Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Chicken (no cream)

Step 1

Cook your pasta in well salted boiling water, I usually undercook by 1 min from package instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.

Step 2

Flatten the chicken breast to an even thickness (about 1-1.5cm), I do this by laying some plastic wrap over the top and hitting with a rolling pin.

Step 3

If you have a particularly thick chicken breast then you could butterfly it or cut it up into bite size pieces before cooking. Feel free to cook it however you would like to.

Step 4

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper on each side then dust with the flour.

Step 5

Heat the olive oil in a fry pan over a medium high heat and fry the chicken for 2 mins each side (or until cooked through if yours is thicker).

Step 6

Lightly wrap in foil, set aside and slice just before serving.

Step 7

Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a cold skillet large enough to fit the cooked pasta in at end and add the sliced garlic.

Step 8

Bring to a gentle sizzle over a medium heat then cook for 30 seconds or so, moving it around so it doesn't brown. Cooking it from cold might seem strange but it helps to infuse the oil with the garlic flavor.

Step 9

Lower the heat slightly and add the wine, it will bubble up a lot.

Step 10

Cook so it is gently simmering for about 4 mins, you are wanting to reduce it down roughly by half.

Step 11

Add the butter pieces in, one at a time, letting each piece melt and whisking well in between each addition. A flat whisk is brilliant for this.

Step 12

You should end up with a very yellow and slightly thickened sauce at the end. Try and time the pasta cooking so you can add the pasta straight in to butter sauce at this stage. You can take the sauce off the heat if you need to though.

Step 13

Add a ¼ cup reserved pasta water and whisk vigorously. I like to whisk and shake the pan at the same time to get a nice emulsified sauce.

Step 14

Add the black pepper and mix through.

Step 15

Add the cooked pasta straight in and toss with the sauce using tongs. Arrange the pasta in a nice level layer, spreading it out.

Step 16

Turn the heat down to low and sprinkle the parmesan over the top of the pasta in an even layer.

Step 17

Leave it alone until it is melting on top, about 1 min, then take some tongs and spin the pasta around and around until you get a lovely glossy sauce. Check out video below to see this in action!

Step 18

Taste for seasoning and add salt if you need. Add the parsley and mix through.

Step 19

Serve straight away, top with the sliced chicken and some extra parmesan.