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This creamy Goat Cheese Pasta with Chicken and Rosemary is simple enough to make for a weeknight dinner but elegant enough for a special date night in.
INTRO
CREAMY GOAT CHEESE PASTA
Years and years ago, I used to frequent Michael Symon’s former restaurant, Bar Symon, in my hometown.
It was there that I discovered this pasta recipe. From the first time I had it, I was hooked. The goat cheese sauce was creamy, tangy, and perfectly infused with fresh rosemary, while the chicken made it hearty enough for a main course.
It’s one of those dishes that forces you to instinctively close your eyes and truly enjoy what is dancing around in your mouth. It was love at first bite and I knew I had to find a way to replicate it at home.
I expected to need a long list of ingredients to make such a gorgeous plate of food. I was pretty amazed that it actually consisted of such a short list of ingredients:
- Rigatoni
- Heavy cream
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh garlic
- Goat cheese
- Shredded roast chicken
- Salt and pepper
I know what you might be thinking. No, this isn’t a low-calorie recipe. But sometimes you just have to go a bit decadent, especially for a celebration or a date night in.
HOW TO MAKE GOAT CHEESE PASTA SAUCE
The ingredients are not the only thing that’s simple about this recipe – the prep work is also a breeze.
Sometimes I use leftover roast chicken, but you can make it even more simplistic by picking up a rotisserie chicken from your local market.
To make the goat cheese pasta sauce, pour the cream into a large saucepan and add the crushed garlic cloves and chopped rosemary. Bring the cream to a simmer and let it reduce by about half.
Simmering the cream with the garlic and rosemary in it infuses the cream with way more flavor than just adding them at the end!
Once the cream has reduced, stir in the goat cheese and chicken and let the sauce simmer until it coats the back of a spoon.
When the sauce is ready, season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in cooked rigatoni pasta.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS PASTA
The chicken in this Goat Cheese Pasta really helps to make this a dish that can stand on its own as an entree. I like to serve mine alongside a green salad (usually with homemade blue cheese dressing).
If you want some bread, try making buttery Parker House Rolls or grab a loaf of crusty bread and make some Extra Virgin Olive Oil Herb Dip.
If I’m making this for a dinner party or a special date night, I like to wrap up the meal with dessert. Classic tiramisu would be just special and elegant, or you could go with something bright and tart like Lemon Cheesecake to balance some of the richness from the pasta.
If you love goat cheese, I know you’ll adore this creamy, simple pasta recipe!
Goat Cheese Pasta with Chicken & Rosemary
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound dried rigatoni
- 1 quart heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 clove fresh garlic crushed
- 8 ounces goat cheese
- 2 cups shredded roasted chicken
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a rapid boil. Add the oil and rigatoni to the water and cook according to the directions on the package, 10-12 minutes.
- While you are waiting for the water to boil, pour the cream into a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the rosemary and garlic to the cream and bring it to a simmer – take care not to let it boil over. Allow the cream to reduce by about half.
- Stir in the goat cheese and chicken and continue cooking cooking it till the cream coats the back of a spoon.
- Thoroughly drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce. Coat the pasta in the sauce and simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this, and the whole family loved it! Thanks for a great recipe!
I made this last night with one alteration… before serving, I threw it all in a baking dish, topped it with some panko mixed with parmesan, and baked it for about 10 mins to brown the panko – it added a nice little crunch. My husband said it was the best thing I’d ever made… thank you for this recipe! It’s a keeper!
I just saw someone pin this on Pinterest and it made me so happy! I’m from Cleveland, living in Florida and I have been craving this dish! It is definitely one of my favorites!! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
We celebrated Thanksgiving on Wednesday and yesterday we were looking for a tasty but easy recipe for our “thanksgiving” dinner…this was so perfect!! It was simple, elegant, and SO delicious! Thank you so much for the amazing recipe.
Thanks for the tip abut Shenandoah Growers. I live an hour from Harrisonburg & had no idea they were there. It’ll be helpful when stuff is out of season at the farmer’s market. And that Mac & cheese looks divine.
This dish looks and sounds so incredibly good!
I found your blog via Sacramento Street and am now following :)
fashiontruffles.blogspot.com
I love everything but the goat cheese! but its sounds great
I saw this recipe and it looked delicious, so I had to try it right away. I found that it was really bland, though, even after adding salt, pepper, garlic salt and garlic powder. I also couldn’t really taste the goat cheese.
My favorite recipe made with fresh herbs is simple, but tasty. I like serving it at get togethers because vegans, vegetarians and omnivores enjoy it. It’s also gluten and dairy free!
My olive spread uses 1tsp on sage, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme, pinch of cayenne, 1 garlic glove, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 1/4 c olive oil, 1 c walnuts, 1/2 lb pitted olives.
First, chop up olives and 3 tbsp toasted walnuts in a food processor. Add olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic, thyme, oregano, sage, and cayenne pepper and process until pureed. Stir in remaining 1/4 c. chopped toasted walnuts.
Serve on chopped veggies, crackers, melba toast, etc.
Made this tonight- SOOO good, thank you for posting! YUM!