Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is a deliciously flavorful weeknight meal made in one pan with only eight ingredients.
I'm always looking for new easy weeknight meals that the whole family loves. This Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is my newest favorite. The creamy sauce is so rich and flavorful that even my picky eaters were willing to overlook the bits of sun-dried tomatoes.
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
What You Need
This simple dish only needs a handful of ingredients, most of which are kitchen staples. I always stock a variety of dried pasta shapes in my pantry and common spices, like onion powder and Italian seasoning. We make homemade whipped cream often enough that I also try to keep heavy cream on hand (plus it's a yummy addition to things like my favorite homemade chicken noodle soup)!
To make this Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta, you will need:
- Chicken breast
- Penne pasta
- Garlic
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Parmesan
- Italian seasoning
- Onion powder
- Heavy cream
How to Make
One of my favorite things about this dish is that it all cooks up in one pan (aside from boiling the noodles). In addition to the ingredients above and one large skillet, I also like to use two small cutting boards (one for raw, one for cooked items) and a garlic press to make things easier.
To make this dish:
- Start a pot of water, salt well. Mince the garlic, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, and grate the Parmesan, set aside.
- Butterfly two boneless chicken breasts, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.
- When the water is boiling, cook the penne pasta as directed on the package. Continue with the remaining steps while the pasta cooks.
- Brown each side of the chicken in olive oil for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and continue until all chicken is seared.
- Reduce the heat, add the remaining ingredients and gently scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits from the chicken.
- Reduce to a gentle simmer, add the chicken with any accumulated juices, and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the cream mixture. Mix well.
Tips and Tricks
I've made this recipe with both freshly grated Parmesan and pre-shredded and didn't see a big enough difference to recommend one over the other. I like to go ahead and pre-slice my chicken before adding it back in to the cream sauce to make sure it cooks all the way through and make it easier for serving.
You can easily customize this recipe by adding in spinach (about 5oz- cook this down in olive oil after searing the chicken but before adding the cream and remaining ingredients).
If you haven't invested in a garlic press, it's a handy tool to have around. It makes mincing garlic MUCH easier and faster.
More Pasta Recipes
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is a deliciously flavorful weeknight meal made in one pan with only eight ingredients.
Ingredients
- 8oz penne pasta
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
Instructions
- Add water to a large stock pot over high heat (be sure to salt well). Cook the penne pasta as directed and continue with the recipe below while the pasta is cooking.
- Mince garlic cloves, thinly slice drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, and finely grate Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
- Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally (also known as butterflying). Pat dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the chicken in a single layer and sear until browned (3 to 5 minutes per side; the chicken will not be cooked through at this point). Transfer the first round of seared chicken to a large plate, add remaining olive oil to the skillet and cook remaining chicken. (Once finished, transfer to same plate as before.)
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the Parmesan, heavy cream, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, garlic, onion powder, sun-dried tomatoes, and dried Italian seasoning.
- Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Return the seared chicken (I like to pre-slice prior to adding) along with any accumulated juices on the plate to the pan. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked through (about 4 to 7 minutes, or until registers at least 165ºF on an instant-read thermometer).
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the cream sauce mixture.
Notes
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 477Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 304mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 24g
The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate generated by a calculator.
Leave a Reply