My cheesy chicken pasta is an all-rounder recipe which would be loved by kids and adults alike! The super cheesy pasta is loaded with veggies too which your fussy kids won’t even notice!
Who wouldn’t love a cheesy chicken pasta that’s packed with your favorite veggies! I am sure I would! And thankfully everyone loved it! Even though I made it particularly for kids, their mommies loved it too! I was so elated!
When you prepare something with loads of love & care without following any particular recipe but just based on your knowledge & experience, it simply feels great when people adore it!
What is cheesy chicken pasta?
This cheesy chicken pasta is entirely my brainchild which I had carved out after years of making enumerable pasta recipes! This cheesy pasta came to existence when we, my school friends and I, planned for a potluck during my recent visit to my hometown!
We were having a friends’ get-together along with their kids and I wanted to make something special for them! Now tell me which kid doesn’t like pasta these days! So my decision was easy!
Hence enters the cheesy chicken pasta loaded with veggies! Cheese allures kids (and also most adults!) like nothing else and a pasta dish with a super creamy texture thanks to the white sauce & grated cheese would never fail to impress them!
To arrive at my perfect cheesy chicken pasta, I assembled a few elements which I imagined kids would love! Firstly, the white sauce which makes any pasta creamy & super palatable. Secondly, it is chicken that would make them smile!
And finally loads of cheese that will win their heart like nothing else! And then if you hide a few veggies in it, they won’t even notice and will happily devour it! So a perfectly win-win recipe for kiddos & mommies! Isn’t it?
Ingredients for my cheesy chicken pasta
First let’s see what you will need to make the white pasta sauce!
Butter: A good amount of unsalted butter makes the base of the white sauce. I suggest not to replace butter with olive oil as the flavor of butter creates the best tasting white sauce for pasta.
All-purpose flour/Maida: Just a tablespoon of all-purpose flour/refined flour, which we call ‘maida’, is good enough to make a thick and creamy white pasta sauce. Just ensure to cook the flour in butter until the raw smell is gone.
Cold milk: To make a smooth & lump-free white sauce, I always recommend using cold milk instead of hot or warm milk. I have made this mistake in the past and there is no way to come back once the flour clumps up in hot milk.
Italian seasoning: A dash of Italian seasoning enhances the taste of white sauce significantly. Do not skip it!
Salt: Season your sauce with salt and also pepper if you like.
Now check out the remaining ingredients that you will need for this cheesy chicken pasta recipe!
Pasta: I have used Fusilli for my cheesy chicken pasta. You can use any other pasta of your choice; but my recommendation would be to use any short pasta for this one.
Chicken: You will need boneless & skinless chicken cubes for this pasta recipe. You can use either chicken thigh filet like I did or chicken breast. Just note that chicken breast cooks faster than thighs.
Cheddar cheese: The star of today’s recipe is of course the ‘cheese’! As the name suggests, this cheesy chicken pasta is loaded with cheese – a lot of it!
I used grated cheddar as it melts beautifully. You may also use mozzarella or even processed cheese if you don’t have cheddar cheese handy.
Pro tip: Do not buy pre-grated cheese because they do not melt well. The pre-grated cheese is made in a way so that they remain separated, dry & fluffy. Instead buy a block of cheese and grate it at home.
Capsicum: Coming to the veggie element of this cheesy chicken pasta, I have used a green capsicum aka bell pepper. The combination of assorted colors of capsicum will also look beautiful in this dish.
Sweetcorn: My second choice of veggie was sweetcorn. I somehow felt that kids would love sweetcorn and that’s why it became a natural choice.
Pro tip: This is a perfect recipe to feed your kids different kinds of vegetables. Instead of capsicum and sweetcorn, you can also use sliced black olives, broccoli, mushrooms, tofu or anything else that you prefer.
Olive oil: A good quality olive oil will add a nice flavor to the chicken, veggies & pasta while being cooked. I recommend using Borges Olive Oil.
Garlic: This is the aromatic to enhance the taste of the chicken. Do not skip it as it will help kill the raw smell of chicken and also add a tempting garlicky flavor!
Seasoning: Season your pasta with salt and Italian seasoning. This all-rounder seasoning creates magic to any pasta dish! A must-have spice mix for your pantry!
Chilli flakes: A dash of chilli flakes will add a nice kick to this cheesy chicken pasta. But you can skip it if you are making it only for kids.
Fresh basil leaves: Fresh basil leaves impart a wonderful flavor to any dish it is added to! I would not say it is mandatory, but if you have fresh basil handy (maybe from your own kitchen garden!), throw in a few leaves to take your cheesy chicken pasta to the next level!
How to make my cheesy chicken pasta?
Let’s first make the white sauce!
Step 1: Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Ensure the heat is low, else your butter will burn & turn deep brown and you will have to start over again.
Step 2: Once butter is melted, add the all-purpose flour/maida and keep stirring continuously keeping the heat on low until the color of the flour changes to a light golden brown. It would take about 1 to 1 & ½ minutes.
Step 3: Now add the cold milk while stirring constantly making sure that the flour is mixed evenly without any lump. Be patient at this stage as it may take a while to make the flour completely lump-free, otherwise your white sauce will not turn out smooth and creamy.
Step 4: Let the sauce come to a slow boil. As soon as the sauce starts to boil, it will thicken.
Step 5: Season the sauce with salt & Italian seasoning and give a thorough mix. Taste the sauce at this point and adjust seasoning if needed.
Step 6: Once the sauce is nicely thickened, remove it from heat and set aside until needed.
Pro tip: The sauce will continue to become thicker as it cools down; but don’t worry! You can make it thinner and pourable using a trick shared below!
Now comes the steps for making your delicious cheese pasta!
Step 7: Boil a pot of water and add about a tablespoon of salt to it. Add the pasta to boiling water and cook it until al dente i.e. soft but not too much. Check the pasta packet for the time it needs to cook until al dente.
Step 8: Before draining the water out, reserve a cup of pasta water. This starchy water is very useful as we will see in the steps below.
Step 9: Once done, pour the pasta into a colander to let all the water drain out and wash the pasta in cold running water for a few seconds. Set it aside.
Step 10: In another small saucepan, boil the sweetcorn in salted water until the corn is tender; it would take about 6 to 8 minutes on medium heat. Drain the water out and set the corn aside until needed.
Step 11: Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or wok. Once hot, add the chicken pieces and cook for a few minutes on medium heat.
Step 12: Add the grated garlic to the chicken and saute for a few seconds. Garlic will kill the raw smell of chicken and also add a beautiful flavor.
Step 13: Season the chicken with salt & Italian seasoning and keep cooking until chicken is almost cooked and turns golden brown. It would take about 8 to 10 minutes on low heat.
Pro tip: If you are using chicken breast instead of chicken thighs, it would cook in half the time; hence please adjust accordingly.
Step 14: Next add the chopped capsicum to the pan. Cook the chicken and capsicum together for 5 minutes on low heat. Let the capsicum remain a bit crunchy.
Step 15: At this point, add the boiled sweetcorn. Give a good stir to chicken & veggies.
Step 16: Now add the cooked pasta and start mixing in with all the ingredients. If the pan looks too dry, add a couple tablespoons of more olive oil and mix in.
Step 17: Season the pasta with salt & Italian seasoning. Add salt little less than what you think is required because the white sauce & cheese are also quite salty.
Step 18: Keep stirring the pasta along with chicken and capsicum for about 2 minutes on medium heat to let the seasoning mix evenly with everything.
Step 19: Here comes the first installment of cheese! Add half of the grated cheddar cheese to the pasta and carefully mix it in.
Step 20: Pour half of the reserved pasta water to the pan and cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt for about 5 minutes.
Step 21: Meanwhile, check the white sauce which must have thickened by now. Bring it back to heat and add the remaining pasta water. Keep stirring and the sauce will gradually become thinner and pourable.
Step 22: Coming back to the pasta, uncover the pasta pan and give a good stir. Cheese has melted completely.
Step 23: Now pour in the cheese sauce over the pasta and using a spatula, carefully start mixing it with pastas and veggies.
Pro tip: Be patient and take your time to mix the sauce with pastas, chicken & veggies and ensure the pastas do not break. Each pasta will soak up the sauce beautifully taking a creamy and cheesy avatar.
Step 24: It’s time to add more cheese again! It’s a cheesy pasta after all! Add the remaining grated cheese and mix it in. Cheese will melt in with the sauce and your pasta will take on a seriously creamy texture!
Step 25: Finally sprinkle some chilli flakes and a few fresh basil leaves and your cheesy pasta is ready to serve. Add a spoonful of grated cheese over the pasta after serving and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil!
Other delicious pasta recipes from Flavor Quotient
- Best Ever Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake
- Creamy Chicken Pasta with Tomato & Basil
- Creamy Mushroom Spaghetti in White Sauce
- Fusilli or any other short pasta of your choice - 2 cups
- Chicken thigh - 300 gms, boneless and skinless, cut into small bite-sized pieces
- Capsicum - 1 small, cut into small pieces
- Sweet corn - ¼ cup
- Olive oil - 5 to 6 tbsp
- Garlic - 10 to 12 cloves, grated
- Cheddar cheese - 1 cup, grated
- Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
- Chilli flakes - ½ tsp, optional
- Fresh basil leaves - 7 to 8
- Salt to taste
- Butter - 40 gms/3 tbsp
- Maida - 1 tbsp
- Cold milk - 1 cup
- Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
- Salt - ¼ tsp
- Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Ensure the heat is low, else your butter will burn & turn deep brown and you will have to start over again.
- Once butter is melted, add the all-purpose flour/maida and keep stirring continuously keeping the heat on low until the color of the flour changes to a light golden brown. It would take about 1 to 1 & ½ minutes.
- Now add the cold milk while stirring constantly making sure that the flour is mixed evenly without any lump. Be patient at this stage as it may take a while to make the flour completely lump-free, otherwise your white sauce will not turn out smooth and creamy.
- Let the sauce come to a slow boil. As soon as the sauce starts to boil, it will thicken.
- Season the sauce with salt & Italian seasoning and give a thorough mix. Taste the sauce at this point and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Once the sauce is nicely thickened, remove it from heat and set aside until needed.
- Boil a pot of water and add about a tablespoon of salt to it. Add the pasta to boiling water and cook it until al dente i.e. soft but not too much. Check the pasta packet for the time it needs to cook until al dente.
- Before draining the water out, reserve a cup of pasta water.
- Once done, pour the pasta into a colander to let all the water drain out and wash the pasta in cold running water for a few seconds. Set it aside.
- In another small saucepan, boil the sweetcorn in salted water until the corn is tender; it would take about 6 to 8 minutes on medium heat. Drain the water out and set the corn aside until needed.
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or wok. Once hot, add the chicken pieces and cook for a few minutes on medium heat.
- Add the grated garlic to the chicken and sauté for a few seconds.
- Season the chicken with salt & Italian seasoning and keep cooking until the chicken is almost cooked and turned golden brown. It would take about 8 to 10 minutes on low heat.
- Next add the chopped capsicum to the pan. Cook the chicken and capsicum together for 5 minutes on low heat. Let the capsicum remain a bit crunchy.
- At this point, add the boiled sweetcorn. Give a good stir to chicken & veggies.
- Now add the cooked pasta and start mixing in with all the ingredients. If the pan looks too dry, add a couple tablespoons of more olive oil and mix in.
- Season the pasta with salt & Italian seasoning. Add salt little less than what you think is required because the white sauce & cheese are also quite salty.
- Keep stirring the pasta along with chicken and capsicum for about 2 minutes on medium heat to let the seasoning mix evenly with everything.
- Here comes the first installment of cheese! Add half of the grated cheddar cheese to the pasta and carefully mix it in.
- Pour half of the reserved pasta water to the pan and cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, check the white sauce which must have thickened by now. Bring it back to heat and add the remaining pasta water. Keep stirring and the sauce will gradually become thinner and pourable.
- Coming back to the pasta, uncover the pasta pan and give a good stir. Cheese has melted completely.
- Now pour in the cheese sauce over the pasta and using a spatula, carefully start mixing it with pastas and veggies.
- It’s time to add more cheese again! Add the remaining grated cheese and mix it in. Cheese will melt in with the sauce and your pasta will take on a seriously creamy texture!
- Finally sprinkle some chilli flakes and a few fresh basil leaves and your cheesy pasta is ready to serve. Add a spoonful of grated cheese over the pasta after serving and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil! Enjoy!
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