Easy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe (Quick + TASTY!)
Tuscan chicken pasta contains juicy chicken breasts, a luscious, creamy sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian herbs, and greens (+ pasta). The garlicky, savory goodness of its sauce has people HOOKED!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt divided use
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp cooking oil or oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes
- 2 cups chopped onion about one 10 oz yellow onion
- 1 tbsp minced garlic about 3 large cloves
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained and chopped, from a 10 oz net weight jar/6 oz drained
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning optional
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 cups spinach
- 8 oz pasta rigatoni, penne or fettuccine work well
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Boil the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Drain the rest and set aside.
- Prepare the chicken: Season the chicken breasts on both sides with 1 tsp of the salt and the pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until golden brown on the underside, about 3-5 minutes, then flip to just quickly sear the other side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. (It will finish cooking in the sauce).
- Make the sauce: In the same skillet, add the chopped onion and ½ tsp salt. Add a splash more oil if the pan looks dry. Cook onions until translucent, about 6 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Deglaze and add liquids: Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Stir in the heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (if using). Bring it to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low.
- Finish the chicken and sauce: Return the chicken to the skillet, nestling it into the sauce. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF internal temperature).
- Melt in the cheese: Stir in the Parmesan cheese until fully melted and combined. Taste and more salt to taste, in small pinches, tasting after each addition.
- Add the spinach: and cook just until wilted.
- Combine with pasta: Toss the cooked pasta into the sauce and stir to coat evenly. Add a few splashes of pasta cooking water if you prefer a thinner sauce.
- Serve: Garnish with fresh basil, if desired. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
The simmering time allows the sundried tomatoes to become soft and infuse the flavor into the whole sauce. The sauce will become more rosy the longer it simmers.
Nutrition
Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 1309mg | Potassium: 1255mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 2336IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 3mg