Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken & Ditalini (A Reedy Family Keeper)

I learned to cook standing beside my grandma, and around here, a recipe is more of a suggestion than a rule. The butter and cheese? We measure those with our hearts. Which is exactly how this dinner went.

I started out planning creamy garlic Parmesan chicken and orzo. Kroger didn’t have orzo, so ditalini came home instead. Then I decided the sauce needed to be creamier. And because leaving one lonely ounce of cream cheese in the package makes absolutely no sense, in went the whole four ounces I had left.

The result? Creamy, comforting, delicious chicken and pasta. This one is a keeper. There was just one little incident involving Parmesan already loaded with red pepper flakes. My mouth was a five-alarm fire. So consider yourself warned: use plain Parmesan, then add the heat yourself.

Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken & Ditalini

Serves: 4   |   Time: About 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper, or to taste
• 1 cup dry ditalini pasta
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus a splash more if necessary
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 4 oz light cream cheese (or Neufchâtel)
• ½ cup plain grated Parmesan
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Up to ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, optional and added separately to taste
• Chopped parsley or extra Parmesan, optional

How I made it

1. Slice thick chicken breasts into thinner cutlets, pat dry, and season with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for about 4–5 minutes per side until golden; move it to a plate. It will finish cooking later.
3. Lower heat to medium. Melt butter in the same skillet and cook minced garlic for 30–60 seconds.
4. Add the dry ditalini and stir briefly. Pour in 2 cups chicken broth and scrape up the flavorful browned bits. Simmer, stirring often, until pasta is nearly tender (check the package timing). Add a splash of broth or water if it gets too dry.
5. Lower heat. Stir in the heavy cream, cream cheese, plain Parmesan, and spinach until the sauce is creamy and the spinach wilts. Add lemon juice, and season to taste. Add a little red pepper flake only if you want it.
6. Nestle chicken and its juices back into the skillet. Cover and cook gently until the center of the chicken reaches 165°F. Loosen the sauce with more broth if needed.
7. Rest a couple of minutes, then serve the chicken over the creamy ditalini. Spoon extra sauce on top.

Notes from my kitchen

• This is the first tested Reedy version, with ditalini swapped in for the original orzo.
• I used 2 cups broth plus ½ cup heavy cream instead of 2½ cups broth.
• I used 4 oz cream cheese rather than the planned 3 oz.
• My Parmesan already had a lot of red pepper flakes mixed in. Too hot! Next time: plain Parmesan and control the pepper flakes ourselves.
• The original plan had 1 tbsp lemon juice, but I didn’t separately record whether I added it in this test. Treat it as optional until we confirm the next batch.

Recipes are guidelines, not laws. Start with the measurements, taste as you go, and don’t be afraid to make it your own. That’s how Grandma taught me.