You know those days when you’re standing in the kitchen wondering what to make for lunch, only to discover there’s no marinara sauce, no Alfredo sauce and not a single tomato to whip up something homemade?
Well, that was my situation.
I had a package of chicken, some fettuccine, fresh vegetables, garlic, butter and a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. And sometimes, that’s all you need to make a really good meal.
Taking a little inspiration from the Italian classic aglio e olio, which relies on garlic and olive oil rather than a tomato based sauce, I decided to make my own version with juicy baked chicken, sautéed zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper and a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
The result? A buttery, garlicky chicken pasta with plenty of flavor, a little kick and absolutely no need for a jar of pasta sauce.
And the best part? Most of the preparation can happen while the chicken is baking in the oven.
The Secret Is in the Olive Oil, Butter and Garlic
When you’re making pasta without a traditional sauce, olive oil becomes one of the most important ingredients.
Extra virgin olive oil coats the fettuccine, carries the flavor of the garlic and seasonings, and brings all those vegetables together.
The butter adds a little richness, particularly when baking the chicken. And with eight cloves of garlic, there’s no shortage of flavor here!
I also like a little heat, so I sprinkled red pepper flakes over the chicken before baking and added more to the vegetables while they cooked.
If you prefer something milder, simply reduce the amount.
One thing I wouldn’t skimp on is the olive oil. You can certainly use less, but remember that the oil is part of the sauce. Too little, and the pasta won’t have that same flavorful coating.
Start with Juicy, Oven Baked Chicken
For this recipe, I used bone in chicken and kept the seasoning simple.
I arranged the chicken in a casserole dish, drizzled extra virgin olive oil over each piece, and seasoned everything with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, parsley, garlic salt and red pepper flakes.
Then I cut half a stick of salted butter into small pieces and tucked them between the raw chicken.
Into the oven it went at 400°F for approximately 45 minutes.
The butter melted into the olive oil and chicken juices creating a beautiful golden mixture in the baking dish.
Before removing the chicken from the oven, I checked the thickest part of the meat with a food thermometer to make sure it had reached 165°F.
The chicken came out juicy and flavorful, just as I’d hoped.
Bring on the Colorful Vegetables
While the chicken baked, I got busy chopping the vegetables.
One large zucchini, one large yellow squash and one medium sized yellow bell pepper were diced into small pieces. I also thinly sliced eight cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet, I heated some extra virgin olive oil and added the zucchini, squash and bell pepper. Once the vegetables began to soften, I stirred in the garlic, parsley, kosher salt, black pepper and another sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
You want the vegetables tender but not mushy, with just enough bite to complement the pasta.
Meanwhile, I cooked the fettuccine in salted boiling water, stopping about one minute before the package directions indicated.
Don’t forget to reserve a cup of pasta water before draining! That starchy water helps bring the olive oil and garlic together into a silky coating for the noodles.
Toss Everything Together
Here’s where everything comes together.
My skillet wasn’t quite large enough to hold all the fettuccine and vegetables, so I transferred everything into the larger pasta pot for tossing.
I added the drained fettuccine to the sautéed vegetables and tossed everything together. A few splashes of reserved pasta water helped loosen the mixture and coat the noodles.
Once the chicken was ready, I moved it to a clean cutting board, removed the bones and sliced the meat into bite sized pieces.
Then I folded the chicken into the pasta.
A little freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top, and lunch was served!
Garlic Olive Oil Chicken Pasta Recipe
Prep time: Approximately 15–20 minutes
Cook time: Approximately 45–55 minutes
Total time: About 1 hour
Servings: 5 generous portions
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
For the baked chicken
- 4–8 bone in chicken pieces, depending on package size
- 1/4 cup tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or enough to coat the chicken
- 4 tablespoons salted butter (½ stick), cut into small pieces
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Dried parsley, to taste (fresh parsley works, too)
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- Garlic salt, to taste
For the pasta and vegetables
- 1 (16-ounce) package of fettuccine pasta
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 yellow squash, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- Dried or freshly minced parsley, to taste
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup reserved pasta water (use as needed)
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Season the chicken. Place the bone in chicken pieces in a casserole dish. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt, black pepper, parsley, garlic salt and red pepper flakes. Distribute the butter pieces between the chicken.
3. Bake the chicken. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or longer if necessary depending on the size and cut of the chicken. The thickest part must reach an internal temperature of 165°F, without the thermometer touching the bone.
4. Prepare the vegetables. While the chicken bakes, dice the zucchini, yellow squash and yellow bell pepper into small pieces. Thinly slice eight cloves of garlic.
5. Cook the fettuccine. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for one minute less than the package directions. Before draining, reserve one cup of the cooking water.
6. Sauté the vegetables. Heat 3–4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini, squash and bell pepper. Cook for approximately 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
7. Add garlic and seasonings. Add the sliced garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper. Continue cooking for another 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic becomes fragrant without burning.
8. Combine the pasta. Transfer the drained fettuccine into the skillet with the vegetables. If your skillet isn’t large enough, use the pasta pot instead. Toss everything together over low heat, adding small splashes of reserved pasta water until the noodles are nicely coated. Add additional olive oil as needed.
9. Add the baked chicken. Once the chicken is fully cooked, transfer it to a clean cutting board. Remove the bones and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Fold the chicken into the pasta and vegetable mixture.
10. Serve and enjoy. Divide the pasta into bowls and finish with grated Parmesan cheese, extra parsley or another sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
A Few Helpful Cooking Tips
Don’t burn the garlic. Thinly sliced garlic cooks quickly, so add it once the vegetables have started to soften.
Keep the pasta al dente. Cooking the noodles a minute shy of the package directions allows them to finish cooking as you toss everything together.
Save that pasta water. Add a little at a time. The starch helps the olive oil cling to the fettuccine instead of collecting at the bottom of the pot.
Use what you have. Spaghetti, linguine or another favorite pasta can replace the fettuccine.
Adjust the heat. Red pepper flakes make this dish especially flavorful, but you can add more or less depending on your preference.
No Pasta Sauce? No Problem!
What I enjoyed most about this recipe was making something satisfying with ingredients I already had in my kitchen.
There was no complicated sauce to prepare, no long list of specialty ingredients and no need to run to the grocery store.
Just juicy chicken, fresh vegetables, plenty of garlic, olive oil and butter.
And believe me, this dish is anything but bland!
The red pepper flakes give it a pleasant little kick, the garlic brings everything together and the Parmesan adds a wonderful finishing touch.
I used an entire 16-ounce package of fettuccine for our family of five, and everyone enjoyed a generous bowl. There wasn’t a single noodle left!
Not bad for a lunch that started with me realizing I didn’t have a jar of pasta sauce in the pantry.
So the next time you’re craving pasta but discover you’re out of marinara or Alfredo sauce, don’t give up on dinner—or lunch.
Grab the olive oil and garlic. You might be surprised by what you can whip up.
