You Need to Try This Easy Chicken Parmesan Pasta Toss Recipe

Name: Chicken Parmesan Pasta Toss Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 jar (1 pound 10 ounce) pasta sauce; 8 ounces fusilli, bucati or your favorite pasta; 1 package (12 ounce) baked breaded low-fat chicken breast tenders; 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)

Updated: January 31, 2024 by Olivia Mittak | Leave a comment

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When it comes to simple meals you can make for your family, it just doesn’t get much easier than this chicken parmesan pasta toss. With basic ingredients you can find at any grocery store, this is a meal that will be ready and on the table in less than 30 minutes.

The recipe as written is a good and cheesy pasta dish. While the recipe calls for mozzarella cheese, you can also make it fit the definition of a chicken parmesan pasta dish by substituting half of the mozzarella for parmesan cheese instead. Either way, it’s still going to be delicious and easy.

With prepared ingredients already ready for you to combine, this meal is a go-to on nights when you’re so busy you might otherwise go through a drive-thru for fast food. But this is heartier, healthier, and more importantly, cheaper than any meal you can get from a fast-food window.

As you’ll see, this recipe is almost endlessly customizable. When you start with chicken and pasta, you can combine it with a variety of different sauces. Chicken and pasta are always the beginnings of a healthy and affordable meal. If you have a couple of extra minutes, you could try cooking some fresh chicken tenderloins instead of using the frozen and breaded variety. It will be about the same price for either, so the choice is really up to you.

Lemon Chicken Pasta Toss

If you’re looking for a variation on the chicken parmesan pasta, this lemon chicken pasta toss is just as easy but still delicious. From the original recipe, you’ll still want to keep the pasta, chicken, and cheese. As you can see, we’re already off to an easy start.

Instead of using the tomato pasta sauce, substitute it with a jar of alfredo sauce. Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to the alfredo sauce to give it a fresh lemony flavor. If you wish, you can also add a teaspoon of dried basil or Italian seasoning. Cover the noodles with the sauce and add the chicken and cheese to the combination.

Lemon chicken is a good base to complement other vegetables, too. A bag of frozen veggies will add a fresh flavor to the lemon chicken pasta, almost like a pasta primavera. Frozen vegetables are obviously the quickest option. But you can also use matchstick cut carrots and some diced red peppers instead for a great taste.

A lemon chicken pasta toss can be just as simple to make as the chicken parmesan pasta toss. Either way, it’s still a hearty meal that you can serve to your family without spending a lot of money. You won’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen either cooking or cleaning up, either. The goal of a family meal is just being together.

Pasta Tossed in Olive Oil

Pasta tossed in olive oil is another easy variation on the chicken parmesan pasta toss. This dish looks incredibly simple and it is; it won’t require you to spend any extra time in the kitchen. But despite the simplicity of this recipe, you’ll find that it’s a delicious and healthy pasta dish.

To make this easy recipe, you’ll use many of the same ingredients as in the chicken parmesan pasta toss. You’ll still want to boil an entire package of noodles. Instead of the jar of sauce, you’ll want just a third cup of olive oil, enough to lightly coat the noodles. Most traditional recipes for olive oil and pasta also call for minced garlic, as much as you think your family prefers.

You can still use the chicken with the noodles, even though it’s not traditionally a part of most recipes for pasta tossed in olive oil. Chicken will add some extra protein to help the meal keep you feeling full for longer. It’s up to you whether you want to use mozzarella or parmesan cheese—either one will go great with the dish.

No matter which way you decide to make this pasta, it’s still going to be a quick and easy meal. Who doesn't love that?

Sides to Serve With This Recipe

There are a lot of different sides that you can serve with this recipe. Pasta usually goes best with bread, which can be served either in sliced form or as a breadstick. Whenever you visit an Italian restaurant, chances are you'll have bread with your pasta. Why not recreate that combination at home?

If you have the time, make your own homemade bread in advance. Homemade bread smells oh so good when it's baking, filling your home with amazing smells. Plus, it will lack the preservatives and other additives that many store bought bread loaves have.

If you don't want to serve some form of bread, a salad is another great alternative. There are so many different types of salad out there. Truly, you can pick the one that suits your family best. A simple side salad can work great. Just make sure to pair it with a great dressing!

Looking for something a little more complex? Try a Caesar salad! Caesar salad is a great way to complete a pasta meal without spending too much time preparing it. We recommend leaving out the anchovies if you have kids, since they likely won't care for them.