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This one pot creamy sun dried tomato chicken pasta is an easy dinner the whole family will love! This Italian inspired dinner recipe is made with seasoned chicken, spinach, and a creamy garlic sun dried tomato pasta sauce.
Looking for more recipes using sun-dried tomatoes? Try this sun dried tomato feta pasta and marry me chicken soup!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
- Ingredient Notes
- How to make Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
- Substitutions and Variations
- What to Serve with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
- Storage and Reheating
- Sun Dried Tomato Pasta FAQs:
- More Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Recipe
Why You’ll Love Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
One pot pasta – One pot pasta recipes are great because you don’t have to boil and cook the pasta in a separate pot. Having less dishes to wash is always a good thing!
Creamy sun dried tomato sauce – The pasta sauce is a mixture of cream cheese, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and milk. It’s absolutely delicious!
Hearty pasta recipe – Some pasta recipes can leave you feeling unsatisfied, but this chicken pasta packs in plenty of protein to make it a more balanced meal.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – chicken breast or thighs can be used.
- Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes – Spices used to season the chicken.
- Shallots – Milder in flavor than yellow onion.
- Garlic – Gives the sauce an amazing garlic flavor.
- Sun dried tomatoes – Use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil. Be sure to blot them dry of excess oil before adding them to the pot.
- Pasta – A medium length pasta such as fusilli, penne or farfalle works well for this recipe.
- Chicken broth – Broth is used in place of water since it will be absorbed by the pasta and give it more flavor.
- Baby spinach – A quick and easy way to add a vegetable to a pasta recipe.
- Cream cheese – full fat or low fat can be used. Make sure it’s at room temperature so it melts in easily.
- Milk – Whole milk loosens up the sauce and gives it a creamy consistency.
- Parmesan cheese – Fresh grated Parmesan cheese will give you the best flavor.
- Basil – I love adding fresh herbs to pasta at the end to liven up the flavor.
How to make Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Cook the chicken – In a large pot or skillet, sauté the chicken in olive oil and season it with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. When it’s cooked through remove it from the pot onto a plate.
Cook the pasta – Add additional olive oil to the pot along with the shallots, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic. Sauté them for a couple minutes and then pour in the chicken broth.
Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the broth to a boil and then pour in the pasta. Lower the heat to medium and cook the pasta for 15-20 minutes or until it’s al dente.
You’ll need to stir the pasta every couple minutes to make sure it cooks evenly and that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. During the last minute of cooking, stir in the spinach and cook until it’s wilted.
Make the sauce – Stir the cream cheese and parmesan cheese in with pasta until it’s melted and fully incorporated. Add the chicken back into the pot and pour in the milk.
Stir everything together and cook until heated through and the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste for seasoning and then garnish with fresh chopped basil and extra parmesan cheese.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make it vegetarian. Skip the chicken and substitute with a can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans.
- Substitute spinach with kale.
- Add bacon for an extra smoky flavor.
- The fresh garlic in the sauce can be substituted with a 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Try substituting cream cheese with goat cheese or mascarpone.
- If you love cheese, top the pasta with shredded mozzarella.
- For a more decadent sauce, substitute whole milk with half and half or cream.
What to Serve with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Salad – Balance out this meal with your favorite salad. A couple salads I would recommend are this lemon parmesan shaved brussels sprouts salad and this heirloom tomato salad.
Vegetables – Roasted, sautéed or grilled vegetables are another quick and easy side dish to serve with creamy pasta. Try this parmesan pesto roasted cauliflower or this lemon parmesan grilled asparagus.
Storage and Reheating
To store – Refrigerate the leftover pasta in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
To reheat – Reheat the pasta in the microwave or on the stovetop with a drizzle of chicken stock or milk to loosen up the sauce and keep it from drying out.
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta FAQs:
I don’t recommend freezing creamy pasta. The pasta is often mushy after it’s defrosted and sauces with dairy are likely to separate or have a grainy texture.
Try using goat cheese or mascarpone cheese instead of cream cheese.
More Pasta Recipes
Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup diced shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 8 ounces uncooked fusilli or penne pasta
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups packed baby spinach
- 2 ounces low fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large deep skillet or pot. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and then add in the chicken. Spread it into a single layer and season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Sauté the chicken for 6-8 minutes or until it’s cooked through. Remove the chicken onto a plate.
- If needed, add additional oil to the pot. Add in the shallots, sun dried tomatoes and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes and then pour in the chicken broth. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot and bring it to a boil.
- Pour in the pasta and lower the heat to medium. Cook the pasta until it’s al dente, 15-20 minutes, stirring often. During the last minute of cooking, add in the spinach and stir until it’s wilted.
- Stir in the cream cheese and parmesan until they’re melted and fully incorporated. Add the chicken back into the pot along with the milk. Stir everything until the sauce thickens and it’s heated through, 3-5 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Remove the pasta from the heat and top it with fresh basil and extra parmesan cheese.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In the original picture (with the penne pasta) the finished dish looks a little browned. Did you ever try to put it in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes to get that browned, grilled look? This is a great recipe! Everyone loved it the first time I made it! Thanks!
You can definitely put it under the broiler for a few minutes to get the parmesan cheese on top browned and crisp.
made it ahead of time, froze it. Had frends over, heated in oven in a 13″x9″ pan. All raved it was delicious. Some had seconds. Great recipe!
Happy to hear it was a hit with you and your friends!
I was about to boil my pasta…SO glad I read instructions again.
One of the absolute best chicken pastas we’ve made!
I added sliced baby Bella mushrooms. AND, I learned that I like sun dried tomatoes! Bon Appetit !
P.S. I prepped before hand. The recipe was super easy & quick.
I’m so glad you liked it and happy to hear you discovered you like sun dried tomatoes!
This was delicious. My husband enjoyed it. Definitely will be making this again
Thanks for trying it out!
Excellent. It was so deliciously flavorful!
Happy to hear you liked it! Thanks for leaving a review.
Your recipes 😍
Thank you!!
Could you substitute the milk with coconut milk?
I haven’t made this recipe with coconut milk so I can’t say for sure. I suspect full fat canned coconut milk would work, but the flavor won’t be the same.
This dish was excellent! Flavors were so good. Even my husband who turned up his nose when he read the recipe (because of the spinach), couldn’t get enough of this tasty pasta. Will make again and again. Thank you for posting.
So great to hear Sue! Glad your husband enjoyed it even with the spinach.
This was delicious! Everyone loved it. It was easy and fast. It took me about an hour, but I’m pokey in the kitchen. The only thing I changed was that I used thighs instead of breasts. Great recipe! I’ll certainly be making again.
This was so delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and the only thing I will do next time is double it.