut Squash for a sweet, caramelized fall side
• Minestrone Soup as a light first course for a bigger Italian style dinner

Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

Frequently Asked Questions

If you like this recipe, try:

• Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Beef Stroganoff Hamburger Helper
• Cheesy Skillet Chicken Chilaquiles
• Creamy Thai Chicken Chowder
• Slow Cooker Sticky Chicken Drumsticks

This herb chicken pasta recipe was originally published on July 15th, 2011. It has recently been updated with new photography, step-by-step collages, tips, and storing instructions. The recipe was slightly modified to add the missing parmesan cheese in the instructions.