Description
This Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is a rich and flavorful dish combining tender chicken breast with a luscious creamy sauce loaded with spinach, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese. Perfect for a comforting yet elegant weeknight dinner, this recipe is easy to prepare and comes together in just 30 minutes, offering a satisfying meal full of Italian-inspired flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 8 oz pasta of choice
Chicken & Seasoning
- 1 lb chicken breast, sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sauce & Vegetables
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
Garnish
- Extra Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Then drain the pasta and set it aside while you prepare the sauce and chicken.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the sliced chicken breast with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook it until it is golden brown on the outside and no longer pink inside, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside on a plate.
- Sauté Garlic: In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium and melt the unsalted butter. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute or until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
- Cook Cherry Tomatoes: Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the skillet and cook them until they start to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
- Wilt the Spinach: Stir the fresh spinach into the skillet and cook until it wilts, which will take roughly 2 minutes.
- Make the Creamy Sauce: Pour in the heavy cream, then add the grated Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Stir everything together and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and becomes creamy and smooth.
- Add Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pasta: Mix the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and the cooked pasta into the creamy sauce, tossing to coat the pasta evenly.
- Combine Chicken: Return the cooked chicken to the skillet with the pasta and sauce. Stir to combine everything well and let it cook together for a few more minutes to meld the flavors.
- Serve and Garnish: Serve the creamy Tuscan chicken pasta hot, garnished generously with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves for a fragrant finish.
Notes
- For a lighter version, you can substitute the heavy cream with half-and-half or a mixture of milk and Greek yogurt.
- Use gluten-free pasta if you need this dish to be gluten-free.
- Sun-dried tomatoes add a concentrated flavor; if unavailable, substitute with additional cherry tomatoes or omit.
- Fresh basil can be swapped with dried Italian herbs if fresh is not available.
- To make this dish spicier, add a pinch of red pepper flakes when sautéing the garlic.
