Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
By Lucas Morgan
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Browning the chicken before adding it to the sauce adds a brown color to the chicken․ Quickly cooking the chicken after adding it to the sauce helps maintain the chicken's texture․ One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta with Penne and Spinach includes spinach and sun-dried tomatoes in a Parmesan cream sauce with pasta for dinner․
Boneless‚ skinless chicken breasts are sprinkled with salt and pepper and cooked in olive oil․ Sauce ingredients‚ including butter and chopped garlic‚ sun-dried tomatoes‚ and Italian herbs‚ are sautéed in a pan․ Fresh Parmesan cheese‚ milk‚ and heavy cream are added to make the sauce․ Penne pasta cooks directly in the sauce‚ and spinach is added to the pot․ Pasta absorbs the sauce rather than being served with it․
Stir and taste the pasta as it cooks until it's al dente and the sauce sticks to the pasta rather than look separate․ Cook the spinach for 1 to 2 minutes after adding the cooked chicken back to the pan․ Problems to avoid when preparing this recipe include overcooked pasta‚ which can make the finished dish too soft and make it difficult to stir the pasta during the last few minutes of cooking․
Serve hot on its own or with crisp breads or salads as a side to complement the creamy sauce․ Package leftover pasta in an airtight container‚ it should reheat well after being frozen and the separated sauce may come back together by warming and stirring it gently in the pot․
Why you'll love this recipe
- Browning the chicken with spices gives it color․ Adding chicken to a sauce at the end of cooking keeps it warm and ready to serve over pasta․
- Cooking penne pasta directly in cream‚ milk‚ and Parmesan helps the pasta soak up flavor and become an al dente dish․
- Garlic‚ sun-dried tomatoes‚ and Italian herbs are sautéed in butter and then added to the dairy-based sauce to add flavor․
- If these ingredients are added directly to the cheese sauce without pre-sautéing‚ they contribute little flavor to the sauce․
- Baby spinach is added at the end of cooking to avoid overcooking baby spinach and other ingredients in the pot․
- A Dutch oven or braising pan can be used for all cooking steps․ Using one pan to cook chicken‚ pasta‚ sauce‚ and spinach eliminates the need to transfer ingredients between pans․
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese provides added flavor and helps the cream sauce cling to the pasta as directed‚ not forming a layer of dry sauce over the pasta․
Ingredients
- •2 lb chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
- •½ tsp salt
- •½ tsp pepper (freshly ground)
- •2 tbsp olive oil
- •2 tbsp butter (unsalted)
- •3 cloves garlic (minced)
- •1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (drained and roughly chopped)
- •1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- •1 cup heavy cream
- •2 cups milk
- •1 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- •8 oz penne or macaroni (uncooked)
- •3 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- 1
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.
- 2
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or braiser over medium-high heat.
- 3
Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned.
- 4
Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet, cut it into 1-inch pieces, and set aside.
- 5
Add the butter to the pot and melt over medium heat.
- 6
Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and Italian seasoning, then sauté until aromatic.
- 7
Add the heavy cream, milk, Parmesan cheese, and penne, then stir.
- 8
Cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally.
- 9
Add the chicken back to the pot with the spinach and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the chicken is warmed through and the spinach has wilted.
- 10
Serve warm.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
695
Protein
50g
Fat
35g
Carbs
46g
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