This Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is so deliciously flavored. Garlicky and cheesy, it’s easy to make and takes only 30 minutes.
If you love chicken pasta, you should try our cajun chicken pasta and serve it with this Foccacia bread.
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta 30-minute dinner
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta looks as good as it tastes. And it only takes half an hour to make! This dish is perfect when you want to make something yummy, but don’t have a lot of time. The flavors come together so well, you’ll love the way the garlic, Parmesan, spinach, and sweet-tart sun-dried tomatoes taste. With a creamy sauce, penne pasta, and chicken, this Tuscan pasta is going to become a family favorite. And it’s even better when you pair it with a tasty spinach salad and some buttery bread and dipping oil.
What will I need to make the 30-minute pasta dish?
- Meat: Boneless skinless chicken tenders
- Vegetables: Fresh spinach, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes
- Pasta type: Penne pasta
- Sauce ingredients: Unsalted butter, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings.
How to Make Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Cook the chicken. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Pour the olive oil into a cast iron pan and cook the chicken over medium-high heat. Set aside.
- Cube the chicken. Once the chicken is cool, cut it into cubes.
- Make the sauce. Saute the butter, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in a pan over medium heat. Cook until the spinach wilts.
- Add the cream. Pour in the heavy cream, stir, and then let it come to a simmer.
- Add the seasonings and cheese. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. Stir until everything is incorporated.
- Add the chicken and pasta. Add the chicken cubes and cooked penne pasta, and give a final stir. Serve with some delicious bread on the side.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Yes, you can make it ahead. Just follow the directions to make the chicken and sauce, and then store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container until you are almost ready to serve the dish. Then, reheat them and add freshly cooked pasta in when you are ready to serve.
Can I use chicken breasts instead?
Yes, you can. Slice the chicken breasts into cutlets before cooking them. This allows the meat to cook faster and also increases the surface area, so more of the chicken gets that crisp, golden brown outside.
Can I omit the spinach?
Yes, you can leave out the spinach if you prefer. You can also substitute it with other veggies, such as broccoli or asparagus.
How to make the Tuscan chicken pasta lighter
If you’d like a lighter cream sauce, then you could substitute Half & Half for the heavy cream. This will keep the sauce creamy, but slightly less rich.
Does it freeze well?
This Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta does freeze well, making it a great make-ahead meal. Just place the fully cooled pasta dish in an airtight container or ziplock freezer bag and it will keep in the freezer for about 6 months. To reheat it, just place it in the refrigerator overnight or in a bowl of water for about 20 minutes to thaw. Then, you can either microwave it or heat it on the stovetop.
Watch how to make this chicken pasta
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 garlic cloves 
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 8 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 lb penne pasta
Instructions
Seasong and cook the chicken
- Season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Fill a large cast-iron skillet with the olive oil and cook both sides of the seasoned tenders over medium-high heat.
Chop the chicken adn set aside
- Now set them aside to cool, then dice them up into cubes.
Make the creamy Tuscan sauce
- Now make the sauce by sautéing the butter, minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes (oil drained) and spinach over medium heat.
- Once the spinach has wilted, add the cream and let it come to a simmer.
- Now remove from heat and add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and grated Parmesan cheese.
Add chicken and pasta in the sauce
- Then add your cooked hot penne pasta and cubes chicken back in. Give it a quick stir and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Linda Ash says
Everyone in the household lives it, from 11 months to 50 years old.
Dina says
Glad to hear everyone loved this Tuscan chicken pasta! Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
Debbie says
I made this last night and it was really tasty. My kids are so picky and all three asked for seconds. This really easy for a busy weeknight. My son even said that it tastes like it was from a restaurant lol!
Dina says
Wow Debbie! That’s incredible! What a compliment! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with me! It really means a lot!
Destiny says
Put my own twist on it but its amazing.
Dina says
Hi Destiny 🙂 Happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken pasta recipe! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Diane J says
This was an easy recipe but the results are very elegant. It looks like I spent a lot of time on this meal.
Dina says
Hi Diane 🙂 Glad to hear this pasta recipe was delicious and looked beautiful! Thank you for your feedback and support! 🙂
Heike McKinney says
This was really good. My husband even liked it and he doesn’t like spinach. I will definitely make it again. I tweaked the recipe a bit though. A cut up the chicken before cooking it. I added the spinach at the very end cause it just needs to wilt. But it is delicious!!
Dina says
Yay!! So happy that you and your husband loved this Tuscan chicken pasta recipe! Adjustments are always welcome with recipes! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your awesome feedback! I hope you find more recipes to enjoy from my food blog! 🙂
Dana says
I can’t wait to make this dish tomorrow I got everything I needed today yay, I have tried this dish at my nephews house his wife made it and it was so good, the best part about this dish is knowing I can freeze it. Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
Dina says
You are very welcome Dana! Glad to hear you are giving this recipe a try now! Happy to hear everyone loved this Tuscan chicken pasta! Thank you for your feedback and support! 🙂
Susan Nelson says
This was fantastic! My whole family loved it!
Dina says
That is so awesome to hear Susan! Always a win when the family loves a recipe! Thank you for giving this Tuscan chicken pasta recipe a try! I hope you find more delicious recipes for your family to enjoy from my food blog! 🙂
Paula D says
I’ve made this recipe several times…. it’s FABULOUS!!.. a new family favorite for years to come! P.s.making it again tonight 😋
Dina says
That’s fantadtic Paula! Thank you so much for taking the time to express your love for this recipe. I really appreciate it ☺️
Jenny says
Will this still cook the same if I reduce to 4 servings instead of 8? I am just cooking this for me and my boyfriend.
Dina says
Hi Jenny, yes this should cook the same if you do half the recipe. I hope you love this Tuscan chicken pasta! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Lisa says
Can you bake this? Also do I need to double up on cream for one pound of pasta?
Dina says
Hi Lisa, by baking this, what exactly do you mean? At which step do you want to bake it? I don’t think that will work with this recipe. Also, yes you would want to double all the ingredients if you double the pasta.
Ada Perry says
My husband said it’s delicious and definitely a keeper recipe! Thank you!
Dina says
You are very welcome! Glad to hear your husband thought this Tuscan chicken pasta was delicious! Thank you for your feedback and I hope you enjoy more recipes on my food blog! 🙂
Waleska says
Ove this I made it a few times already it’s quick and easy. I love my food to be meaty lol so I use extra chicken breast and cook them chopped up it makes it cook faster since I use more otherwise it’s perfect I saw another comment about chopping up the sun dried tomatoes ill have to try that next time I’m not a big fan of them so maybe smaller pieces might help. Again this meal is fabulous my whole family loves it and they are picky
Dina says
Hi 🙂 Thank you so much for your honest and kind feedback! Making adjustments is what makes recipes so amazing! 🙂 Very happy to hear you love this Tuscan chicken pasta so much! Thank you again for your support and I hope you find more recipes on my food blog to enjoy! 🙂
Alayna Stover says
We loved this recipe but it would have been nice to know to chop up the sun dried tomatoes. (We used the jarred tomatoes in oil and they were not diced or small. Next time I will chop them up otherwise you get too much in a bite. I also added some extra parmesan and garlic. Otherwise it was amazing!!
Dina says
Thank you for the honest feedback Alayna!
Lisa Smith says
Amazing!!!!🤩 I looked over a few other recipes online and decided I really liked the ingredients and way this one was prepared and boy was I right!! This one’s a keeper! Delicious! I almost made the full bag (1-lb) of penne pasta because I usually don’t make enough pasta for leftovers, but I decided to follow your recipe of 1/2 lb and I am glad I did! It was the perfect amount of pasta to sauce and chicken. And we have a family of 5 with three of them teenagers and we still had leftovers because it was such a large dish. I did use bagged sun dried tomatoes (not in oil) cause that’s what I had and they sautéed up great with the spinach and garlic. I served it alongside some sautéed zucchini and a salad… the family loved it. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe!
Dina says
Lisa, thank you so much for taking the time to write your kind recipe feedback! I am so happy that your whole family loved the Tuscan chicken pasta!
Lynn Schnepf says
This sounds so delicious! Would it work with something lighter than heavy cream? Milk or even 2% milk?
Dina says
Hi Lynn, I am afraid that milk might make the sauce too thin, unless you create a roux with butter and flour prior to adding the milk. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
Lulu Plato says
Love this recipe so much! It’s my boyfriend’s favorite. I personally use an extra clove or two of garlic and then season to taste. My only qualm with this recipe is that the leftovers don’t microwave well. I find that whenever I pop it in the microwave, the cream ends up more like oil. Is there anything I can do about this? Should I try reheating it on the stove?
Dina says
Hi Lulu, I am so happy you love this recipe! I have the same issue with microwaving pasta the next day. I have a feeling that heating it on the stove might have the same effect. I am not too sure why this happens. I’ll hvae to look into it.