Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta

Quick · 30 min · Serves 2 · Italian

Dietary: nut-free

Tender pan-seared chicken and pasta tossed in a silky garlic-butter sauce emulsified with parmesan and starchy pasta water, finished with parsley.

Ingredients

For 2 servings

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the packet says, since it finishes in the sauce. Scoop out a mug of the starchy pasta water before you drain it: it's what turns the butter and cheese into a sauce.

While the pasta cooks, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, until it shimmers.
Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once or twice, until golden on all sides and cooked through: 74°C (165°F) inside, or no pink when you cut the biggest piece. Move to a plate.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the butter. Once it has melted and stopped foaming, add the garlic and cook gently for about 1 minute, stirring, until soft and fragrant but not browned; browned garlic turns bitter.
Add a splash of the pasta water and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken and any juices, add the drained pasta and toss over low heat for about 1 minute, until coated.
Take the pan off the heat and add most of the parmesan, tossing constantly and adding more pasta water a splash at a time, until the cheese melts into a glossy sauce that clings to the pasta. Off the heat matters: over a flame the cheese clumps instead of melting.
Season with salt and pepper, scatter over the parsley and the remaining parmesan, and serve at once; the sauce tightens as it cools.