This Creamy Sundried Tomato and Chicken Pasta dish is as delicious as it is easy to put together. This recipe is a regular in our monthly meal rotation. It's perfect to throw together on a weeknight, and it typically makes leftovers.
This is also a great dish to make for a date night! I like it because it's delicious and you won't spend all night in the kitchen. You can't go wrong if you serve this with a light side salad, garlic bread, and a dry white wine.
The Chicken
This recipe starts with pan-searing salted chicken breasts in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. This creates a solid base to build your sauce on top of. Chicken thighs can be substituted if you prefer. I typically choose thighs over breasts, but since the sauce is already fairly rich, I can see this being overpowering for some.
The key is to not overcook the chicken breast. Pull the chicken breasts out of the pan when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Using medium-high heat will give you a great, golden-brown crust and will cook the chicken all the way through. Let it rest for a minimum of 5 minutes before slicing or chopping.
The Sauce
This creamy sauce is the star of the show for this dish. It all starts with sautéing onions and garlic in the same pan the chicken was cooked in. Add sundried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and chopped fresh spinach and stir. After this cooks for a few minutes, deglaze the pan with chicken stock and heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Adding in parmesan and a little bit of lemon juice finishes everything off to make a super creamy and delicious sauce.
The Pasta
This can be served over practically any pasta. Rotini or Fusilli are great choices because they both have a lot of surface area to trap all of that creamy sauce. I also like to reserve a splash or two of the pasta cooking water and add it to the sauce. This helps to emulsify and thicken it slightly.
Did you make this recipe for Creamy Sundried Tomato and Chicken Pasta?
Let me know in the comments below how yours turned out, and don't forget to leave a rating!
Recipe
Creamy Sundried Tomato and Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 - 3 Tablespoons Butter or Oil
- 1 ½ - 2 Lbs. Chicken Breasts Approximately 2 Large Chicken Breasts
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher Salt Per Pound of Meat
Pasta
- ½ Package Rotini or Fusilli Pasta Cooked According to Package Directions
Pan Sauce
- 1 Onion Diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- ½ Cup Sundried Tomatoes with 1 - 2 teaspoon of the Packing Oil
- ¼ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- ½ Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 Cup Fresh Spinach Rough Chopped
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream
- ⅔ Cup Chicken Stock
- 1 Cup Parmesan Grated
- 1 oz Lemon Juice Juice from ½ Lemon
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt Plus more to taste
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper Plus more to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil or butter in a heavy-bottom skillet over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, apply kosher salt evenly to both sides of the chicken breasts. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken breasts and sear for 8-10 minutes a side until browned on both sides and internal temp reaches 165⁰F. Remove chicken from pan and set aside to rest for 5 - 10 minutes. Slice or chop the chicken right before adding back to the sauce (step 6 below).
- Add diced onion and a small sprinkle of kosher salt, and sauté for approximately 5 minutes until translucent. Begin to scrape the bottom of the pan as the onion begins to release it's liquid.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30-seconds.
- Add Italian seasoning and sundried tomatoes with some of their packing oil and sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add chopped, fresh spinach to the sauce and sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until wilted.
- Add sliced or chopped chicken and plate juices back to the pan and stir.
- Lower the heat and whisk in the parmesan cheese, a handful at a time until smooth.
- Squeeze lemon wedges into the sauce and stir.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with more chopped spinach and parmesan.
- While the sauce is cooking, heat salted water until boiling and cook pasta according to package directions.
- Add cooked pasta (including a small splash of pasta water) to the cream sauce and chicken mixture, and toss to coat noodles.
Marshall says
Dang, this was so freaking good. A perfect balance of creaminess and tomato flavor; all the flavors just play together soooo nicely.
And not only did it taste amazing, but I really appreciate the whole one-pot approach. That makes a huge difference with a kitchen (and schedule) as messy as mine ?
Well done, sir!
Sherry Jackson says
Ooooolala!!! This dish was nothing short of AMAZING!!! The village loved it!!! I tripled the recipe for I feed many lol. It still turned out perfect!! Thank u Spencer, Stacy's one lucky woman lol. I even had enough left over for our lunch tomorrow!! ?? Pic below
Sherry Jackson says
I can't get it to show an option to post my pix. Anyone has any suggest I'd love to hear lol.
Spencer Klickman says
I don't think you can post pictures in the comments, unfortunately.
Spencer Klickman says
Thanks Sherry! I'm so glad it turned out great!