Mushrooms and Chicken Pasta for life
My creamy ranch chicken pasta is based on an old slow cooker favorite, where a chicken breast is slow cooked in cream of chicken soup and ranch powder. But with a fridge full of mushrooms and no time for the slow cooker, I thought up this delightful saucy chicken dish.
My father’s family has always loved mushrooms, especially in a creamy sauce. Beef Stroganoff was a common meal for my family. The Christmas dinner table is never complete without a big pot of sour cream and mushroom gravy. Needless to say, the first thing I think of when I make a new recipe is: how can I add mushrooms?
Making my Creamy Chicken Pasta
Sautéing
The first step is to salt and pepper the chicken breast, and fry for a couple minutes a side until lightly browned. The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point, and that is the goal. Remove it to a plate and either tent with foil or put in the microwave to rest. The chicken will continue cooking from the residual heat, so when it gets added to the sauce it will finish very quickly.
Next, the base of the sauce is sauteed onion and baby bella mushrooms. I like to give the onions a head start and get some color on them before adding the mushrooms to the skillet. It prevents burning and over cooking the mushrooms.
Tip on sautéing garlic
An important tip when cooking with canned minced garlic (I get mine from Costco, but it can be bought anywhere): Have a liquid ingredient prepped to add to the skillet as soon as the garlic is golden brown. The mince is so small that there’s only a fine line between perfect and burnt, and adding the liquid ingredient at just the right moment will prevent burning. So for creamy ranch chicken spaghetti, I add the cream of chicken soup as soon as the garlic changes color.
Finish the chicken pasta
Once the cream of chicken soup is added, I add the greek yogurt, ranch powder, and water. Next, return the chicken to the sauce. It’s important to add any juices on the plate into the sauce, as it’s a great source of flavor. At this point, taste a little bit of the sauce and then add worcestershire sauce to taste. Then simmer for 5 minutes uncovered so that the sauce can reach the right consistency. Lastly cover it for another 5 minutes to preserve the consistency and make sure the chicken is fully cooked.
Now the sauce is ready. Serve over spaghetti with a roll on the side.
Enjoy 🙂
Recipe for Chicken Ranch Pasta
Chicken Ranch Pasta
Equipment
- 1 cutting board
- 1 Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast cubed
- 1 white onion sliced
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 can Healthy Choice cream of chicken soup 10.5oz
- ¼ cup low fat greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1.5 tbsp ranch powder
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce optional
- 8 oz spaghetti cooked
- Canola Oil
- Olive Oil
- Salt and paper to taste
Instructions
- Heat canola oil (approximately ½ tbsp) in a skillet over high heat.
- Salt and pepper the chicken breast to taste.
- Fry the chicken over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned. The chicken does not need to be cooked through. Once browned, remove a plate and cover with foil or place in a microwave. The chicken will continue cooking and stay juicy this way.
- Add some olive oil (no more than ½ tbsp) to the skillet.
- Add onions and fry until soft and slightly browned, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Once onions have some color, add mushrooms to the skillet. Cook together approximately 2-3 minutes longer.
- Add minced garlic and cook until golden.
- Once garlic is done, quickly stir in the cream of chicken soup, low fat greek yogurt, ranch powder, and worcestershire sauce.
- Return the browned chicken breast and any juice on the plate to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Add ¼ cup of water to the sauce and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, then cover for another 5 minutes.
- Serve over cooked spaghetti with a roll on the side.