Step into the world of luxury dining with this spectacular Biltmore Estate Chicken Gorgonzola Pasta, a dish that transforms your home kitchen into an upscale restaurant experience. This isn’t just another pasta recipe, it’s a culinary journey that combines tender, herb-marinated chicken with a rich, creamy gorgonzola sauce that perfectly balances the bold, tangy flavors of blue cheese with aromatic herbs and white wine. Whether planning a romantic dinner for two or hosting a special celebration, this restaurant-quality dish delivers sophisticated flavors that create lasting memories around your dinner table.
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Table of Contents
Why You Should Try This Chicken Gorgonzola Pasta
The brilliance of this Biltmore Estate copycat lies in its layered approach to flavor building. The chicken marinates in a bright mixture of garlic and lemon, tenderizing the meat while infusing it with aromatic depth. The gorgonzola cream sauce starts with a gentle sauté of onions and garlic, creating a sweet, savory base that mellows the intensity of the blue cheese. White wine adds acidity that cuts through the richness, while fresh herbs provide brightness and complexity. The final pan sauce technique, where wine deglazes the chicken drippings, ensures every drop of flavor makes it into the finished dish.
Chicken Gorgonzola Pasta Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade:
- Garlic (3 cloves, minced) – Provides aromatic base and tenderizes the chicken
- Fresh lemon juice (2 tablespoons) – Adds brightness and helps break down proteins
- Olive oil (1 tablespoon) – Carries flavors and prevents chicken from sticking
- Salt (1 teaspoon) – Seasons and helps retain moisture in chicken
- Freshly ground black pepper (1/2 teaspoon) – Adds warmth and complements other seasonings
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 pieces, 6 oz each) – Lean protein that absorbs marinade flavors beautifully
For the Gorgonzola Cream Sauce:
- White onion (1 medium, finely diced) – Creates a sweet, savory foundation for the sauce
- Garlic (2 cloves, minced) – Enhances aromatic complexity
- Fresh parsley (1/4 cup, chopped, divided) – Provides color, freshness, and herb notes
- Fresh sage (6-8 leaves, chopped, optional) – Adds earthy, sophisticated flavor that complements gorgonzola
- Dry white wine (1/2 cup) – Deglazes pan and adds acidity to balance rich cheese
- Heavy cream (1 cup) – Creates a luxurious, velvety sauce base
For Assembly and Finishing:
- Rigatoni or penne pasta (1 pound) – Tube shapes hold sauce perfectly inside ridges
- All-purpose flour (1/2 cup) – Creates golden crust on chicken and helps thicken the sauce
- Salt and freshly ground pepper – For seasoning flour mixture
- Olive oil (2 tablespoons) – For cooking chicken to golden perfection
- Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (6 oz) – Star ingredient providing bold, tangy blue cheese flavor
- Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup) – Adds nutty depth and helps bind the sauce
The original recipe calls for rigatoni, but you can make it with Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken if you prefer. Tube-style pasta is good because some cheese and sauce will collect inside, but any pasta will do.Â
How to Make Gorgonzola Chicken Pasta
To marinate the chicken breast:
- Mince the garlic and put it in a large container with a tight-fitting lid.
- Add the lemon juice, one tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of garlic minced garlic, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Whisk the marinade and set aside.
- Trim the chicken breasts of any fat and skin.
- Place one trimmed chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and light pound flat with the smooth side of a meat mallet.
- Place the pounded chicken in the marinade and repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Cover the container and chill for up to two hours.
To prepare the cream sauce:
- Finely dice the white onion and chop the parsley. If using, chop the fresh sage. Set aside for later.
- Warm a little olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the diced onions and the remaining garlic to the hot oil and stir. Immediately reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Cook for five minutes to soften the onions.
- Remove the cover and add the cream. Increase the heat to medium-high while constantly stirring.
- Once the cream comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and add all but two tablespoons of the parsley and the sage leaf (if using) to the saucepan.
- Cover the saucepan with a lid and move it off the stove.
To prepare the pasta and chicken
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- While the water comes to a bowl, stir together the flour with salt and pepper in a wide, shallow dish.
- Start cooking the pasta according to the directions on the package. Continue with the rest of the recipe, but keep an eye on the pasta and drain when cooked.
- Lightly dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour and set on a wire rack.
- Warm a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add olive oil to the skillet.
- Place the floured chicken into the skillet and cook for five minutes on each side until fully cooked.
- Remove the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and cover with aluminum foil.
- Pour the white wine into the skillet and use a wooden spatula to scrape up all the bits on the bottom.
- Continue cooking until the liquid reduces to about two tablespoons.
- Add the cream sauce and bring it to a boil while stirring and reduce to a simmer.
- Stir in the Gorgonzola and Parmesan cheeses. Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Remove the skillet from heat.
To assemble the dish:
- Return the drained cooked pasta to the stockpot.
- Stir in the sauce.
- Plate the sauced pasta and add one cooked chicken breast to each portion.
- Garnish with the reserved minced parsley and serve.
What to Serve With Gorgonzola Chicken Pasta
This is a heavy dish, so keep any sides and starters light. Crusty Italian bread or soft breadsticks are a great choice, as is a simple salad of mixed greens.
Storage and Reheating Guidelines
Proper Storage
Refrigeration: Store chicken and pasta separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Wrap chicken in plastic wrap to prevent drying.
Freezing: Not recommended for cream-based sauces, as they may separate when thawed.
Reheating Methods
Oven Method (Recommended):
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Allow chicken to come to room temperature for 15 minutes
- Grease a casserole dish with olive oil
- Place chicken in dish and pile pasta on top
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil
- Heat for 15-20 minutes until chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature
Stovetop Method:
- Reheat pasta in a large skillet over low heat with a splash of cream
- Warm chicken separately in a covered pan to prevent drying
Make-Ahead Strategies
Timeline Planning
- 2 Days Ahead: Marinate chicken and store covered in refrigerator
- 1 Day Ahead: Prepare cream sauce base (without cheese) and refrigerate
- Morning Of: Bring marinated chicken to room temperature and prep all vegetables
Partial Preparation
The cream sauce base can be made up to 24 hours ahead and gently reheated. Add the cheeses just before serving to prevent breaking or graininess.
Favorite Pasta Recipes
- Bowtie Festival
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Greek Pasta
- Neapolitan Ziti
- One Pot Sausage Pasta
- Pecan Pesto Pasta
- Penne alla Vodka
- Shrimp Pasta Salad
- Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Popular Blue Cheese Recipes
Check out my delicious pasta recipes and the best chicken recipes on CopyKat!
Biltmore Estate Chicken Gorgonzola Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves about 4 to 6 ounces each
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil divided use
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic divided use
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 4 fresh sage leaves chopped (optional)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley divided use
- 12 ounces rigatoni pasta preferably multicolored
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Lightly pound each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.
- In a glass or porcelain dish, combine the lemon juice with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the chicken in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for no more than 2 hours.
- To make the sauce, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and the remaining teaspoon of garlic. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Then add the sage and 1/4 cup parsley. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- To make the rigatoni, bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a stock pot. Boil the rigatoni for about 12 minutes, or according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Dip the chicken lightly in the seasoned flour on both sides.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until completely cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add the white wine to the skillet and boil, stirring with a wooden spoon, until there are only 2 tablespoons of liquid in the pan. Add the reserved sauce and bring to a boil. Add the Gorgonzola and Parmesan cheeses and simmer. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To assemble the dish, toss the pasta with sauce until well coated. Divide the pasta between 4 dishes, top each portion with chicken, and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.
Can you make this ahead of time and freeze for a couple of days?
I wouldn’t do it because I think the sauce would absorb in into the pasta if you combine everything before you freeze it.
Wonderful! I made a lot of mistakes when making it, but it still turned out fabulous. I used 1/4 tsp. dried rubbed sage but might try more next time. I used blue cheese, and accidently doubled the Parmesan which I shredded. I doubled the wine, and only marinated the chicken for 1 hour. The chicken was so tender that it fell apart when I tried to cut it, and it was very flavorful and moist. The overall flavor of the dish was superb. I’m not a huge chicken fan, and my husband is not a big pasta fan, but this was G R E A T for both of us! Thanks for the recipe.
This is a fantastic recipe! It takes a bit of time but it is definitely worth it. My husband refuses to eat left-overs except for this. There never seems to be enough!
This sounds really good! I have never cooked with Gorgonzola I will have to try this. Has anyone else tried this recipe let me know how it turned out?
I use it in garlic mashed potatoes. I bring half and half to a boil then bring it down to a simmer and add gorgonzola, roasted garlic to the half and half.