This one pot pasta dish has it all: pasta, cheese, and even delicious, tender cooked chicken breast. This is truly an all-in-one meal, and everything is made in one pot, which makes for easy clean up. For busy weeknights when you are looking for a meal that is healthy but also appeals to the entire family, this one pot healthy chicken parm pasta is a no-brainer!
What you will need to make this recipe
Here is the ingredient list for this recipe; keep in mind, this is all made in one pot! It couldn’t be simpler to throw together. You can use whole wheat pasta, or make any other substitutions you wish.
- chicken breast
- kosher salt
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- oregano
- olive oil spray
- onion
- garlic cloves
- canned crushed tomatoes
- canned diced tomatoes
- reduced-sodium chicken broth
- It’s important to use reduced sodium broth here, so you can control the sodium level when you add the seasonings later on. If you use regular broth, this dish might be overly salty.
- white wine
- I use a dry white wine. It adds a great flavor; but you can omit it, if you would rather cook without wine.
- tomato paste
- dry pasta
- I used this one, from Barilla. I like the shape of the Penne for this dish.
- light or reduced-fat mozzarella
- fresh parsley
How to make one pot healthy chicken parm pasta
So as I mentioned, this really all does cook in only one pot. Less dishes! It does take a few steps though, but you won’t even need a separate pot to boil water and cook the pasta.
Start out by chopping your chicken into bite-sized pieces. Next, combine 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, 1 tsp of the garlic powder, the onion powder, and the oregano to form your spice blend for the chicken. Sprinkle the spice blend on the chicken, and toss to coat all the pieces.
Preheat your large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add olive oil spray, and then cook your chicken in batches.
Cooking the chicken
It is imperative to cook the chicken in two batches here; this helps the chicken form a golden brown color on the outside, and prevents it from steaming. Cook the first batch for a couple of minutes per side, and then flip them to cook the other side. At this point, the chicken will not be cooked through. Remove the first batch from the pot, set it aside, and repeat the steps for the second batch.
Making the sauce and cooking the pasta
Once the chicken is partially cooked, add more olive oil spray to the pot, and then add the chopped onion. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes or until it is tender. Then, add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, wine, and tomato paste to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Now, the magic happens! Add the dry, uncooked pasta, and the chicken back to the pot. Cover the pot, and reduce the heat to allow the liquid to simmer. Cook the pasta for about 15 minutes, or until it is tender. Then, add the remaining salt and garlic powder, followed by the cheese and parsley.
Stir everything together, and enjoy a heaping 1.5 cup serving!
One Pot Healthy Chicken Parm Pasta
Equipment
- large pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast, raw, cubed
- 2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder, divided
- 1 tsp onion powder
- olive oil spray
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 16 oz pasta, dry, 1 box; used: Barilla Penne
- 4 oz light mozzarella
- 1/4 cup parsley, fresh
Instructions
- Cube the chicken.
- Combine 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1 tsp oregano. Sprinkle it on the cubed chicken and toss to coat.
- Preheat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Add olive oil spray to the pot.
- Sear the chicken in two batches to not overcrowd (this prevents the chicken from steaming). Cook each batch of chicken for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden (it will not be cooked through yet).
- Remove the first batch of chicken from the pot and set aside in a bowl. Add more olive oil spray to the pot, and cook the second batch of chicken.
- Remove the second batch of chicken and set aside.
- In the same pot, add more olive oil spray and add the chopped onion.
- Cook the onion for 5 minutes or until tender.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with their juices, chicken stock, white wine, and tomato paste.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, and then add the dry pasta and the pre-cooked chicken. Stir to submerge the ingredients in the liquid.
- Cover the pot with a lid and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook for 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
- Stir in the additional 1 tsp of salt and the additional 1/2 tsp of garlic.
- Stir in the cheese and fresh parsley.
Notes
- 9 WW points (green plan)
- 7 WW points (blue plan)
- 1 WW point (purple plan) - if you use whole wheat pasta
Nutrition
You might also enjoy these one pot pasta dishes:
One Pot Rigatoni in Pink Sauce
Healthy One Pot Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
One Pot Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Sausage
One Pot Skinny Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Jess says
The clickable ww app link is EVERYTHING
Karen says
Thank you for adding the link! I had visions of trying to add all my favorite Sweet and Savory recipes which in my case usually needs three try’s . Lol. I’ve added this recipe to my plan for next week. 💕
Karin says
Thank you so much for linking this to the WW app so it reflects my plan and the zero point foods I’ve chosen! Excellent!
Lori Neupert says
Made this today after being able to use the link to show my personal points. Subbed Fiber Gourmet pasta and a whole bag of fat free mozzarella and it is DELICIOUS! Thank you so much!
Kristen says
Brilliant to include the clickable WW link!!!! Way to go.
Nancy says
I made this tonight and oh my goodness it was delicious and easy! I love these one pot meals, perfect for busy weeknights.
Nikki says
I was so afraid of not being as easily able to use your recipes to continue to be successful on ww…but really I knew you’d figure it out!!! Now in the recipe builder this has regular penne which is coming in at 49 points…whole wheat past is free for me now so if I use whole wheat pasta that changes the points to 1 point instead of 7 for this recipe😳 Makes me nervous but happy at same time:/
Christine says
Made this last night, eating the leftovers now- so delicious!!!
Cynthia says
Just made this for dinner tonight and wow was this delicious! I didn’t have crush tomatoes , and it didn’t even matter !
Family enjoyed it as well .
Nicholl says
Delicious family meal. Everyone loved it and I threw in some fresh spinach at the end.
Megan says
Can I used canned pasta sauce instead of diced and crushed tomatoes? How much would you suggest?
Jeanine says
Made this tonight …it was very tasty.I think next time I may just bake some breaded chicken cutlets in air fryer and add on top.I love that I didn’t feel guilty eating pasta ! Generous portion !
LeeAnn says
So tasty! Super easy!
Krista says
This was delicious. I used it with whole grain pasta since that was one of my zero foods. So filling!
Katie says
So easy and very tasty! Will be making again soon. Generous portions as always. The clickable link has made the new ww program very easy.
Ashleigh says
I loved this recipe! It was easy and delicious!! Thanks so much for sharing all your recipes I love them all!!
Sarah says
Super easy and my kids love it!
Jodi says
I just made this dish and its a family fav. Thank you!!!! I love the white wine in it. Great flavor. Simple. Great for a quick weekday dinner. Yum!
Nikki says
So good but the fact that it’s 1 pp point is 🤯 Easy and delicious!!!!
Patricia says
You did it again ! Quit your job and become a chef! Your amazing!
Sara says
Loved this!!
Clare says
Great flavor. My husband exclaimed “this really does taste like Chicken Parm!” I did not have onions or diced tomatoes so I slightly increased the chicken stock. Next time I think I will add a Parm Cheese Rind to the sauce for even more flavor. Great weeknight meal!
Jenn says
Unbelievable flavor! So easy to make and taste like restaurant quality!
Lindsay says
I didn’t love the chicken in this dish. Not my favorite pasta dish from this website.
Elizabeth says
Used ground chicken it made great lunch meal prep.
Laura says
I’ve made this twice now and we love it!
Holly says
Wow! Just wow! I made this for dinner and it was absolutely amazing skipped the wine and it was still so flavorful. But here’s the best part my THREE YEAR OLD ate two big portions of it. And she never eats. We all seriously loved it.
Thank you Stephanie
Kim says
Soo good! It tastes so fresh, and flavorable. I love the easiness of the one pot, and it makes so a large amount. It exceeded my expectations, and my kids even ate it.
Sam says
CAN I freeze leftovers?
Jackie B says
My family enjoyed this meal tonight. So easy to put together. The recipe calls for 16 oz of pasta which was too much for the amount of chicken. The next time I will is e the 10 oz box and not add the additional 6 ounces. I will up the chicken to 2 lbs . I also think 1 tsp of salt is enough
Nicola Rubinow says
Fabulous dinner for a crowd … everyone wanted “seconds”!
Grace says
I’ve made quite a few of Steph’s one-pot pastas, but I think this one is my favorite. It’s SO good!
Michelle says
Made this tonight another amazing dinner thank you Steph!!
Terri says
Delicious and easy family meal. The family devoured it.
MM says
I Mads this dish tonight. It was so yummy! My son had 4 helpings of it and he’s super picky. I didn’t have penne so I used the corkscrew pasta (rotini) instead. I plan to make this again.
Jacqui says
So good!
Cortney says
Made this a few times it’s always amazing!
Jenny says
This was absolutely delicious. I am so glad I found this recipe, thank you! I did add 2 oz more mozzarella and had rotini on hand. But I am just sitting here thinking about how delicious it was, and so much leftover!
Janelle says
I used Carba Nada pasta in this dish and it is really yummy and satisfying! The portion size is large!
RS says
Fine flavor but very soggy … pasta didn’t absorb all the liquid.
Liz says
I have made this so many times this fall/winter. I love it so much. Tonight I’m subbing out the chicken for shrimp and I’m sure it will be just a good!
Taylor says
Made for dinner last night. Not bad. Very tomatoey, would probably add a splash of cream next time.