This Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta has the most amazing, creamy sauce. It’s loaded with the flavors of the Mediterranean – sundried tomato, baby spinach, garlic, red pepper, and parmesan. Super quick and easy. A restaurant quality dish on the table in under 30 minutes.
Jump to Section
A family favorite
You’re gonna love this Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta! It has a permanent place on the dinner rotation at our house. It’s so full of flavor and so delicious. It’s got the perfect combination of flavors – starting with the creamiest, garlicky parmesan sauce with a touch of garlic. (I can’t call it garlicky. I’m working on a post for a Middle Eastern garlic sauce to share with you. It’s garlic INTENSE. A knock-your-socks-off garlicky. This pasta sauce has a friendly amount of garlic.)
One dish meal
This Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is a one dish meal. It’s loaded with slices of chicken and lots of veggies – sundried tomatoes, baby spinach, and red pepper. I love it left-over the next day for lunch (and breakfast). It makes a perfect meal prep idea.
Ready in under 30 minutes
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is so easy to make. Sauté the chicken, sauté the veggies, add the cream, broth, and cheese. Toss in the baby spinach and pasta. Bam! You’re done. Don’t you love a delicious meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes? That’s magic, my friends.
Chicken breasts are sautéed in a little oil until golden brown and cooked through. I use oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes, it’s so flavorful.
It's totally optional, but I like to flatten the chicken breasts with a kitchen mallet to even them out and make them thinner, like cutlets. If they are thick, I cut them in half horizontally first.
Remove the chicken from the pan, add a little more oil, and sauté some chopped onion until soft. Add the diced red bell peppers and sauté for a few minutes. When the peppers are almost soft, add the sundried tomatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning and let sauté for one minute. Deglaze the pan with chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes, then add the parmesan cheese and cook until melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the baby spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.
Combine the chicken and sauce with hot buttered pasta and Enjoy!
Recipe
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 1 pound penne or other pasta (454g)
- 1 tablespoon butter (.5oz, 14g)
For the Chicken and Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts (454g)
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 8.5 ounce sundried tomatoes in oil, drained (241g (yields about 6oz, 170g))
- 5 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (or oregano)
- ¾ cup chicken broth (6oz, 170g)
- 1 ½ cup cream or half and half (12oz, 340g)
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese (3oz, 85g)
- 6 ounce bag of baby spinach leaves whole or roughly chopped (170g)
- Red pepper flakes salt, and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Pasta:
- Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with butter.
For the Chicken and Sauce:
- Optional: For quicker, more even cooking, slightly flatten breasts with a kitchen mallet. If they are very thick, slice them in half horizontally before flattening.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a skillet over high heat. When pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil.
- When oil is hot, put chicken breasts in pan and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan.
- Let chicken cool for a few minutes, then slice. Set aside.
- Add remaining tablespoon oil to pan. Add onions and cook until softened.
- Add red bell pepper and cook until almost softened.
- Add the garlic, sundried tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Stir, and cook for about 1 minute.
- Deglaze pan with broth, scraping bottom to release any bits sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Add cream and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add parmesan and cook until melted.
- When cheese is melted turn off the heat and stir in baby spinach.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine pasta, chicken, and sauce.
- Serve.
Notes
- Baby spinach cooks down so nicely that I don't often spend time chopping it first.
Nutrition
Don't forget to PIN for later!
Subscribe to FOODTASIA'S NEWSLETTER to receive fresh recipes straight to your inbox.
Follow me on INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for all the latest content and recipes!
You might also like:
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Love! Love! Love! if this were on the menu at a nearby restaurant - it's the only place I would go!! Love how creamy and flavor-packed it is! Never enough garlic, am I right?!
Kelly says
Aw, thanks so much Annie! I make it so often because it's that good!
David @ Spiced says
Kelly! This recipe is pretty much my definition of the perfect dinner. I'm not kidding one bit. I'm totally feeling what you've been cooking up lately! I'm a sucker for a good creamy pasta sauce, and all of the flavors going on here sound absolutely amazing. Pinning this one now, and it's totally going on our menu here soon! Also, I'm intrigued about this garlicky recipe you have in the works...do tell more!
Kelly says
I get lots of "Oh Yeah!" when I tell everyone what's for dinner! The garlic sauce is coming up soon - it's definitely got a kick to it! Thanks so much, David!
Petra says
Hi, how many servings does this recipe yield? Trying to prepare for 150 people.
Kelly says
Hi Petra! Wow that's a lot of people! It's a pound of pasta and a pound and a half of chicken so serves 4-6 people depending on how much each person eats and what else is being served. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
This is my kind of meal. I love so much about it - it's easy to cook, filled with pasta, cheese and chicken... This would be loved by my entire family!
Kelly says
We make it very often and everyone loves it! Thanks so much, Kathy!
neil@neilshealthymeals.com says
A perfect easy 30 minute dinner! This looks so delicious and I love the addition of the sundried tomatoes. Thanks for posting this amazing looking recipe Kelly!
Kelly says
Just gotta love a delicious dinner that's under 30 minutes! Thanks so much, Neil!
ChefJeff says
The creaminess of the sauce must go really well with the tomatoes. Looks delicious!
Kelly says
It really does! Thanks so much, Chef Jeff!
Ricky says
Made this dish for my friends and they couldn’t get enough. Will definitely make it again.
Kelly says
So happy to hear they liked it! Thanks so much, Ricky!
Ron says
My kinda dish Kelly. Quick to make, slowly taste. I think one good go meatless (not veggies) on this one and have a grand meal or maybe with a piece of fresh grill salmon or shrimp. You got me thinking on this one. Thanks for sharing.
Kelly says
The sauce is so filled with veggies that you wouldn't even miss the chicken on this one. Thanks so much, Ron!
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
This looks soooo comforting!! Pasta is my love language 😉 Your pictures are fantastic! I want to dig in right this minute.
Kelly says
Aw, thanks so much, Katherine! Pasta is life!
Eha says
As the song says: 'Who would want for anything more'?' Appetizing and delicious indeed . . . in my case, chicken thighs perchance and yogurt as I do not use cream . . but am certain it will be creamy and delicious 🙂 !
Kelly says
It's packed full of flavor! Thanks so much, Eha!
Valentina says
It's easy to see why this is a family favorite! I know mine would be all over it. The Mediterranean flavors always lure me right in -- and especially in a comforting, hearty dish like this one.
Kelly says
The Mediterranean flavors are amazing! Thanks so much, Valentina!
Frank says
Nice meal for such a short time.
Kelly says
My favorite kind of meal! Thanks, Dad! 🙂
mjskitchen says
I love the way you sear your chicken, getting it all crispy on the edges. And then of course using the same pan to finish this dish is just perfect! What a beautiful dish.
Kelly says
Yes, isn't that golden chicken beautiful?! Keeping all the good flavor in there. Thanks so much, MJ!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I can totally see why this is a family favorite Kelly. Bet we'd love it too!
Kelly says
It's fabulous! Thanks so much, Mary Ann!
Cookie Monster says
My kids love the creamy side of this quick to prepare meal. It was always a favorite for me too. Looks really good.
Kelly says
So glad they like it! Thanks so much, Cookie Monster!
Melanda says
So just made this dish, followed the directions to a tea and my sauce is so loose…. More like soup what did I do wrong? It tasted delicious just wondering how to thicken the sauce.
Kelly says
Hi Melanda. The sauce will thicken as it simmers so if you want a thicker sauce, simmer it a little longer. Also, the sauce will start to thicken as soon as it's tossed with the pasta.
Ashley says
I’m wondering how many servings does this make?
Kelly says
It serves about 4.
CookingApps says
Thanks for sharing receipe. It’s easy to see why this is my family favorite! I know mine would be all over it. The Mediterranean flavors always lure me right in — and especially in a comforting, hearty dish like this one.
angiesrecipes says
What a fantastic meal! That sauce does sound really tempting.
Kelly says
The sauce is amazing! Thanks so much, Angie!