Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Bake

Ingredients

Homemade Garlic Parmesan Sauce
1 stick butter
6 large cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1-3 tablespoons hot sauce depending on your heat preference
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, minced
Chicken, Pasta & Cream Sauce

1 lb penne pasta
1.5 lbs chicken breast or tenders
2 tbsp poultry seasoning or all-purpose seasoning **see notes for my blend
8 oz block cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup reserved pasta water
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated or shredded
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Optional: garlic bread or breadsticks

Instructions

Prepare the garlic parmesan sauce by heating butter in a medium bowl until partially melted. Add in remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Set aside.
Place chicken in a bowl or large zip-top bag along with a few tablespoons of olive oil, tossing them to coat. Add in a few spoonsful of your preferred chicken seasoning** and rub it into all sides of the chicken.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook chicken about 3-4 minutes until well browned. Flip once, reduce heat to low. Add a heaping spoonful of garlic parmesan sauce into the skillet allowing it to melt into the chicken as it cooks.
Once internal temp reaches 165 degrees (about 6-8 minutes total), toss the chicken in the butter sauce. Set aside under tented foil to rest, then dice into large chunks.
In the same skillet over medium low, add in the remaining garlic parmesan sauce and the softened cubed cream cheese and heavy cream. Cook until cream cheese melts, stirring occasionally.
Add the diced chicken into the cream sauce tossing well until combined, continuing to simmer. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pot of salted water according to the package instructions for al dente. Into the cream sauce add the pasta water and cooked pasta. Toss everything together until well coated.
I like to add in extra parmesan cheese, minced parsley and red pepper flakes before serving. Serve warm with garlic bread or breadsticks.