Creamy Chicken Linguine Recipe

This creamy chicken linguine recipe is irresistible! Chicken and linguine pair with light creamy sauce to make an easy yet special weeknight dinner.

It’s no secret that I love pasta. It’s on my menu once a week. I switch it up from week to week, but a good, hearty pasta dish always makes my weekly menu.

My son adores pasta with Alfredo sauce. While that’s certainly a great dish, I like to change things up a bit and make this creamy chicken linguine recipe.

The best part? You can easily make this crowd pleasing pasta dish that your family will love any night of the week because it's ready in under 30 minutes!

Why We Love This Creamy Chicken Linguine

I am known by my family not to serve the same exact dish for weeks. Variety always makes dinner better if you ask me - I stand by that assertion!

This dish is a bit lighter than your typical Alfredo pasta. The chicken adds some extra protein and the sauce is not as rich. It's part of why we love it so much.

Whiile Alfredo sauce is delicious, without complaint, sometimes it's a bit too rich and decadent for an easy weeknight dinner. This creamy sauce fixes that!

I like to serve a side of veggies or arugula salad to complete the meal. When I’m feeling healthy, I use whole wheat pasta, but any type of linguine will work.

Actually, spaghetti is perfect for this recipe too. It’s a perfect week night meal especially if you have teenagers in the house. It checks all the boxes!

How To Make Creamy Chicken Linguine

To make this crowd pleasing creamy chicken linguine, you will need:

Ingredients

• Chicken - This chicken linguine recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast. You may substitute another form of chicken, but please note that it may affect cooking times. 
• Linguine - I like linguine best for this pasta dish, but spaghetti or fettucine also work perfectly with the creamy sauce.
• Herbs and spices - To make this linguine dish sing you'll need garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and fresh parsley to garnish.
• Butter - You'll need butter to create the basis of the roux to make the sauce for this chicken linguine dish.
• Flour - I use all-purpose flour along with the butter to form the roux for the sauce.
• Broth - Chicken broth, or chicken stock, is included in the sauce. If the sauce gets too thick, add a tiny bit more broth.
• Cream - For this creamy sauce you'll need half and half or another dairy cream of your choice.

Gear

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• Large skillet or sauté pan - Since you sauté the chicken and build the sauce in one pan, you'll need a large deep skillet or a sauté pan like this large Cusinart stainless steel sauté pan. The size makes it perfect for building pasta dishes like this one all in one pan!
• Stock pot - I like to use a large stainless steel stock pot whenever I make pasta dishes like this. It's a versataile pot you can use for so many reasons and the size is perfect to avoid water boiling over when making pasta.

Step 1. Cook the linguine until al dente per the package instructions. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and set aside.

Heat olive in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and garlic.

Step 2. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning over the chicken. Toss to coat and cook until the chicken is cooked through - roughly 7 to 10 minutes.

Step 3. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Add the butter to the skillet and let it melt. Use a wooded spoon to scrape the seasoning and chicken juice from the pan to combine with the butter.

Step 4. Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture and whisk to combine.

Step 5. Add the chicken broth and half and half to the skillet and whisk until smooth, reducing the heat to low.

Step 6. Return the chicken to the pan and increase the heat to a gentle simmer.

Step 7. Add the pasta and bit of the reserved pasta water. Mix well to combine. Cook until the sauce has thickened and is nice and creamy. 

Step 8. Serve garnished with fresh, chopped parsley. 

Tips for Making This Creamy Chicken Linguine

My son is a growing boy and this is one hearty meal that keeps everyone satisfied. It's one of those dishes you will find yourself making again and again.

I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe - I find thighs to be more flavorful and I always keep several packages in my freezer.

When chicken thighs are on sale, I generally like to stock my freezer. My family loves roasted chicken thighs but they are great with pasta too.

This dish has a simple dried Italian seasoning in it. I always keep a few jars in my pantry because you can’t go wrong with it if you are making a pasta dish.

A sprinkling of fresh parsley or basil makes the dinner extra fresh.

I like to keep a basil plant on my counter but I can’t always rely on that if it’s not late spring or summer. So, I go with whatever herb looks fresh in the store.

Chicken Linguine Variations

If your family loves fettuccine Alfredo, I invite you to change things up a bit and make this creamy chicken linguine instead - you won’t be disappointed!

There are also lots of other versions of chicken linguine that my family really loves - like our lemon chicken linguine recipe. It's bright, fresh and delicious.

This creamy sundried tomato chicken linguine recipe is made with garden fresh zucchini so it packs tons of great flavor and texture into one easy pasta dish.

Looking for something unique to make? Try our insanely good chicken riggies recipe - while not a linguine dish, this pasta dish is truly out of this world.

Need a vegetarian option? Any of our chicken linguine recipes can easily be adapted - simply skip the chicken and sub out chicken broth for veggie stock!

Want to level things up? Try our easy semolina pasta recipe - the extra step is worth the effort on the weekend or when celebrating a special occasion.

What To Serve With Chicken Linguine

Let's call a spade a spade - a lot of times I am serving this creamy chicken linguine recipe as a stand alone dinner because that is what time allows.

When I do have time, I mentioned that this linguine pairs great with salad, but I also love making our easy air fryer broccoli recipe to go on the side.

This grilled halloumi strawberry salad makes a great accompaniment in the summer, as does our roasted cabbage wedges recipe made in the toaster oven.

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