Where I live there is this quaint, very tiny Italian restaurant that is an obscure location and very hard to find. I love it. It is hands-down my favorite restaurant and every time I go there (which isn’t often because it is a little pricey), I order the pear and gorgonzola pasta. It is so delicious, I can’t even put words to it. So a while ago, I thought I would try my hand at my own gorgonzola pasta sauce. It was a disaster. Clumpy, terribly strong, and just plain awful. I was really, really disappointed (and so was my family!). I decided to give it another try when a blogging friend, Jen, gave me her families best recipes and among them was a gorgonzola pasta recipe. This recipe is not for the faint of heart, due to the amount of butter and cream, but wow, was it ever delicious! I can honestly say this closely rivals the gorgonzola sauce at my beloved restaurant and I know I will be making this for those times when I get that craving. The flavors were perfectly balanced and the gorgonzola cheese was not overpowering at all. My family absolutely loved this, even the kids, and it was a perfect, classic Italian dinner that was very, very tasty. Thanks, Jen!
Penne Gorgonzola Chicken
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
INGREDIENTS:
3 chicken breasts
1 lb. penne pasta
½ C. butter
1 pt. heavy cream
4 oz. gorgonzola, crumbled
¼ C. shredded parmesan
½ tsp. nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill (I used my indoor grill pan). Slice into thin strips. Bring water to a boil and add pasta. While pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Melt butter in saucepan, heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Simmer 1 minute being careful not to let the butter burn! Slowly add cream and heat to a low boil to reduce, stirring constantly. Boil for 3 minutes. Reduce heat, add gorgonzola, parmesan, and nutmeg. Stir until melted. Serve sauce over noodles and top with chicken.
Recipe Source: from Jen K.
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
Krista – thanks for the review! This is definitely one of my favorite pasta dishes so I’m glad you appreciated it just as much as I do. Thanks for letting me know!
i had to type something short, because i was eating it as i was posting and I wanted to get back to it.. lol. here’s my better response.
This pasta dish is really the best pasta dish that exists. I’m sure of it. It’s so buttery and creamy and the gorgonzola isn’t overpowering like you might think.
I debated just pouring the sauce over garlic bread and then eating it with a knife and fork. If you could reduce the sauce without burning it, it would make an amazing “subway” style sandwich sauce. Add the chicken and it would be something delicious, even without the pasta!
The chicken is more flavorful than you’d ever imagine even though it’s just seasoned with the salt and pepper. It picks up all the flavor from the rest of the dish.
This gets filed under “make very frequently” because I think it’s my new favorite meal.
The comment from my roomate was just simply “Hey, that was good” he’s a man of few words, so that means that he thought it was amazing too.
Thanks again for another FANTASTIC recipe.
Krista – I’m glad that you agree with me on how yummy this dish is. It is hands down one of my favorite pasta recipes. Thanks for checking in to let me know you liked it!
absolutely amazing! so yummy. the best pasta dish i’ve ever had.
I get the Chicken Penne Gorgonzola from Carino’s and it is DEEEEELICIOUS!!! I’ve been wanting to recreate it at home so I searched & came across this one. Can’t wait to try it!
I’ll let you know how it turns out 
I just found your site today (so I’m a little behind in the comment department)and was thrilled to find this recipe. Jen, I bet the Utah restaurant you mentioned is Johnny Carino’s. We have one right around the corner and my husband LOVES their chicken penne gorgonzola…divine. I can’t wait to try this tonight!!
I’m so glad you tried this and liked it! We love the flavor of this sauce. Here’s something really interesting: I got this recipe a couple of years ago from someone who got it from a friend who worked at a restaurant in Utah and loved the gorgonzola dish that they served. I will have to ask her which restaurant!
I’ll bet this is absolutely delicious!
This was definitely one of the BEST pasta dishes I have ever had! It took all my strength not to lick my bowl afterwards.
Thanks, everyone. There actually aren’t pears in the recipe I posted so don’t be too worried.
I haven’t attempted that at home yet because I don’t think my husband is a fan but trust me, it is delicious at the restaurant!Let me know if anyone tries the pasta recipe!
I love Gorgonzola. This sounds wonderful
Brandy – thanks for leaving a comment letting me know you enjoyed this. I was thrilled to hear it was a success!
pear and gorgonzola, eh? very interesting. so far, my arteries are holding up pretty well (even with no small amount of cheese, cream, and pork fat abuse), so i wouldn’t hesitate to devour a plateful of this cheesy deliciousness. good stuff, melanie!
This sounds delcious, as well as the pear and gorgonzola pasta. I’m saving this recipe!
This looks so good and unique! I love trying out new pasta recipes. I’m not a huge pear fan but everything else about this sounds awesome!
I love your blog for yummy, easy dinner recipes for a busy family! Keep ‘em comin’!
Gorgonzola make an amazing sauce!
I made this pasta dish last night and it was DELISH!!! I just wanted to let you know it turned out perfect. Thanks for another great recipe!!
Jill, thanks for commenting! Let me know how this turns out for you – good OR bad!
Kelly – I’ve never had Carino’s version of this but I hope this recipe comes close. Let me know when you try it!
Jenny – thanks for making me laugh with your comment. I’m glad I’m not the only one who is a fan of this dish – I LOVE gorgonzola sauce and I’m glad you liked it as well.
I tried this and of course it was good, but for how many calories it certainly has I don’t think it was good enough to justify. I wonder if it would work to substitute half and half and do some tweaking so I could eat it with less of a guilty conscience, it was tasty though!
Kristi – if you try it with less fat and calories, let me know. My theory on meals like this is that I eat them (meaning rich, fat-laden) meals so infrequently that I just want to splurge on the real thing. But I can see that probably isn’t the best philosophy!
Your recipe sounds really good. There is a restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho (I know, where in the heck is that!) called Tomatoe’s. They have the absolute best Baked chicken gorgonzola I have ever had. We have a Carino’s restaurant here in town and Tomatoes blows theirs away. The difference in between your dish and theirs is they add sauteed mushrooms and mozzarella cheese and then bake. I agree with the earlier comment that you have to keep yourself from not licking the plate after you are done! I think I am going to try this recipe and add the mushrooms & m. cheese. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Anonymous – ok, that version from your favorite restaurant sounds amazing. AMAZING! Let me know how it turns out if you try it…because I am definitely going to try it.
I totally agree with Kelly…. I used to work for Johnny Carino’s and fell in love with their Chicken Penne Gorgonzola. I think theirs also has spinach and diced tomatoes. I put in a search for chicken, pasta and Gorgonzola and found your recipe. I am going to try it tonight and let you know how it turned out.
~Kia in N.C.
O.k. saw this and had to try it! I have a picky 15 year old and she ate this and loved it (the gorgonzola will remain my little secret) It was so good with the grilled chicken. I chopped up tomatoes and served them on top before it hit the table and the family devoured it. YUM ! not healthy but for a once in a while change– worth it and tastes just like what I get at my local restaurant. Thanks again for a delish recipe.
idahomichele – I love the idea of fresh tomatoes on this dish to help add some brightness and lighten it up a big. Thanks for the comment!
I just came across your blog last week and I absolutely LOVE it! I made this pasta over the weekend. It was so easy and delicious! I added onions, garlic, mushrooms and red peppers. The sauce was sooooo good. Thanks for such great recipe and I’m anxious to try many more!
Thanks, Aimee! I’m glad you found your way here and your additions to the pasta sound fantastic!
I REALLY want to try this recipe but can’t find gorgonzola! I’ve checked Walmart and my local grocery store – maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places in the stores… any suggestions on where it would be?
Nevermind, I found some
Wowza that stuff isn’t cheap! Turned out delicious! Although, I was afraid of the little blue floaters in the sauce from the gorgonzola! My husband says it reminds him of the alfredo at The Cheesecake Factory. It’s a keeper!
Haley – glad you found the cheese and hope it was worth the splurge!
Oooh, yum! Ok, I just bookmarked this to make for my husband’s birthday, as he LOVES gorgonzola, and loves pears, so I think I’ll at least garnish it with pear slices. I’ll try to let y’all know how it goes!
HOWEVER, we will have an about 3-week-old baby boy by hubs’ birthday in May, so can someone email me to remind me that I said I wanted to make this? Or, better yet, come over and make it for me? HA! Just kidding…sort of.
(Thankfully this doesn’t have many ingredients, so it might be a ease in back to cooking more often!)
So, so good! And it really had a suprisingly lightness to it. I will be making it again.
Realized I should post an update, since I had no idea when I posted in January what all would transpire by May! Our son was born two months early on March 2nd, and I ended up in ICU for a week after he was born, and a regular room for 3 more days, with him in the NICU for a full month! By the time my husband’s birthday rolled around, our baby had been home for almost two months, and I had cooked multiple times. My hubs loved this dish, and we have made it several times since!
(Baby is now 9 months old, and doing awesome!)