Chicken Caesar Pasta (One Pot!)

This One Pot Chicken Caesar Pasta recipe is so easy to make! Angel hair pasta and blackened chicken are tossed in a creamy Parmesan sauce with a hint of Caesar dressing, lemons, and capers.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup Caesar salad dressing  , divided
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 1 large
  • 3 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups chicken broth  
  • 8 oz. angel hair pasta, equal to 1/2 lb.
  • 1 Tablespoon capers
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • Freshly cracked pepper
  • Fresh Parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions

  • Slice each chicken breast in half to create two thinner pieces of equal size. Season each side with lemon pepper seasoning.
  • Place the chicken in a freezer Ziploc bag and add ¾ cup of Caesar dressing (save ¼ cup for the pasta sauce). Coat the chicken with the dressing and seal. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (or longer if time allows.)
  • Meanwhile, shred the Parmesan cheese and set it aside. It should be at room temp when added to the sauce.
  • Take ¼ cup of the Caesar dressing and whisk it with ¾ cup milk. Set it aside, it should also come down to nearly room temp. Don’t worry if it’s not completely uniform in consistency.
  • Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large high-walled skillet or dutch oven.
  • Add the marinated chicken and let it sear, undisrupted, for 4-5 minutes per side. Decrease heat to medium if oil begins to splatter.
  • Set the chicken on a plate. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then cut it into strips. Transfer any juice left on the plate back to the pot.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter. Add the minced garlic. Heat for one minute.
  • Add the chicken broth, and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Slowly stir in the milk/Caesar dressing. Bring to a boil.
  • Add the angel hair pasta and use kitchen tongs to gently bend the noodles into the pan as they soften. (If preferred, you can also break them in half.)
  • Let the pasta simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the noodles don’t stick together.
  • Once the pasta is softened and cooked through, add the capers and decrease heat to low.
  • Gradually sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, use tongs to toss and combine. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the lemon juice. Stir to combine.
  • Garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Add freshly cracked pepper and serve.

Notes

Note: Be sure to use angel hair. Substituting regular spaghetti noodles requires more liquid and cooking time. If you only have spaghetti, plan on using an extra 1/2 cup chicken broth, an extra 1/2 cup milk, and an extra 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.