Chicken White Sauce Pasta
چکن وائٹ ساس پاستا
White sauce pasta is the most ordered pasta in Pakistani cafés and a dish children ask for again and again. It's creamy without needing cream: a quick of butter, flour and milk, flavoured with garlic, black pepper and cheese, tossed with penne and chicken. A pinch of chili flakes and oregano gives the café taste. Cook the pasta just until it has a slight bite, because it keeps softening in the hot sauce.
- ⏱ Total: 35 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Bring a large of water to a rolling boil with the tablespoon of salt. Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the packet time, until just tender with a slight bite. Keep ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain.
Season the chicken with salt and half the pepper. Heat the oil and 1 tbsp butter in a and cook the chicken for 5–6 minutes until golden and cooked. Add the capsicum or mushrooms for the last 2 minutes. Lift everything out.
In the same pan, melt the remaining butter over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute without browning.
Pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly so no lumps form. Simmer for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon. Take off the heat and stir in the cheese, oregano, chili flakes, remaining pepper and salt.
Add the pasta, chicken and vegetables and toss over low heat for 1–2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a splash of the pasta water. Serve hot, with extra chili flakes and garlic bread.
Kitchen notes
Warm the milk first if you can: warm milk blends into the butter and flour more smoothly.
The sauce thickens as it stands. If reheating leftovers, add a few spoons of milk.
Baked version: put the finished pasta in an oven dish, cover with grated mozzarella and bake at 200°C for 15 minutes until bubbling and golden.
The café favourite
Pakistani cafés and family restaurants serve pasta in two big styles: spicy red “desi” pasta and creamy white sauce pasta. The white one, often called Alfredo on menus, is the gentler choice that children love, and it’s simple to make at home with ingredients most kitchens already have.
A white sauce without cream
The base is , one of the foundation sauces of European cooking: butter and flour cooked together for a minute, then milk whisked in until it thickens. Cooked properly, it’s silky and creamy with no cream at all. Garlic, black pepper and cheese turn it into a pasta sauce. Keep the heat low once the cheese goes in so it stays smooth.
Pasta cooked right
Use plenty of well-salted water, as salted water seasons the pasta from inside. Stop cooking when it’s still a little firm (al dente), because it softens further in the sauce. A spoon of the starchy cooking water helps the sauce cling and loosens it if it gets too thick.
Serving
Serve with garlic bread or a simple salad. For a spicy desi pasta, see our chicken macaroni. The same white sauce makes the cheese sauce in loaded fries.
Questions people ask
Why is my white sauce lumpy?
The milk went in too fast. Add it slowly, whisking all the time. If lumps form, whisk hard off the heat or pass the sauce through a sieve.
Can I add cream?
Yes, replace ½ cup of the milk with cream for an even richer sauce, but it's creamy without it.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 620
- Protein
- 36 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
