This restaurant-inspired recipe comes from a small Italian restaurant that is run by a family of chefs. They have recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation although they put their own modern twist on their vintage family dishes. This dish is my rendition of their popular cream and parmesan dish.

The cavatappi (or corkscrew) pasta noodles are the basis of this dish. I like them because they are fun to eat and are easier to pick up than long noodles like fettuccine.

The major requirement for this dish is to use freshly grated parmesan. The taste and texture can change if you use the prebagged or bottled parmesan cheeses. I did a taste test with bagged parmesan, bottled parmesan, and freshly grated from a cheese block. The freshly grated won hands down over the others. The bagged shredded parmesan didn’t melt well and the sauce was clumpy. The shaker bottled grated parmesan cheese had a different taste that just didn’t work for this dish.

The cream is also a must for this dish so be careful making substitutions.

Depending on how much liquid from the cream cooks out of this dish, you might need to add a little cooked pasta water to thin the sauce. If I forget and drain the pasta without reserving liquid, I just add a little more cream. The best way to do it is to heat the cream before adding it so it doesn’t cool down the pasta.

Enjoy this pasta dish with some crusty Italian bread!

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Chicken Cavatappi

Corkscrew pasta with chicken and alfredo sauce

Votes: 2
Rating: 5
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Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American, Italian

Keyword

Alfredo, Chicken Cavatappi, Chicken Recipe, Pasta

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

13 minutes

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry cavatappi pasta (corkscrew)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 10 ounces rotisserie chicken breast, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups fresh parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• white pepper, ground

Course Main Dish Cuisine American, Italian Keyword Alfredo, Chicken Cavatappi, Chicken Recipe, Pasta Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 13 minutes Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 3 cups dry cavatappi pasta (corkscrew) 2 teaspoons salt 10 ounces rotisserie chicken breast, cut into pieces 1/2 cup salted butter 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 2 1/2 cups fresh parmesan cheese, grated 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese white pepper, ground

Votes: 2 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and the cavatappi pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cooked pasta water.
2. On low heat, use a large skillet to melt the butter. Add the garlic and stir for 20-30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the cream and stir until hot and simmering but not boiling. Remove pan from the hot burner and add the white pepper and parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Add salt to taste if needed.
3. Stir in the pasta with the sauce. Add a little pasta water to thin if the sauce is too thick. Then mix in the chicken.
4. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Do not boil the parmesan cheese in the cream mixture or it might curdle and become clumpy.

For best results and taste, use only freshly-grated parmesan cheese.

This recipe works with rotisserie, baked, or boiled chicken.