Main Dishes
One Pot Cheesy Ditalini Pasta Recipe with Chicken
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
25 minutes
Yield
4
This easy Ditalini Pasta Recipe is cheesy, creamy, and paired with juicy chicken thighs for the perfect meal.
This Ditalini Pasta Recipe is so comforting! It’s cheesy, creamy, and paired with flavorful, juicy chicken. This complete meal is so easy to make for your family or a quick weeknight dinner. I love a good pasta recipe in the winter because it’s the ultimate comfort food. It’s also budget-friendly, and there are so many ways you can make it your own with whatever you have in the fridge or cupboard.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Ditalini Pasta Recipe
- Easy: Pasta shouldn’t be a complex dish to make and this isn’t that. This Ditalini Pasta Recipe can be prepped in only 10 minutes and you can have it on your table in less than an hour.
- Comforting: As I mentioned above, this recipe is so comforting. Cheese and pasta can’t be beaten when you need a meal that’s good for your soul.
- Versatile: You can make this your own with any pasta dish. Swap the protein, add in some veggies, and change up the noodles, you can work with the ingredients you have on hand.
🍲 Ingredients
Ditalini – You’re probably wondering what Ditalini is. Ditalini is a type of pasta noodle that is small and shaped like a tube. It’s like a short macaroni but straight vs. curved. It can be great in pasta salads, and soups, and to use interchangeably in any pasta dish.
Parmesan – For this recipe you’re going to want to use real parmesan cheese. I know what you’re thinking, what is fake parm? Well, the shelf-stable parmesan cheese in a shaker bottle usually isn’t real cheese. If you read the ingredient list and find a long list of things you can’t pronounce, there is your answer. Instead, buy a wedge of real parm from the deli section or cheese section, and grate it yourself for the best flavor and consistency.
👩🍳 How to Make This Ditalini Pasta Recipe
- Make the marinade: whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, dried oregano, pressed garlic, salt and pepper. Reserve 4 tbsp of the marinade and set aside.
- Add the chicken to a bowl and add the rest of the marinade. Toss the chicken to coat it and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large high sided skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, turn to medium heat and add the chicken thighs. Cook until deeply golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 4-5 minutes and then remove the chicken to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the diced onion to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until just softened. Then, add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the noodles and stir well to coat with the oils and herbs in the pan.
- Stir in the chicken broth and cream and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, stir in the spinach until combined and add the chicken back to the pan along with any juices from the plate/bowl the chicken was on, keeping at a simmer and stirring every few minutes, for 10-14 minutes with the lid mostly on until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed. *Note: If the pasta is not quite done to your liking, add 1/4-1/2 cup more chicken broth and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente*
- Once the pasta is cooked, move the chicken thighs to the sides of the pan and stir in ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese, nestle the chicken thighs in and let cook for 5 more minutes. Before serving, drizzle the 4 tbsp of marinade over the dish and garnish with parsley.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Meal Prep: This also is great for meal prep! Divide into containers and take for lunch during the week. When you’re ready to enjoy, just pop it into the microwave.
- Prepare in Advance: If you want to prep this recipe in advance, you can make up the marinade, prep the veggies, and shred the cheese. Store in the fridge, and then all you have to do is cook it up. You can also measure out the seasoning for the pasta and combine it in a small bowl or jar to make cooking it up quicker.
- Other Recipes: If you like this recipe, I have a handful of other, easy recipes that you’ll love. Try our One Pot Broccoli, or Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole. Let me know what your favorite is in the comments!
🗒 Substitutions
- Ditalini: If you can’t find ditalini pasta, you can substitute it for orzo. You can also make this recipe with other pasta noodles, you just may need to adjust the cooking directions.
- Chicken: You can make this recipe without chicken, or you can swap the chicken thighs for breasts or drumsticks.
- Italian Seasoning: If you don’t have Italian seasoning you can make your own by combining dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Pasta is always so yummy leftover so this is a great meal to meal prep.
🤔 Common Questions
Ditalini pasta is a small tube-shaped pasta that is about the size of macaroni. If you can’t find it, you can substitute it with orzo.
I recommend for at least 25 minutes but you can marinade for up to 3 hours. If you marinade for too long, your chicken can change in texture, especially if the marinade has citrus juice like lemon in it.
One Pot Cheesy Ditalini Pasta Recipe with Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 lemon, juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp dijon or yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 lb (about 6) boneless skinless chicken thighs
For the pasta
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach
- 1 cup dried ditalini pasta
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup light / 10% cream
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Make the marinade: whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, dried oregano, pressed garlic, salt and pepper. Reserve 4 tbsp of the marinade and set aside.
- Add the chicken to a bowl and add the rest of the marinade. Toss the chicken to coat it and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large high sided skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, turn to medium heat and add the chicken thighs. Cook until deeply golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook for another 4-5 minutes and then remove the chicken to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the diced onion to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until just softened. Then, add the minced garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the noodles and stir well to coat with the oils and herbs in the pan.
- Stir in the chicken broth and cream and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, stir in the spinach until combined and add the chicken back to the pan along with any juices from the plate/bowl the chicken was on, keeping at a simmer and stirring every few minutes, for 10-14 minutes with the lid mostly on until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed. *Note: If the pasta is not quite done to your liking, add 1/4-1/2 cup more chicken broth and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente*
- Once the pasta is cooked, move the chicken thighs to the sides of the pan and stir in ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese, nestle the chicken thighs in and let cook for 5 more minutes. Before serving, drizzle the 4 tbsp of marinade over the dish and garnish with parsley.
Video
Notes
- If you can’t find ditalini pasta you can use orzo which has a similar cooking time.
- This also is great for meal prep! Divide into containers and take for lunch during the week.
- If you like this recipe, try our One Pot Broccoli, Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
