What Pasta to Serve with Chicken Parmesan (15 Options)

Chicken Parmesan is a classic!

It’s something everyone should know how to make, and it’s easy to put together.

But what kind of pasta do you serve with Chicken Parmesan?

You need to make sure the pasta not only goes well with the chicken and sauce flavors, but also serves as a good base or carrier for all of those yummy flavors.

But let’s cut straight to the chase and share 15 types of pasta that go well with chicken parmesan!

See Also:

• What Salad Goes with Chicken Parmesan? 10 Best Salads
• What Wine Goes With Chicken Parmesan? (10 Best Wines)

What Pasta to Serve with Chicken Parmesan

If you want to serve pasta with chicken parmesan, try serving it with penne, farfalle, rigatoni, or fusilli. These kinds of pasta are ideal because they are quick to cook and easy to eat.

However, if you want more options, then keep scrolling!

1. Fettuccine

Fettuccine is a great pasta to serve with chicken parmesan.

The long, thin strands of pasta contrast nicely with the flatness of the chicken and the roundness of the tomatoes, and the thick cream-based sauce will cling to them well.

To make this work as a meal, follow these three tips:

• Make sure you don’t overcook the pasta—you want it to be al dente so that you get a nice toothsome bite.
• Use a full-bodied red wine in your sauce so that you can highlight the zesty flavor of the tomato paste without overwhelming your other ingredients.
• Serve with crusty garlic bread to add some crunchy texture to the dish.

To assemble the dish, you’ll need to:

1. Cook fettuccine in salted water for about 8 minutes.
2. While the pasta cooks, sauté chicken breast (See Also: 10 Best Herbs and Spices for Chicken Breasts) in a skillet with your favorite sauce and spices.
3. When everything is cooked, combine the pasta and chicken on a plate and garnish with parmesan cheese.

2. Angel hair

Angel hair pasta is great with Chicken Parmesan because it’s light and won’t overpower the savory flavor of the chicken.

Here are 3 tips to make this pairing work well:

• If you’re serving the chicken on the pasta, keep it simple and don’t add too many other ingredients.
• If you’re serving this as a side dish, put some extra grated Parmesan on top.
• Make sure to combine these two dishes in a way that won’t let them fall apart when people are eating them.

Here’s how I would do it:

1. To make this work, start by cooking the angel hair according to package directions, then set it aside while you cook the chicken until it’s golden brown and crispy on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).
2. Once cooked through, plate the chicken over or alongside your cooked pasta.

3. Bowtie

I love serving chicken parmesan with bowtie pasta because it’s the perfect size to pair with this dish.

Chicken parmesan is usually served over spaghetti, but I think that’s a little too much pasta per bite.

Here are my tips for making this into a great meal:

1. Start by cooking the pasta according to package instructions in salted water. When it’s done, drain and set aside or keep warm until ready to serve.
2. In a pot, combine homemade tomato sauce (or jarred) with 2 cups of chicken broth and heat on medium-low until warm enough to serve (about 10 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Heat chicken parmesan (store bought or homemade) in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. This ensures that it’s nice and crispy on the outside and hot all the way through.
4. Serve chicken parmesan over bowtie pasta with a side of garlic bread!

4. Elbow Pasta

Elbow pasta is the perfect complement to chicken for three reasons:

• It’s bite-sized and easy to eat with a fork.
• The hollow center of the elbow absorbs sauces more quickly than smooth pastas.
• It can be eaten hot or cold, which makes it ideal for leftovers! 

To make the best Chicken Parmesan dish possible, follow these steps:

1. Make sure your chicken is cut into bite-sized pieces before cooking it, because no one wants to wrestle with their food all night.
2. Don’t forget to serve your pasta with a side of breadsticks! (Breadsticks are always a good idea.)
3. Enjoy your meal!

5. Linguine

A great type of pasta to serve with chicken parmesan is linguine.

But why?

• First, it actually works with the chicken parmesan flavor and texture—this isn’t just a side that doesn’t go with your main dish.
• Second, it’s a filling, satisfying meal on its own—just add some tomatoes and herbs, and you can serve this as the main event.
• Finally, it’s super easy to make from scratch.

All you have to do is:

1. Boil the water
2. Drop in the linguine
3. Mix together the ingredients for your sauce
4. Let everything cook for about 10 minutes or until your linguine is done
5. Pour the sauce over your linguine and enjoy!

Here are 46 of the best linguine recipes in case you want to try serving this kind of pasta tonight!

6. Rigatoni

The main dish is the star of the show, but the pasta is just as important.

Rigatoni (Check out this article for the best sauce for rigatoni pasta) could be a good choice for your Chicken Parmesan.

Here’s why:

• It’s hearty enough to hold up to the weight of the sauce.
• It has enough ridges to catch some of that delicious chicken flavor and keep it from slipping off into oblivion.
• It will make you feel like an Italian grandmama who just got back from a trip to Rome.

Here are 3 tips for making this work as a meal:

• Don’t go overboard on the cheese; you’ll want to let the flavors of each element shine through.
• Listen to Enya while you cook; it will make you feel like you’re in a cozy Italian trattoria.
• Add extra garlic and onion – they’re both great ways to add more flavor without having to increase your sodium intake.

7. Penne Rigate

Penne rigate is one of the best choices when it comes to pasta to serve with chicken parmesan.

• First, penne rigate has ridges that help carry around the delicious marinara sauce. The ridges also give you more surface area on which to pile on cheese.
• Second, penne rigate is a sturdy pasta that can stand up to the robust flavors of tomato and garlic in the marinara sauce.
• Third, penne rigate is a versatile pasta that can be prepared in a variety of different ways, from baked and cheesy to simple and saucy.

So how do you make this work?

1. You just have to prepare your pasta and your chicken parmesan separately and then assemble them together on a plate.
2. Use your favorite recipe for chicken parmesan and a traditional marinara sauce for your penne rigate.
3. Assemble them on the same plate, but don’t mix them together, so you get a pleasant contrast between the two textures and flavors.
4. That’s all there is to it!

8. Pappardelle

Pappardelle is a great type of pasta to serve with chicken parmesan.

I know, it’s not the most typical choice, but that’s why it is so good.

Here are a few tips on how to make it work as a meal:

• Make sure your pasta isn’t too thick. If you want the dish to be light, don’t use a thick pasta. Pappardelle is one of the thinnest pastas available, making it a great choice for this dish.
• Avoid heavy sauces and focus on ingredients that will complement the flavor of your chicken parmesan. Do not use cheese sauces or pesto sauces because they will overpower the flavor of your chicken parmesan and take away from the simplicity of this dish.
• Use fresh herbs such as basil or parsley to garnish your pappardelle dish instead of adding them into sauce or sprinkling them on top before serving. This will give you an extra boost of flavor without overpowering everything else that goes into making this dish perfect!

9. Capellini

If you want a great dinner idea, then you need to serve chicken parmesan with capellini pasta.

Let’s take a look at why this is a good combination, how to make it work as a meal, and how to make it.

Capellini is a very thin spaghetti, and when it comes to pasta for chicken parmesan, this is perfect.

The thinner the pasta, the better. It will still have enough substance so that it stays together in your mouth and has a nice chewiness to it.

On top of that, the thinness adds an airiness to the dish that makes it feel light.

You can make this work as a meal by keeping the sauce simple and adding some vegetables.

A simple marinara sauce works best for this meal because it is not too heavy. Also, you can add some vegetables like broccoli or spinach right into the dish.

This will give some added flavor and texture.

To make this dish, start by making your capellini pasta according to package directions.

Once it is done cooking, drain the pasta and set aside while you prepare your breaded chicken pieces.

When they are cooked through, top with marinara sauce and shredded cheese and broil until cheese is melted.

10. Gemelli

With its twisty shape and short length, gemelli is a great choice for serving with chicken parmesan.

This pasta shape has lots of little nooks and crannies that make it perfect for holding on to the deliciousness of a rich and saucy dish.

Here are 3 tips for making this meal work:

• You’ll need to cook the pasta separately from the sauce. The sauce may be too thick to be simmered without burning; you’ll want to keep it simmering separately while you boil and drain the pasta.
• Make sure you add plenty of cheese. A lot of cheese will stick to the ridges of the gemelli, so don’t skimp!
• Pesto can also be a good option to use instead of tomato sauce; just be sure to stir it well before adding it to your dish so that it’s not too thick.

11. Fusilli

Fusill is a great pasta for this meal because it’s great at soaking up all the delicious tomato sauce that comes with chicken parmesan.

But there are a few ways to make sure your meal is delicious:

1. First, make sure the pasta is al dente. You want to cook it just enough so that it’s cooked through, but still has some firmness.
2. Second, don’t put too much sauce on the pasta. The chicken should be the star of the dish, not the sauce. If you put too much sauce on your pasta, you’ll ruin the balance of flavors.
3. Third and finally, top off your plate with a little bit of fresh basil and some shaved parmesan cheese. This will give your dish a fresh taste that brings everything together nicely.

12. Campanelle

Campanelle is a great choice for this meal, because it has a delicious texture and flavor that goes well with this chicken dish.

Don’t forget to check out these campanelle recipes.

Here are some tips on how to make your meal a success:

• Make sure you have a big enough pot. The campanelle needs room to expand and cook evenly.
• Cook the pasta until it is al dente—you don’t want it too soft or hard.
• Don’t forget the salt water! You’ll want about 2 tablespoons of salt in your water for each pound of pasta.
• Sprinkle some red pepper flakes into the sauce for an extra kick!

The process is easy, and it only takes about 10 minutes for the campanelle to cook completely.

Once it’s ready, all that’s left to do is serve up that Chicken Parmesan over the pasta, and you have a tasty meal that will make everyone at your table happy!

13. Bucatini

When it comes to pasta dishes, the type of pasta you choose is extremely important.

The wrong pasta can completely ruin a dish or overwhelm the other ingredients.

Likewise, the right pasta will make your dish stand out and be an instant crowd pleaser.

Bucatini pasta is a great choice for Chicken Parmesan because it’s a long, thick noodle that can handle lots of sauce without falling apart.

It has a similar shape to spaghetti, but has a hollow center which gives it a striking appearance and extra stability.

To make this meal extra special, follow my three tips:

• Always use homemade marinara sauce – store bought just doesn’t have the same rich flavor that homemade sauce has. 
• Use high quality chicken breasts – they will be more tender and succulent than low quality chicken breasts. 
• To make cooking easier, I like to use precooked breaded chicken breasts – they save so much time and still taste great! If you don’t have any available, you can easily cook some frozen chicken breasts in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. 

14. Orzo

Orzo is a great choice here: it looks like rice and can be served as a main dish or side dish, but it’s actually pasta.

If you have picky eaters in your family, they might not even realize they’re eating something that has wheat products in it!

You can cook orzo just like regular pasta, too, so there’s no learning curve.

Here are three tips on how to make this a meal your family will love.

• First, make sure you prepare the orzo according to its instructions. If you don’t cook it properly, your whole meal could be ruined.
• Second, try cooking the orzo in some of the leftover sauce from making the chicken parmesan. This will add some great flavor!
• Third, use white pepper when seasoning the orzo. It tastes better than black pepper and goes better with this type of meal.

15. Gnocchi

Gnocchi is a type of pasta that has a light, fluffy texture that goes well with recipes like chicken parm.

See Also: 19 Gnocchi Recipes with Meat

To make this work as a meal, follow these two tips:

• If you want to add more substance to the meal, try adding marinara sauce to the gnocchi before you put it on the plate.
• If you’d like your gnocchi to be lighter, try substituting vodka sauce for marinara sauce. This will give you a more delicate flavor. If you’re really feeling adventurous, try using pesto instead!