girl. Inspired.

travel, food, design

  • TRAVEL
  • FOOD
    • Breakfast
    • Breads
    • Main Course
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Soups|Salads|Side Dishes
    • Sauces|Dips|Salad Dressings
    • Cake Decorating
      • Inspiration and Ideas
      • Tips and Tutorials
  • Design
    • Craft/DIY
    • Sewing
      • Patterns and Tutorials
      • Pattern and Product Reviews
      • Sewing Ideas and Inspiration
    • Parties
  • Blog
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe

Creamy Chicken Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes

April 29, 2020 by girlinspired Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
creamy chicken pasta in saucepan with text overlay

This weeknight pasta favorite is a hearty one pot meal that checks the box for both comfort food and gourmet flavor. This creamy chicken pasta is loaded with juicy sautéed chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and wilted spinach in a rich, creamy sauce. Once you’ve browned your chicken and cooked your penne pasta, the whole dish comes together in a matter of minutes.

creamy chicken pasta in saucepan with text overlay

As mom/chef, I love serving this meal because my whole family enjoys it and I can fit all of the main food groups into one pan – protein, grain, and vegetables. You can serve this dish with any type of pasta – my preferred choice is penne or a shell that holds some of the nice creamy sauce.

penne pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, and spinach

The sun-dried tomatoes in this creamy chicken pasta recipe are paramount to the extra zing and flavor. If you don’t want that tomato deliciousness, you can omit them, but you still might like to add some of the herbed oil from the jar! These sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and herbs are my absolute favorite brand to use in pasta and bruschetta.

Making the Creamy Chicken Pasta

penne pasta pouring into chicken and tomato saucepan mixture

Let’s get to the cooking! Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt to the water to flavor your pasta – this is important! Add 1 package of penne pasta to the boiling water and cook to desired doneness. Drain water and set pasta aside. Tip: I like to pour a tablespoon of olive oil into the boiling pasta water. This helps keep the boil down and it also coats the pasta when straining and keeps the pasta from sticking together as much while waiting for the rest of the dish to cook.

Sauté the Chicken

browned chicken in saucepan with dishes of tomatoes, spinach and cooked pasta in background

In your saucepan (you can definitely use the same pot that you cooked your pasta in), heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add diced chicken and sauté until brown. Toss in garlic and herbs and sauté for 2- 3 minutes longer, or until the garlic is slightly browned and fragrant, but NOT burned.

Make the Rich, Creamy Sauce

glass dish of sun-dried tomatoes with browned chicken, spinach, and tomatoes in background
browned chicken in saucepan with sun-dried tomatoes and butter

Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, butter, milk, and heavy cream to the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. The heavy cream and the cream cheese help to make a bit of a thicker sauce, but more importantly, they provide the creaminess and richness that this sauce needs to support the pasta and bold flavors of the sun-dried tomatoes.

browned chicken and sauce in saucepan with dishes of tomatoes, spinach and cooked pasta in background

Add Fresh Vegetables

Bowl of cherry tomatoes with chicken, saucepan, and pasta in the background

Add fresh tomatoes if desired. I like toss whole cherry tomatoes or a mix of bite-size tomatoes into the dish. This gives a nice fresh pop of flavor and some beautiful color.

bowl of fresh spinach with saucepan meal and pasta in the background

Gently mix in your fresh spinach and fresh basil (whole leaves or chopped are fine.) You know how spinach shrinks into a tiny smidge when it wilts, right? Go ahead and a couple cups (or more!) You want to squeeze all your veggies into this one pan meal, don’t you?

fresh spinach being stirred into saucepan mixture

At this point, your dish is almost done cooking! You really want to keep those tomatoes fresh and just heat them through. Simmer and stir for maybe 1-2 minutes longer and remove from heat as soon as the spinach wilts. All done!

penne pasta pouring into chicken and tomato saucepan mixture

If your pot is nice and large, go ahead and pour your pasta into the pot and mix it all around. Be sure to coat all of the pasta thoroughly with the sauce.

creamy chicken pasta in saucepan with grey dishtowel

You can garnish this oh so creamy chicken pasta with fresh basil leaves and even a little parmesan cheese if you like, but the tomatoes and spinach give it such a nice boost of color, you don’t even need garnish. Dig in!

Creamy Chicken Pasta Recipe

penne pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, and spinach scooped in a ladle

More Comfort Food Favorites

Cheesy Tuna Casserole

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe

Hearty Chicken Cacciatore

penne pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, and spinach

Creamy Chicken Pasta

This creamy chicken pasta is loaded with juicy sautéed chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and wilted spinach in a rich, creamy sauce.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 495kcal
Author: girlinspired
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 1 pound penne pasta
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 tbsp salted butter
  • 1 pound chicken breast diced and patted dry
  • 2 garlic cloves pressed
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and herbs
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil

Instructions

  • Cook and drain pasta according to package instructions (do add 1-2 teaspoons of salt to the boiling water though!)
  • In medium saucepan, heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
  • When butter is melted, add diced chicken breast and saute until browned, approximately 10 minutes.
  • Add garlic, dried basil, and dried oregano and saute 1-2 minutes longer.
  • Add sun-dried tomatoes, including a bit of the oil and herbs that they are packed in.
  • Add remaining butter, milk, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Simmer over low heat until thoroughly combined.
  • Add in fresh basil, fresh tomatoes, and fresh spinach. Simmer for 1-2 minutes until spinach wilts.
  • Add pasta into saucepan with other ingredients and stir to combine. Serve!
Tried this recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @girlinspired!

Nutrition

Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 757mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1480IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg

Other Delicious Dinner Recipes

Here are some other recipes for pasta and tomato lovers that you might enjoy!

Herb Roasted Chicken Recipe

Bruschetta

Making Sundried Tomatoes

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Filed Under: Food and Recipes, Main Course Tagged With: chicken, one pot meal, pasta, sun-dried tomatoes

« Braided Sweet Bread with Apricot Filling
The Very Best Double Chocolate Cake »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




About Stef
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Sharing Policy

It is my hope that you will find inspiration on the Girl. Inspired. blog. All photos are copyright protected by Girl. Inspired. If you wish to share something that you have seen here, I am absolutely thrilled! Please use only one picture with a direct link back to the project you are referencing. Thank you so much for your understanding!

Privacy Policy

What are You Looking For?

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Child Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

95 shares