Craving something creamy, flavorful, and super easy to throw together?
This easy Tuscan chicken pasta recipe is about to become your new go-to for busy nights or cozy weekends.
Packed with tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and a rich, garlicky sauce, it feels like a little taste of Italy right at your own table.
You don’t need a ton of fancy ingredients or hours in the kitchen to pull this off.
Just simple, bold flavors coming together for a dish that everyone will be asking for again.
Ingredients
Pasta:
300 g (10.5 oz) pasta shapes (I use rigatoni)
For the Chicken:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 chicken breasts – (approx. 525g/1.1lbs), chopped into bitesize chunks
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
1.5 tsp paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder
For the Sauce:
1 onion peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
160 g (1 cup) sun-dried tomatoes I like the bright red ones from the deli counter
1 red bell pepper de-seeded and sliced
2 tbsp tomato puree (paste for US)
90 ml (⅓ cup) white wine
240 ml (1 cup) chicken stock
pinch salt and pepper
90 ml (⅓ cup) double (heavy) cream
50 g (½ cup) parmesan cheese grated
90 g (3 packed cups) fresh baby spinach
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Add the pasta to a large pan of salted boiling water and cook as per the pack instructions (usually 10-12 minutes), then drain.
- Meanwhile heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken pieces to the pan and sprinkle over the, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, paprika, and garlic powder.
- Fry for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until the chicken is lightly browned.
- Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper, and tomato puree. Cook for 2 minutes, moving around the pan with a spatula.
- Next pour in the wine and allow to bubble for 2 minutes,
- Now add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper. Bring the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta, cream, parmesan and spinach to the sauce, stir and cook for a couple of minutes until the spinach wilts.
- Serve topped with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
I think this tastes best when made and served immediately. That’s when you’re going to get the creamiest sauce. Reheating pasta in a creamy sauce can sometimes cause any oils in the sauce to separate, leading to a slightly more oily, rather than creamy taste.
However! you can liven it up again on reheating, by adding in an extra splash of cream and an extra sprinkling of parmesan.
If you are looking to make ahead, or reheat leftovers, then make the dish, quickly cool, cover and refrigerate.
Reheat (with extra cream and parmesan) in a microwave for 3-4 minutes, or in a lidded saucepan, over a low heat, for about 6-7 minutes, until the chicken and pasta are piping hot throughout. You’ll need to stir a couple of times during reheating too.
Can I freeze it?
Same rules apply as above. Cook, quickly cool, cover and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat as per the instructions above.
