Cheesecake Factory Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic copycat for the popular chicken pasta recipe in a decadent garlicky creamy sauce.
The Cheesecake Factory Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic is a perfect copycat of my favorite creamy, cheesy bacon and mushroom pasta dish and one of the most popular recipes on the menu!
The Cheesecake Factory Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic
I know I must seem like I only eat out at a few places, but we do truly love going to the Cheesecake Factory. We’ve been big fans of copycat recipes from the Cheesecake Factory (you can see all the Cheesecake Factory copycats here) including my favorites, Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira and Cheesecake Factory Spicy Cashew Chicken.
How to lighten this Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic recipe:
- Use half the oil to cook the chicken and only use half the bacon.
- Use fat free half and half instead of heavy cream and use half the amount.
- only use Parmesan as a garnish, not mixed in.
- Cut batons of zucchini to add bulk to the pasta without more calories. If you add two full zucchinis, cut pasta by half.
- You can roast them or add them to the pan with a small amount of butter and cook them gently through.
- I don’t make the recipe with peas but you can certainly add them in, even in addition to the zucchini.
How to Roast Garlic:
- Slice the top off the head of garlic exposing every clove.
- In a piece of foil drizzle some olive oil then place garlic cut side down.
- Roast for 30 minutes or until deeply browned.
- Let cool before removing from head of garlic
The roasted garlic is actually my favorite part of this dish. I actually sometimes double what the recipe calls for because we all love the roasted garlic so much. I also sometimes will take some of the garlic and mash it into the pan to incorporate it with the sauce for more garlic flavor.
With the Parmesan Cheese I use shaved Parmesan because I love the flavor and how it melts. You can use shredded, but grated will have a terrible texture in the dish and isn’t recommended.
Tools used in the making of this The Cheesecake Factory Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic:
Cast Iron Skillet: This is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Sun Dried Tomatoes: I use these A LOT in cream sauces, on salads and sandwiches. They’re delicious tomato candy!
Ingredients
- 1 head roasted garlic , cloves removed (recipe above)
- 2 chicken breasts , boneless skinless
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 pound bow tie pasta aka farfalle, cooked and drained -but not rinsed
- 12 ounces center cut bacon , cut into strips
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms , quartered
- 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes , chop roughly
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- If you haven't cooked the pasta, cook it now according to the directions on the box.
- Cut the chicken into 1" cubes and season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- To a cast iron skillet add the olive oil on high heat.
- Cook the chicken until browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Remove from the pan, reduce the heat to medium-high heat and add in the bacon.
- Cook until crisp and remove the bacon (leave the fat).
- Add in the mushrooms and onions and cook for 5-7 minutes until they start browning.
- Remove the mushrooms and onions from the pan to where the chicken and bacon are.
- Add in the sun dried tomatoes, white wine, and stir well, then let reduce by half, about 15 minutes.
- Add in the heavy cream, roasted garlic, chicken and vegetables.
- Add in most of the Parmesan cheese leaving just a garnishing amount.
- Stir well, then add in the pasta and bacon and combine everything.
- Garnish with remaining Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Really, really, really good as is! I just added some frozen peas – about 1/2 cup. Delicious!
This is going in my recipe file!! It’s a winner! Super delicious and quite easy. I left out the chicken simply because I didn’t have any and it was still amazing and satisfying. Yum!! Thank you for this recipe!
Hi. I’m not too creative. How can I add chicken to this?
No worries. The Chicken is added for you in the recipe already. Let us know how your Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic turns out!
Huge fan of this at the restaurant and this tastes just like it! Pretty easy to make too!
I tried making this recipe last night. Tried? Nay…succeeded! I went to The Cheesecake Factory for the first time in my life this year and I told my friend how much I would like to make something like what I ordered at home. She wasted no time in looking for a recipe and lo and behold, she found the one! This was infinitely better than the one I tasted at the restaurant. I was so nervous making it! I really shouldn’t have been. Even reading the recipe it took me about an hour to finish.
The one bad thing I can say about this is that you will want to make this all the time. All the time? Yes, all the time! It’s easy and delicious and it makes you feel loved. Beware a happy tummy!
Sooo good!! My husband and I have already made this twice ? We love it and, I think it tastes just like the one from Cheesecake – but so much cheaper!! ?
This was very good. Lots of flavors. Mine didn’t come out anything like the picture tho, mine was reddish.
Hi Traci! I’m so happy this turned out great because it’s one of my favorite dishes from The Cheesecake Factory. Sometimes it has the tendency to turn a little pink or reddish due to the sun-dried tomatoes so there is no need to worry as long as you like that flavor. Thank you so much for the feedback and hope you continue to find great recipes here!
Love this copycat recipe however Cheesecake Factory uses roasted tomatoes and peas in their dish, not sun dried (I only know because I always ask for extra extra roasted tomatoes at CF). I roasted some of my own tomatoes with EVOO, balsamic glaze, salt, pepper and garlic and threw them in the oven with the garlic cloves, and added frozen peas at the same time as the bacon, and is exactly the same!
Made this tonight, but cannot use white wine due to being 12+ yrs sober. Google said good substitute was apple cider vinegar, so I substituted that (& left out bacon as am not crazy about it). Unfortunately, the ACV was the most prominent flavor. Is there another substitute I could use next time in place of the white wine??
Hi! You can use a chicken or veggie broth.
What do I reserve the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes for?
I fixed the recipe, I used to add it into the sauce and simmer it, but it just makes for an oily sauce. Sorry about that.
I realize this comment is very old, so I am so sorry for the delay in replying.
all i have is moscato can i use that?
I usually try and use a more even flavored white wine like Chardonnay or Sauvignon blanc. Moscato is very sweet so it might change the flavor profile of the dish.
This was so delicious and feeds so many! it came out tasting even better than the Cheesecake Factory! I followed the recipe almost to a T aside from I added the peas! I am very pleased
Delicious!!!!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Maricel! Glad you enjoyed it.
I MISS RESTAURANT FOOD!! This has always been my go to at Cheesecake Factory and the recipe didn’t disappoint!
Used 8oz of pancetta in place of the bacon and had to drain half the grease – it was swimming!! Also used half and half and added peas. My garlic also took closer to an hour to brown, but that Mary have been operator error.
Great recipe!
This Was very good and a hit with the family. I was my worst critic… I realize this is a copy cat recipe for the Cheesecake Factory Farfalle, but the next time I make this I will change up a bit. I think I’ll add more sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, add half the sauce more, and less cheese. The dish did get a lot of mmm mmm mmm from the family lol. A side of salad and garlic bread or Parmesan crisps from Trader Joe’s. Can’t miss…
Amazing. Only thing that was different was I had to roast the garlic for about 45 minutes. Will make many times to come. Thank you.
I made this without white wine and mushrooms and it was sooooooo delish!!!! you have to make this at home! I think this is better than Cheesecakes recipe lol
You’re so kind, Emily! Thanks for the 5 stars.
I would be forever grateful if u made a copy of their brick chicken. I love the brick chicken! It comes with this green sauce that is amazing!
I’ll add it to my research list. Thanks for the suggestion!
You’re not suppose to cook on high heat on a cast iron pan. That’s what I’ve been told.
You absolutely can use a cast iron pan to cook on high heat. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Do you leave the roasted garlic cloves whole?
Yes 🙂
Can I make this a couple hours in advance and reheat do you think?
Sure 🙂
I made this last night. I followed suggestions to reduce pasta to 12 oz from 16 and to add a zucchini. The zucchini was a great idea! As for reducing the pasta, I would reduce it to at least half. There was barely any sauce relative to pasta. Also, be careful when reducing the wine, you either need to reduce temp or shorten reduction time. One last thing I would do differently next time: I would mash the roasted garlic in to the cream before adding to the pot. I would think this would better distribute the roasted garlic flavor more evenly. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for all of your feedback! So glad you enjoyed it!
You mention that you sometimes mash some of the roasted garlic into the sauce because you love the flavor. If not mashed into the sauce how is it generally added. The recipe just says to add the garlic. Are the cloves left whole? Thx!
You can mince it for the recipe if you’d like. Hope this helps!
Hi. Love love .love all of your recipes! Want to try them all. Thanks for all your amazing hard work. Joeylee ?
Am I using shredded, grated, or shaved parm cheese?
I like to use fresh shaved parm. The flavor is out of this world!
I just found this recipe online and am so happy to find it. Looking forward to following you.??
I hope you enjoy all the recipes!
What kind of white wine do you use for this?
Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc & Unoaked Chardonnay all would work for this recipe.
Plan to make this soon, but wondered — do you leave all the bacon grease in the pan? Also, is there anything I can use instead of white wine and, if not, what kind of wine do I buy? (Obviously, I’m not a wine connoisseur!)
So sorry that it took so long for me to respond. Your question got stuck in my spam filter. To answer your questions though, yes, you’ll want to leave all the bacon grease in the pan. I am also not a wine connoisseur, lol, but any crisp white wine will work such as a Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc & Unoaked Chardonnay. You can also just use white grape juice as a substitute in a pinch. Thanks again for your patience!
I made this last night, but used a box of ditalini so my 2 yr old could eat it without cutting it up. I also added in the peas that you suggested and 2 heads of garlic…awesome! I’m always afraid to try copycat recipes because I want them to come out just like the restaurant…this did not disappoint! Thanks so much for sharing!!
I’m so glad you took a chance on making it! Happy to hear everyone enjoyed it!
I loved this chicken dinner. I used 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream and it was delicious.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Loved this dish!
It’s hard to say which recipe of yours I like the best since I try a new one every night but I gotta say that THIS one topped the list I think. I don’t know how you do it, Sabrina, but in all the years I’ve been cooking I’ve NEVER found recipes that burst with flavor like yours do. Full, rich flavors in every single recipe! I try and look ahead at what I want to cook and order ingredients like the various bouillons, balsamic vinegar, and now the sundried tomatoes. They were fantastic.
Keep them coming….PLEASE. Every night I get from my husband and brother, “what’s Sabrina got on for dinner tonight?” LOL!
How awesome! Thank you so much for the wonderful compliment!
Plan to make tonight. I roast me garlic in the air fryer much quicker.
I just made this with uncured turkey bacon instead of pork bacon, and the dish turned out amazingly good! Thanks so much.
Good to know! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know how much you enjoyed it!
Such a fantastic copycat! Saves you from having to go out when you can just make it at home!
Definitely!
I love a good copycat recipe! I love this!
Bursting with flavors! I love everything about this!
Thank you Erin!
I love anything from the Cheesecake Factory. Can’t wait to make this!
Isn’t that place the best?!?
One of my favorite things to order from The Cheesecake Factory!
Perfect! I hope you enjoy it!
Love the fact that this is a copy cat from that place. Probably even better. It looks really tasty!
Thank you!
At what temperature do you roast the garlic? The recipe sounds great and cant want to try it.
Linda
I like to roast it upside down in a foil packet at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. I hope you enjoy it!
Technically , the garlic is usually roasted at 375 or 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. Instead of browning the chicken in a pan on top of the stove, the chicken I use is bone in breast roasted with the garlic at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. I kill two birds at the same time. I also don’t use a whole pound of farelle. I use 12 oz of the pasta because I like more sauce . I wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and drizzle with good olive oil (top should be cut off). It is the only dish I have ever ordered at the Cheesecake Factory and decided to find a copy cat recipe on the Internet.