Italian Chicken, Veggie, and Pasta Skillet

Italian Chicken, Veggie, and Pasta Skillet is an easy one-pot comfort food recipe using leftover chicken, and a different way to enjoy cheesy pasta — with just one pan to clean at the end!

The kids have been bugging for pasta lately, so… ta-da! Their wish, my command with today’s Italian Chicken, Veggie, and Pasta Skillet. And what a filling, satisfying, and cheesy skillet this is, too.

How did this particular recipe spring into being? Well, you know how sometimes you’re looking at your leftover Italian pulled chicken, but you’re out of sandwich rolls so need to find another use for it? No? This never happened to you?

Luckily, any leftover shredded cooked chicken should do in this recipe; just add in a little more seasoning if you’re using plain chicken. Because the only thing better than leftovers for dinner… is turning those leftovers into an entirely new dinner. I also threw a little zucchini in, because, well: It’s August, enough said. And mushrooms, because they were in my fridge. And mozzarella, because cheese!

Italian Chicken, Veggie, and Pasta Skillet

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed and chopped
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (see Note)
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning, optional (see Note)
16 oz box penne
14.5 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
8 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan

Directions

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet for one minute. Add onion and saute for one minute, then add garlic, zucchini, & mushrooms and continue to saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about seven minutes or until mushrooms are softened.

Stir in chicken and season with oregano, crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir in 1.5 cups of water, tomatoes, and tomato sauce, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and reduce heat to medium low. (The pan will be quite full at this point, but it will cook down a bit!)

Cover skillet and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender and liquid has been almost fully incorporated, stirring a couple of times to ensure all of the penne cooks evenly.

Once pasta is tender, sprinkle shredded mozzarella across the top of everything, then top with Parmesan. Replace lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 5 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted, then serve.

Note: Since I used already-seasoned leftover Italian pulled chicken in my skillet here, I omitted Italian seasoning — If you’re using plain shredded chicken, however, you’ll want to add it in, and adjust the level of your seasonings to taste. If you don’t have leftover cooked chicken, you can also cook chicken breast in the skillet before adding the onion, then remove and shred it for use in the recipe.

Protein, veggies, dairy, and carbs… It’s a food pyramid one pot meal

This easy Italian chicken pasta skillet has the food pyramid of my youth completely covered, I think! Regardless of how those recommendations change over the years, though, our need for comfort food remains constant… and this is one big pan of comfort food for all.

And yes, in this house: One kid picked out most of the mushrooms, and one kid picked out most of the zucchini, but both declared it a hit “if you left out the…” 😉 If everyone in your house hates zucchini or mushrooms, though, you can always try substituting something like sweet bell peppers.

Italian chicken, veggie, and pasta skillet is an easy one-pot way to use up leftover chicken, and a different way to enjoy some comfortingly cheesy pasta — with just one pan to clean at the end!

Italian Chicken, Veggie, and Pasta Skillet, printable recipe

Save Recipe! Saved Recipe!

Print Pin

5 from 2 votes

Italian Chicken, Veggie, and Pasta Skillet

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Italian chicken, veggie, and pasta skillet is an easy one-pot way to use up leftover chicken, and a different way to enjoy some comfortingly cheesy pasta -- with just one pan to clean at the end!

Course dinner

Keyword chicken, leftovers, one pot meal, pasta, skillet

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 of a medium yellow onion chopped small
• 2 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tsp)
• 1 medium zucchini ends trimmed and chopped
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken see Note
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning optional -- see Note
• 16 oz box penne
• 14.5 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup shredded or shaved Parmesan

Instructions

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet for one minute. Add onion and saute for one minute, then add garlic, zucchini, & mushrooms and continue to saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about seven minutes or until mushrooms are softened.
• Stir in chicken and season with oregano, crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning.  
• Stir in 1.5 cups of water, tomatoes, and tomato sauce, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
• Stir in pasta and reduce heat to medium low. (The pan will be quite full at this point, but it will cook down a bit!)
• Cover skillet and simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender and liquid has been almost fully incorporated, stirring a couple of times to ensure all of the penne cooks evenly.
• Once pasta is tender, sprinkle shredded mozzarella across the top of everything, then top with Parmesan. 
• Replace lid, reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 5 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted, then serve.

Notes

Since I used already-seasoned leftover Italian pulled chicken in my skillet here, I omitted Italian seasoning -- If you're using plain shredded chicken, however, you'll want to add it in, and adjust the level of your seasonings to taste. If you don't have leftover cooked chicken, you can also cook chicken breast in the skillet before adding the onion, then remove and shred it for use in the recipe.

More recipes?

*** Find more recipe ideas with the Recipe Search!

Recipes in the real world

And don’t miss the free weekly ALDI meal plans that show you how to use these recipes to meal plan affordably and realistically for your family!