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Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is a garlicky, cheesy pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. This delightful recipe is perfect for a delicious dinner.
Tuscan Chicken Pasta Ingredients
To make this chicken pasta recipe, you will need the following ingredients (see the recipe card below for exact amounts):
- Pasta: I have used penne pasta here, but you can also use rigatoni, fettuccine, linguine, etc.,)
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper
- Italian seasonings
- Chicken breasts: You can substitute chicken breast with chicken thighs or chicken tenders in this recipe.
- Heavy cream
- Milk: To make the recipe even richer, replace the milk with an additional 1 ½ cups of heavy cream instead.
- Parmesan cheese
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Spinach
- Basil
How to Make Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Make the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add about a tablespoon of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water. Carefully add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Follow the cooking time specified on the pasta package. Using a colander or strainer, drain the pasta to remove all the water. Set the drained pasta aside.
- Cook the chicken. Pat dry the chicken breasts with a kitchen towel to remove any excess moisture. Season the chicken on both sides with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Rub the seasoning onto the chicken breasts. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add some olive oil. Add the seasoned chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center. Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a plate and allow them to rest for 10 minutes. Chop the cooked chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes and set them aside.
- Make the sauce. In the same skillet, add butter and allow it to melt. Add minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for about a minute until fragrant. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet followed by the spinach and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Stir in the heavy cream to the skillet followed by milk and cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Add parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper to the skillet and mix until the cheese is melted, and the sauce is creamy.
- Combine everything. Add the cooked pasta along with the cubed chicken back to the skillet and toss it with the creamy sauce until everything is well coated.
- Garnish with basil for added freshness and shredded parmesan cheese, and serve.
Variations
- Adding additional vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and asparagus can also be a great way to customize the recipe to your liking.
- Swapping out chicken for shrimp is a good option for those who love to eat seafood.
Storage Instructions
Place the leftover in an airtight container and it can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. Reheat the pasta for 1-2 minutes in the microwave before serving.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is a garlicky, cheesy pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach.
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 oz penne pasta
For the Chicken:
- 1 ½ lb chicken breast boneless and skinless
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced
- ¾ cup sun dried tomatoes drained and chopped
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
- Add about a tablespoon of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water.
- Carefully add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Follow the cooking time specified on the pasta package.
- Using a colander or strainer, drain the pasta to remove all the water. Set the drained pasta aside.
- Pat dry the chicken breasts with a kitchen towel to remove any excess moisture.
- Season the chicken on both sides with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Rub the seasoning onto the chicken breasts.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add some olive oil.
- Add the seasoned chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
- Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a plate and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
- Chop the cooked chicken breasts into bite-sized cubes and set them aside.
- In the same skillet, add butter and allow it to melt.
- Add minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for about a minute until fragrant.
- Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet followed by the spinach and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
- Stir in the heavy cream to the skillet followed by milk and cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add parmesan cheese, Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper to the skillet and mix until the cheese is melted, and the sauce is creamy.
- Add the cooked pasta along with the cubed chicken back to the skillet and toss it with the creamy sauce until everything is well coated.
- Garnish with basil for added freshness and shredded parmesan cheese, and serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 1019kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 57gFat: 61gSaturated Fat: 31gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 244mgSodium: 1389mgPotassium: 1849mgFiber: 5gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 4159IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 407mgIron: 4mg
The nutrition information is calculated using online nutrition calculators and may not be accurate. It is provided as a general guide only.
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