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Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
nibbleboard.com/recipes/tuscan-chicken-pasta
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
Garnish
- Fresh basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
- While the pasta cooks, chop chicken into 1-inch pieces. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.
- Flip the chicken, stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, and cook another 3-4 minutes until chicken is cooked through. No pink inside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the heavy cream, milk, and flour together until no lumps remain.
- Pour the cream mixture over the chicken in the skillet. Stir well and let it bubble and thicken for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to low. Add the baby spinach and stir until just wilted, about 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat. Add the drained pasta and Parmesan cheese. Toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated. If the sauce is too thick, splash in reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately topped with extra Parmesan and torn fresh basil.
Nutrition per Serving
431Calories
17gProtein
32gCarbs
29gFat
Chef Tips
- I've found that chopping the chicken into even 1-inch pieces is the real key here — they cook in the same time so nothing dries out while you wait for bigger chunks to finish.
- Use the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar instead of olive oil for an extra punch of flavor. I started doing this by accident and never went back.
- Don't skip the flour in the cream mixture. After trying both ways, I always whisk it in — it thickens the sauce just enough to cling to the pasta without being gloopy.
- If you can't find sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rehydrate the dry-packed kind in hot water for 10 minutes. Works perfectly.
- This reheats beautifully the next day — add a splash of milk when warming it up in a skillet to loosen the sauce back to creamy.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The pasta will absorb some sauce as it sits — that's normal.