Creamy One-Pot Pasta With Chicken and Mushrooms Recipe (2024)

I make this recipe regularly, it's subtle and a welcome change from red-sauce pastas. Bittman's recipes are always "as you like it." I add some oregano and chili flakes with the garlic, and this time a bayleaf. It benefits from flavorful homemade broth. A squirt of lemon at the end with some parm, and maybe peas or sundried tomato to impart added color and flavor. I also used some dried mushrooms in the mix tonight and added the mushroom soaking water, gave it a nice depth.

Small tweaks make this amazing and flavorful. Before starting the pasta, I cooked some pancetta in the pan and then browned the chicken (dredged in flour and spices) in the pancetta fat, put on plate to rest. Added a little more oil and proceeded as directed — adding a splash of worcestershire to the mushrooms, then fresh black pepper, sundried tomato paste, thyme/oregano, spinach, squeeze of lemon.

Great recipe base with one MAJOR flaw. I've been making risotto for 20 years and not once in the history of risotto have I added raw meat at the end. I diced the chicken thigh pretty small and even so it took a good 15 minutes to get done. If you like purple, medium rare chicken prepare it per the recipe, otherwise do it like a risotto and cook the chicken first before adding it back at the end. Otherwise this is a great recipe and good jumping off point for future variations.

Delicious - perhaps one of the finest recipes here. Took the recommendation of other posters and browned boneless, skinless thighs in the same pan first. Enough fat rendered with olive oil to provide a solid base for the veggies. Used a larger onion and more garlic than called for, plus fresh thyme leaves. I added the chicken (diced) back one the pasta was cooked near al dente. Many cracks of pepper and some fresh grated parm resulted in a superb Sunday supper.

This is a family favorite, the recipe that got us hooked on NYT's cooking site. Sadly, I've not been able to make a vegetarian version since the chicken seems important to create the sauce, and it's just not the same with all mushrooms. You do need the salt in the broth to get it seasoned right. We double the amount of mushrooms and chicken, and consider it pretty foolproof.

I love this and it is part of my weekly rotation. However, as I do not eat meat, I substitute shrimp...

Sautéed chicken first, then added with the last ladle of stock.Subbed Marsala wine for white and I'm really glad I did. Perhaps my favorite NYT Cooking recipe so far.

I found this to be delicious and easy. I went heavy on the shallots & garlic, based on notes that the result could be bland. I also took the advice of another cook who threw in a box of spinach along with the chicken, and that worked well (though reduced the amount of stock needed). The flavors of the wine, garlic and parmesan came together nicely. I'm looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Make sure to add hot broth, not cold or room temperature broth.Because of minimal amount of water used, the pasta cooking time will be longer than what's stated in the box.I prefer to add enough liquid to just cover the pasta, then close the lid and let it cook by having the past absorb all the hot liquid. By stirring constantly you may not cook every single pasta.

I have to weigh in here. This was good, not great. The chicken tasted bland and the dish could have used more herbs or seasoning--maybe the addition of some fresh tarragon or oregano. If I make this again, I'd use twice as many shallots, add fresh tarragon at the end, and I would marinate the chicken in a bit of olive oil and garlic, or olive oil/lemon/garlic, to give it a bit more flavor. I'd also saute the chicken first, and then add it later at the end to give it a bit of a sear.

I made this last night -vegetarian. I used gemelli w/ veg broth, mushrooms, spinach, a bit of sun-dried tomatoes, and to increase the protein, stirred in 2 heaping tablespoons of soft goat cheese. Delicious!

This recipe has become a go-to for years. I enjoy adding some halved cherry tomatoes around the same time as the pasta, which adds acidity and brightness.

Fantastic. Cook meat first, add back at end. Subbed marsala wine for white. Added thyme during cooking and parsley for garnish. Perhaps my favorite NYT recipe.

Used half the amount of pasta (cooking for two), but kept mushroom/shallot/garlic and wine measurements. Half crimini, half sh*take. Used half the amount of broth, substituted pre-cooked chicken sausages, stirred in a box of baby spinach and tons of chopped parsley toward the end. Finished with grated parm. A+++

Yum! Seared chicken breast in the pan first, adding the garlic and shallot toward the end of searing, then removed chicken and added cut up asparagus instead of mushrooms. While penne cooked in chicken broth with that mix, cut up the seared chicken (still raw in middle) then added it with about 5 mins left on penne. Lots of grated parm at the end. So good!

Very simple, but excellent recipe. Be patient and add some spices as mentioned previously, grab a glass of wine and relax and enjoy!

Added other spices, some Trader Joe’s shredded unexpected cheddar, and sun dried tomatoes in olive oil and it was great. Definitely needs other things, seems like a base recipe.

This was great with the mods suggested by many comments. I marinated chicken in herb salt mix (seasoned heavily) for a bit, coated w flour and browned them first, took them out and diced them to throw in later. Added julienned sundried tomatoes while cooking pasta. I doubled the recipe including pasta but only needed about 4 cups of broth. Parsley is not optional imo as it needs fresh green elements, otherwise it looks drab. Very savory and homey, didn’t need cheese.

I added thyme, basil, and aleppo pepper, but it was still very bland. (Inedibly so in my wife's opinion, but I grew up on "beige food.") Definitely needs additional spices, I would probably go with the advice below to dredge the chicken in flour and spices and brown it with pancetta ahead of the pasta.

Read notes, decided to par cook my chicken in oven with garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper. I doubled the garlic, added fresh thyme, 1 tsp dried oregano, and 1/4 tsp chili flakes. I used 3 c. chx/veg stock split and was thinking it was too much but next day realized not. It could have even used another 1/2 c. Still, I was not thrilled, it felt bland no matter what I did during the cooking. But next day, holy moly those flavors blended and immerged into something fantastic! I love it!

With the gemelli I found it only needed 3 cups broth but took probably another 10 minutes to cook than called for. I used better than bouillon and made broth since that’s so much easier to control volume. I seared the chicken before and added some cooked pancetta at the chicken step. Also agree needed more flavor so I included some fresh thyme with the broth.

Excellent, flexible recipe. Like others, I built off the base principles, adding other veggies and spices. Delicious result!

Cooked the chicken thighs all the way through in the oil first, remove and set aside. Add a little bit of wine to scrape up the brown bits. Then add the shallots and garlic, cook a few minutes before adding mushrooms and herbs: I added fresh rosemary, thyme and sage, dried oregano and red pepper flakes. Then followed the recipe as directed. In the last few minutes pulled apart the chicken and added back to the pot with the juices. Topped with parsley and Parmesan and squeezed a lemon. Delicious!

Needed quite a bit of seasoning. Ellen suggests substituting sausage for the chicken.

Pan fried chicken breast (3-halves) in rendering from 2-3 slices bacon. Added Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to shallots and mushrooms. Added juice of 1/2 lemon and bacon at end.

This is good, but it needed a lot more flavor. I added some bacon to give it a little crunch, salt, and fat. If I make it again I will add garlic as well as the shallot. Some other comments suggest using a rotisserie chicken to throw in just before the pasta is done to heat it up. Sounds like a great hack!

I really liked this technique. As others mention, it can use a little more flavor. I added the juice of a lemon at the end, as I felt it needed a little more acid that the wine provided to cut through the chicken fat and olive oil, and the brightness brought out the other flavors well. I tasted and seasoned as I went, instead of just the once, as I do with everything I cook. I used better than bullion rather than straight stock (a culinary sin, I know) but it has a heartier flavor.

I made this mostly according to the recipe, but followed some of the suggestions from other reviewers. Braised the chicken thighs first. Used two shallots and a bit more garlic. I threw in some roasted red peppers I had in the fridge, some fresh thyme, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. I also added a half box of baby spinach at the end. I still feel like it was missing something though. Maybe a little lemon juice? I will make this again though.

Very bland.