One-Skillet Cheesy Ground Chicken Pasta: Easy Comfort Meal

My strongest culinary belief — besides that butter should be an essential oil — is that one-skillet cheesy ground chicken pasta deserves a standing ovation, a cozy blanket, and maybe forgiveness for past dating choices.

The night I turned Thanksgiving into a smoke alarm chorus

I once tried to impress my in-laws with a “fancy” roasted turkey alternative and ended up serving smoky sadness with a side of apologies. (Remember the cranberry glaze catastrophe of 2017? Let’s never speak of it again.) I learned three things: 1) timing is not my friend, 2) gravy cannot fix everything, and 3) comfort food is the true relationship glue.

My mother would’ve brought a casserole and called it a hug. My neighbor brought Trader Joe’s lemon cake and zero judgment. I did not bring lemon cake. Instead, I brought the quiet realization that weeknight comfort meals are where my skills actually thrive — which is how this one-skillet pasta was birthed out of chaos and love. Also, I cried into a spatula once. It’s fine.

Okay, pivot: let’s get back to dinner before I spiral into holiday trauma

ANYWAY, before I emotionally relive the entire holiday (and before you ask — yes, this is simple), this recipe is basically all the tactile joys of mac and cheese married to weeknight speed: cheesy, saucy, and forgiving. It’s the dish I turn to when Trader Joe’s is my grocery soulmate and when I need to impress a toddler who has suspiciously high standards. Also, if you want a fancier chicken dinner someday, I have a ridiculous obsession with this stuffed chicken recipe that leaned into elegance when I had time: cheesy garlic butter mushroom stuffed chicken — but tonight, friends, we keep it messy and fast.

What you’ll need (ingredients in plain sight)

• 8 ounces pasta (penne or fusilli works best)
• 1 pound ground chicken (you can also use ground turkey or beef if you must)
• 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1 cup milk (cream if you’re feeling indulgent)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (mix cheddar + mozzarella for stretch and tang)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for sautéing)
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (oregano or basil works)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh parsley (optional, for pretending this is healthful)

Mini-rants: Yes, fresh garlic is better, but when life is a dumpster fire, minced jar garlic from Trader Joe’s is a valid life choice. Aldi has great cheese steals — don’t @ me. If you want to splurge, get the fancy block cheddar and shred it yourself. Worth it. Also, pre-shredded cheese sometimes has weird anti-melty stuff in it. Don’t be fooled.

Cooking Unit Converter: quick help for eyeball chefs

A tiny lifeline for when your measuring spoons are on strike.

Technique (or: what I learned the hard way, with dramatic gesturing)

I do not love rigid, step-by-step rules — I love rhythm. The pan should sing. You’ll sauté the onion until it goes translucent and aromatic (that smell that makes your kitchen honest). Brown the ground chicken until it has little golden bits — those bits are flavor, do not skip them. Garlic goes in late so it doesn’t sulk and burn.

Cooking Steps

• Heat oil, sweat the onion until glossy.
• Add ground chicken, season, and brown — yes, brown.
• Toss garlic and Italian seasoning, cook 30 seconds (smells glorious).
• Pour in broth and milk, add pasta, simmer covered until pasta is al dente (stir occasionally).
• Stir in cheese off-heat so it melts into a silky hug. Finish with parsley.

Here’s what I learned the hard way: too high heat = dried-out chicken and an existential crisis. Too much stirring = gummy pasta. Let it simmer, walk away for 90 seconds to breathe, come back and smell victory.

Also, for a weeknight twist, throw in a handful of frozen peas or a chopped roasted red pepper because texture is therapy.

Why this matters to me (emotional aside, bring tissues)

Food is where my family memory lives. The smell of cheese melting takes me right back to my grandma’s kitchen where she called everyone “honey” and refused to follow recipes. Cooking this dish feels like folding those voices into something practical and edible. It’s my small rebellion against perfection — we eat, laugh, make a mess, and sometimes burn the edges, but we keep trying. That stubborn continuity is how tradition is made in my house.

Here’s another quick and completely embarrassing thing: the first time I tried a “one-pot” recipe I dramatically undercooked pasta and proudly presented it as “al dente” to someone who cared — they lied and said it was fine. We later became friends, so I count it as a win.

Tiny anecdote: the midnight pasta rescue

There was a night I forgot dinner entirely and at midnight made this exact pasta with a flashlight because the power went out in my block (neighborhood solidarity: we all shared microwaved burritos the next day). The pasta turned out fine, the flashlight was Instagrammable, and I learned that cheesy food heals municipal trauma.

Frequently Asked Questions — chaotic, helpful, slightly judgmental

Okay, I’ll stop monologuing now — but this recipe? Make it. It will cradle you through hangry evenings, bad dates, or post-Thanksgiving inexplicable leftovers. Trust the cheese. Trust the skillet. Trust me, occasionally, I know what I’m doing.

Daily Calorie Needs Calculator: figure out how this fits your life

A little tool to help you estimate how this comforting bowl fits into your daily calorie goals.