Tuscan chicken pasta combines perfectly seasoned, tender chicken breast in a creamy, garlicky, cheesy sauce with tomatoes and spinach. The result is a dish that’s super creamy, cozy, and as perfect as a mid-week comforting meal as it is to impress at an upscale dinner party or on date nights. Best of all, this Tuscan chicken pasta recipe is made primarily of easy-to-find kitchen and pantry staples and is ready in under 30 minutes with fairly low effort. You can even store the leftovers for later.
What you’ll need
The sauce
Tomatoes: Three tomato products come together for a wonderful, rich, complex depth of flavor: Tomato paste, Dried tomatoes – which need to be rehydrated in warm water, Small tomatoes – like cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or baby plum tomatoes. Garlic: Fresh garlic is best, but you can use garlic powder in a pinch. Add to taste. Shallots: (or white/yellow onion) For an aromatic, delicious sauce base. Milk: Use full-fat or skimmed milk. Cream: Heavy cream (double cream) will yield the creamiest results. However, you can use light cream, half and half, or even replace some cream with additional milk for a healthier sauce. Butter: To add richness and buttery flavor to the creamy chicken pasta dish. Olive oil: To combine with the butter for richness and flavor and prevent the chicken from burning. Parmesan: It’s best to use fresh grated parmesan cheese. Other hard cheese, like gruyere, Asiago, or pecorino, should also work, but the flavor will vary. Spinach: I prefer fresh baby spinach. Kale will also work but requires longer to cook (4-5 minutes).
Remaining ingredients
Chicken: Use boneless skinless chicken breasts for a lean protein. Chicken thighs will also work but take slightly longer to cook. The seasonings: Rely on just a few pantry staples for flavor-packed chicken. Garlic powder, Onion powder, Paprika, Dried oregano (or Italian seasoning), Sea salt, Black pepper. Pasta: I love using rigatoni, though any small pasta shape with grooves (to hold the sauce) will work. I.e., penne pasta, fusilli, bow-ties, etc. Linguine or spaghetti works, too. Use gluten-free pasta if necessary.
How to make Tuscan chicken pasta
First, start by rehydrating the dried tomatoes in hot water, setting them aside to soak while you prepare the chicken and pasta. Alternatively, boil them for 3-4 minutes and leave to soak until they’re needed.
Cook the chicken
First, combine all the spices in a small bowl. You can then cook the chicken either in the skillet (the same one you’ll use for the sauce) OR separately in the oven. Pan-fried chicken: Cut the chicken into strips or bite-sized pieces, then season with the spices and sauté in a skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, remove it from the pan and set aside. Oven-baked chicken: Rub the chicken breasts with the oil and massage in the spices, then bake them in a preheated oven at 350ºF/175ºC for 10-15 minutes, depending on their size. Leave it to rest, tented under foil. To ensure the chicken is properly cooked, use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. It needs to read 165 ºF/74 ºC. If you don’t have a thermometer, ensure that the juices run clear when you pierce the thickest part of the breast with a fork or a knife.
Cook the pasta
Meanwhile, as the chicken cooks, prepare the rigatoni according to its package instructions – usually adding it to a pot of boiling salted water and cooking until al dente (about 12-14 minutes).
Prepare the sauce
Finely dice the rehydrated tomatoes and onion/shallot, halve the cherry tomatoes, and mince the garlic. Meanwhile, heat the large skillet over medium heat with the butter and olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots and sauté until soft (about 3-5 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté for a minute before stirring in all the tomatoes (rehydrated, cherry, and tomato paste) and adding the milk and cream. Stir well to combine. At this point, taste the sauce and add any extra salt, if preferred.
Assemble and serve
If you haven’t yet, slice the cooked chicken. Then add that, along with the cooked pasta and grated parmesan, to the skillet with the sauce and stir well. Then add the spinach, stir, and let it wilt for 1-2 minutes over low heat. Finally, serve the Tuscan chicken pasta garnished with extra parmesan cheese and enjoy!
What to serve with Tuscan chicken pasta?
This Tuscan chicken pasta is creamy, cozy, hearty, and combines protein, carbs, and fats for a satisfying meal. However, you could take it further with:
Bread: Garlic bread, focaccia, or a piece of crusty loaf. Vegetables: Like roasted broccoli and cauliflower, sautéed asparagus or green beans, Brussel sprouts, etc. Salad: Contrast the rich, creamy pasta dish with a light, leafy green salad with vinaigrette or Caprese salad.
Storage instructions
Store: Allow it to cool, then store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. For food safety reasons, ensure the chicken is in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. Freeze: You can freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it cool to room temperature first, then divide it into portions and place it in air-tight freezer-safe containers. Make sure to label them and then place them in the freezer. It will keep for up to 2 months. Reheat: I prefer to reheat the Tuscan creamy chicken pasta on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of milk or chicken broth, as needed, to bring back its sauciness.
More chicken recipes
Crockpot Tuscan Chicken One-pot creamy mushroom chicken Million-dollar chicken casserole One pot chicken and rice
If you try this easy chicken pasta recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
