This creamy garlic chicken pasta features farfalle tossed in a garlicky mushroom sauce with sautéed chicken.The story of Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta is a quintessential tale of Italian-American adaptation.
It traces its roots from a simple restorative Roman dish of butter and cheese to the ultra-rich, protein-packed, garlic-heavy weeknight staples celebrated in modern American kitchens today
The Roman Origins: Fettuccine Alfredo
The Invention (1908): Roman restaurateur Alfredo Di Lelio invented a dish of fresh fettuccine tossed with butter and high-quality Parmesan to help his wife regain her appetite following the birth of their son.
Hollywood Influence: During their honeymoon in 1920, silent film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks dined at Di Lelio’s restaurant. They brought the recipe back to Hollywood, where it became a trendy favorite among celebrities.
The American Transformation
Adding Cream & Chicken: In Italy, traditional preparations never use heavy cream, garlic, or chicken. However, when American cooks recreated the dish, they found that cream helped emulsify the cheese and butter more reliably with mass-market American dairy.
The 1966 Milestone: A major shift occurred when a Pennsylvania Dutch noodle company included a recipe for “Alfredo sauce”—calling for heavy cream, Swiss cheese, and Parmesan—on the back of their dried fettuccine boxes
The Addition of Chicken: To make the indulgent pasta more of a standalone, satisfying dinner rather than a side dish, American restaurants and home cooks added hearty proteins, prominently featuring chicken.
The Garlic-Forward Evolution
The Influence of Tuscan Chicken: Throughout the late 20th century, the surge in popularity of “Tuscan-style” cooking brought robust, aromatic ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and heavy loads of minced garlic into American pasta sauces
Modern Day: Today, Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta is a celebrated cross-cultural comfort food. It seamlessly blends the parmesan-butter foundation of Roman pasta with the hearty garlic, herb, and heavy cream profiles preferred in dishes like
Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
Description
This creamy garlic chicken pasta features farfalle tossed in a garlicky mushroom sauce with sautéed chicken.The story of Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta is a quintessential tale of Italian-American adaptation. It traces its roots from a simple restorative Roman dish of butter and cheese to the ultra-rich, protein-packed, garlic-heavy weeknight staples celebrated in modern American kitchens today The Roman Origins: Fettuccine Alfredo The Invention (1908): Roman restaurateur Alfredo Di Lelio invented a dish of fresh fettuccine tossed with butter and high-quality Parmesan to help his wife regain her appetite following the birth of their son. Hollywood Influence: During their honeymoon in 1920, silent film stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks dined at Di Lelio's restaurant. They brought the recipe back to Hollywood, where it became a trendy favorite among celebrities. The American Transformation Adding Cream & Chicken: In Italy, traditional preparations never use heavy cream, garlic, or chicken. However, when American cooks recreated the dish, they found that cream helped emulsify the cheese and butter more reliably with mass-market American dairy. The 1966 Milestone: A major shift occurred when a Pennsylvania Dutch noodle company included a recipe for "Alfredo sauce"—calling for heavy cream, Swiss cheese, and Parmesan—on the back of their dried fettuccine boxes The Addition of Chicken: To make the indulgent pasta more of a standalone, satisfying dinner rather than a side dish, American restaurants and home cooks added hearty proteins, prominently featuring chicken. The Garlic-Forward Evolution The Influence of Tuscan Chicken: Throughout the late 20th century, the surge in popularity of "Tuscan-style" cooking brought robust, aromatic ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and heavy loads of minced garlic into American pasta sauces Modern Day: Today, Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta is a celebrated cross-cultural comfort food. It seamlessly blends the parmesan-butter foundation of Roman pasta with the hearty garlic, herb, and heavy cream profiles preferred in dishes likeIngredients
Ingredients
Instructions
Instructions
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Step 1
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook farfalle at a boil, stirring occasionally, until cooked through yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain and transfer farfalle back to the pot.
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Step 2
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook chicken in hot oil until no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and slice into thin strips.
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Step 3
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the same skillet; cook and stir onions in melted butter until transparent, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir mushrooms and chicken strips into onions; cook and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat.
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Step 4
Melt 1/4 cup butter in another large skillet; stir flour into melted butter until dissolved, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk milk into flour mixture until smooth; add garlic, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil for 1 minute; reduce heat.
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Step 5
Stir chicken mixture and farfalle into garlic sauce; cook and stir over medium-low heat until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 6
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 561kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 20g31%
- Saturated Fat 10g50%
- Cholesterol 83mg28%
- Potassium 497.02mg15%
- Total Carbohydrate 67g23%
- Dietary Fiber 4g16%
- Sugars 9g
- Protein 31g62%
- Vitamin C 2 mg
- Iron 3 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
