Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta (Printer view)

Tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach tossed in a luscious garlic cream sauce with pasta.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 ounces penne or fettuccine pasta
02 - 1 tablespoon salt (for boiling water)

→ Chicken

03 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
06 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
07 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Sauce

08 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
09 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
11 - 1/2 cup chicken broth
12 - 1 cup heavy cream
13 - 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
14 - 3 cups fresh baby spinach
15 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
16 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

17 - Chopped fresh basil or parsley
18 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain and set aside.
02 - Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and dried Italian herbs on both sides. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden and fully cooked. Remove from skillet, let rest 5 minutes, then slice thinly.
03 - In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and cook another minute.
04 - Deglaze skillet with chicken broth, scraping browned bits. Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes if using. Simmer gently 2 to 3 minutes until sauce thickens slightly.
05 - Add fresh baby spinach to the sauce and stir until just wilted.
06 - Add cooked pasta and sliced chicken to skillet. Toss to coat evenly, adding reserved pasta water incrementally to achieve desired sauce consistency.
07 - Adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper as needed. Serve immediately garnished with chopped basil or parsley and extra grated Parmesan.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes fancy enough to impress guests but comes together faster than ordering takeout.
  • The cream sauce clings to every strand of pasta in a way that makes you slow down and savor each bite.
  • You probably have most of these ingredients already, which makes it dangerously easy to make on a weeknight.
02 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining—it's the secret to a sauce that clings instead of pools, and you can't get it back once it's gone.
  • Don't overcook the chicken or it becomes rubber; pull it off the heat at 165°F and let carryover cooking finish the job.
  • Add the cream slowly and keep the heat low, or you'll end up with a grainy, broken sauce that tastes bitter instead of rich.
03 -
  • Stir the pasta occasionally while it cooks so it doesn't stick to itself, and bite a piece a minute before the box says it's done—carryover cooking in the sauce will finish it perfectly.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks grainy, whisk in a tablespoon of cold cream or water and heat it gently; it usually comes back together.
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