Angel Chicken Pasta – A Restaurant Style Meal Made At Home

If you are looking for an easy-to-make, restaurant quality pasta dish that features a creamy, flavorful sauce served with chicken over pasta, then this Angel Chicken Pasta is the perfect dish for you!

Several years ago, a friend introduced me to this dish. It has since become a family favorite staple in our home. After a few minor tweaks and doubling the sauce so we can drown our favorite pasta in it, it’s become the perfect weeknight meal.

The recipe is super simple to make, but the result is a dish that could pass for a restaurant-quality meal (just minus the waiters and tipping)! We typically make it on a weeknight and it gives us plenty of leftovers for the next day. It’s also a great meal to serve when my kids have a game or race the next day.

You can use whatever pasta you have on hand for this dish, but it is geared toward angel hair pasta (hence the name of the dish). We have used everything from vermicelli to thin spaghetti to penne and enjoy it all the same. It just depends on what we have in our cupboard at the time.

Feel free to use either chicken tenders, chicken breast, or even diced chicken. You really can’t go wrong with any option. Or, go meat-free since the sauce is so delicious that it can stand on its own!

How To Make Angel Chicken Pasta

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

Ingredients

Sauce Ingredients

Butter – The original recipe called for a bit more butter than what I use. I have even scaled it down even more without really affecting the richness of the sauce. I do suggest that you use real butter for this recipe though.

Dry Zesty Italian Dressing Mix – This is one of those pre-made packets you can find in the condiment aisle. There is regular Italian dressing and zesty Italian. Both work well for this recipe, but we prefer the extra “zing” that the zesty brings to the dish. We have also used homemade and that works well. (This is the brand we get if we don’t use homemade. You can usually find individual packets in grocery stores – Product Link: Good Seasons Zesty Italian Dressing Mix)

Water – The original recipe calls for white wine. However, we are not a wine family, so I started just substituting the wine for plain old water. You can also use chicken stock if you want a bit more flavor, but we feel there is plenty with just water.

Golden Mushroom Soup – This is a must-have ingredient for this recipe in my opinion. We’ve tried swapping for regular cream of mushroom, but it didn’t have the flavor profile we liked. It’s what helps give the dish that golden yellow coloring as well. I’m sure there are homemade recipes out there you can try, but we just use Campbell’s version. (Product Link: Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup)

Cream Cheese With Chives – You can also substitute this with regular cream cheese and dice up some fresh chives instead. Either way, you want your cream cheese to be softened.

Other Ingredients

Chicken – You can use either chicken tenders, chicken breasts, or even diced chicken. It really doesn’t matter. If you are using breasts, you’ll want to increase the cooking time. If you are using pre-baked chicken, then reduce the time and cook just until everything is heated through.

Pasta – Again, we usually use angel hair pasta or vermicelli. But for the night I made it when taking these photos, I used thin spaghetti. It really doesn’t matter what you use, to be honest. It will all taste good!

Instructions for Angel Chicken Pasta

Create Your Sauce

Start by preheating your oven to 325º Fahrenheit.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Once it is completely melted, add in the dressing mix and stir until combined. Next, add in the water (or whatever liquid you are using) and the soup. Stir well using a whisk.

Add in the cream cheese and whisk until everything is well incorporated. The sauce should become very smooth after a while. Continue to heat the mixture over medium-low heat until it is heated through. Avoid letting the sauce boil though. Remove it from the heat and set aside for a few minutes.

Time For Baking

Add your chicken in a single layer into a 9×13 baking dish. There is no need to grease the dish before adding. (Here is the baking dish we use most often – Product Link: Pyrex 3 Qt Baking Dish)

Next, pour the sauce over the top of the chicken, evenly covering as much as possible. It’s ok if a little bit of the chicken is sticking up through the sauce.

Place the dish uncovered into the preheated oven and bake for about 35-45 minutes for chicken tenders or 60 minutes for whole chicken breasts. The time will depend on how much chicken you are using and how thick the pieces are. The goal is to cook the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165º Fahrenheit.

Make Your Pasta & Serve

While the chicken is baking, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook your pasta as directed on the box and drain. Set aside and keep warm until you are ready for serving.

Remove the dish from the oven once the chicken is at the right internal temperature. Don’t be surprised if the butter has separated some after baking and is sitting on top of the sauce. Simply stir it all back together before serving.

When you are ready for serving, add the pasta to your plate first. Next, add your chicken and then drown the whole thing in the creamy sauce. Bake some homemade Baking Powder Biscuits to sop up all of that extra sauce and you have a delicious, hardy meal the whole family will love! Enjoy!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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