This Easy Chicken Piccata Pasta takes the flavors of an Italian classic and transforms them into a delicious meal made with bowtie pasta and a box of ready-made chicken piccata. It’s filled with chicken, artichokes, capers, and tomatoes, all covered in a lemon garlic sauce and sprinkled with parmesan cheese! Whether serving your family or dinner guests, this recipe is a winner!
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Chicken Piccata is one of those Italian classics that tastes AMAZING, but isn’t always the fastest to pull together. So when our local Sam’s Club started selling Michael Angelo’s frozen chicken piccata, we had to give it a try… and we loved it! All it requires is a simple bake in the oven, and it honestly always results in flavorful and tender chicken!
Although the chicken on its own is delicious, we started serving it with pasta to stretch it to feed the whole family… and the recipe for Easy Chicken Piccata Pasta was born! With bowtie pasta, some added tomatoes, and parmesan cheese, we found a pasta dish that got everyone in the family excited for dinner (yes, it was a truly victorious discovery). Now we serve it for dinner regularly, and we’ve even served it at dinner parties, family gatherings, and weddings!
🍅 Ingredients
Michael Angelo’s Frozen Chicken Piccata: We buy this from our local Sam’s Club in a box that comes with two trays of chicken, but most other grocery stores carry single tray boxes. The recipe only requires one tray. **Note: Buy the Chicken Piccata meal starter, not the Chicken Piccata that comes with penne pasta.
Bowtie pasta: You can substitute with penne or another pasta if desired.
Salt: Kosher salt is best.
Petite Diced Italian Tomatoes: You can also use plain petite diced tomatoes.
Olive oil: Just a bit for flavor and consistency.
Parmesan cheese: Use real parmesan (not powdered) for the best flavor.
Pasta water: Reserve a bit of the water from boiling the pasta. Add it back into the pasta to make a perfect saucy consistency.
🔪 Instructions
First things first, preheat the oven to 400°F and bake the chicken piccata for 30-35 minutes. While it is cooking, boil the bowtie pasta in salted water and, if you don’t like chunky tomatoes, zoom the canned tomatoes until smooth.
When the chicken is finished cooking, scoop it onto a cutting board (including the capers and artichokes) and chop it up into bite-sized pieces. Make sure to keep all the remaining cooking juices for the pasta.
Then toss the pasta, chopped chicken and juices, tomatoes, oil, and parmesan cheese all together. If the consistency is a bit thick, add a few tablespoons of pasta water. Top with extra cheese and serve!
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
We have served this to crowds over and over again, and it always goes over well! It’s equally great for parties and celebrations (birthdays, graduations, etc.) as it is for a casual dinner with guests. It is easy to make in double or triple batches if needed, plus it can be kept warm for about an hour before serving (see make-ahead tips below).
🙋 Questions and Answers
You can make this a bit ahead of serving, but only about 1-1 ½ hours (longer and it starts to get soggy). To keep it warm, fill a crockpot with 1 inch of water and turn it on high while you make the pasta. When the pasta is finished, dump the water out of the crockpot and pour in the pasta. Turn the crockpot to keep warm and cover for 1 - 1 ½ hours.
Yes! Michael Angelo’s is the brand that I have tried and had success with, but you can substitute with a different frozen chicken piccata or even make your own homemade.
📖 Other great dinner recipes
- 25 Minute Lemon Broccoli Pasta - Another super simple pasta dish that comes together in a flash! Even broccoli haters like this pasta 😉.
- Crispy Chicken Parmesan - If you’re looking for more Italian-inspired recipes, you’ll love this one. Juicy chicken and crispy golden crust topped with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese!
- Chicken Breasts in Lemon Sauce - Easy, fast, and healthy - the perfect weeknight dinner for the whole family!
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Cook it until it is al dente, or still slightly firm to the bite. It will continue to cook slightly once the other ingredients are mixed in.
- Chop the chicken and artichokes small enough to fit on a fork for easy eating.
- Use real, freshly grated parmesan cheese for the best flavor (please don’t use the green can of powdered parmesan cheese).
📋 Recipe
Easy Chicken Piccata Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 20 oz package frozen chicken piccata (I like Michael Angelo's brand)
- 1 lb bowtie pasta
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- ½ 14 oz can petite dice Italian tomatoes
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 oz parmesan cheese grated
- 3-5 tbsp pasta water reserved after boiling pasta
Instructions
- Bake chicken according to package instructions. For Michael Angelo's brand, bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add kosher salt and boil pasta for 10-12 minutes, or until al dente. Don't overcook. Reserve 5 tbsp of pasta water. Drain remaining water and set pasta aside.
- Pour ½ can of tomatoes into a small bowl. Using an immersion blender, zoom tomatoes until smooth. (This step is optional. If you prefer chunky tomatoes, skip the zooming.)
- Once chicken is cooked, place chicken (and large artichoke pieces) on a cutting board and chop into bite-sized pieces. Save the cooking juices remaining in the baking tray.
- Add the chopped chicken, cooking juices, tomatoes, olive oil, and parmesan cheese to the pasta. Stir well to combine. If needed, add 3-5 tbsp of reserved pasta water until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve with extra parmesan cheese!
Notes
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Cook it until it is al dente, or still slightly firm to the bite. It will continue to cook slightly once the other ingredients are mixed in.
- Chop the chicken and artichokes small enough to fit on a fork for easy eating.
- Use real, freshly grated parmesan cheese for the best flavor (please don’t use the green can of powdered parmesan cheese).
***The nutrition facts above do not include the frozen Chicken Piccata. If using Michael Angelo's brand, it is an estimated 115 additional calories per person (for 6 servings).
Rachel says
I have eaten this several times. Yummmmmm!
Misty says
So glad you're enjoying it!
Patty says
Really yummy pasta! I’ve always liked chicken piccata, but never thought of mixing it with pasta this way. I love that it’s a frozen piccata to make it easy 😄😄. It’s the best for school nights.
Misty says
Yes, the frozen piccata makes it super easy. Happy to hear you liked it!