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.
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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Joni says
Love love love this dish. All 6 members of my family love it. Make it at least once a week.
simplyhomecooked says
That’s awesome Joni! Its a staple in our home as well 🙂
Olivia T says
I didn’t realize how much pasta I was cooking so I didn’t have the ratio of noodles to sauce. But other than that it was the most amazing home cooked pasta I’ve had. Tasted better than the restaurants!! I put bacon bits in mine as well!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Olivia! It makes me so happy to hear when people love my recipes so much! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind review 🙂 I love the bacon bits idea as well 🙂
Erika says
Can I use cherry tomatoes insted of sun-dried oil tomatoes?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Erika, yes you can use cherry tomatoes for this Tuscan chicken pasta. It might just taste a little different. I hope you enjoy this recipe 🙂
Shiela says
This was really good! Plenty of flavor without being heavy. Perfect.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much, Shiela! 🙂
Tami says
The recipe is perfect as is..I used two LARGE cloves of garlic 😉 will make again and might try prawns in place of chicken.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for the awesome feedback Tami! I need to try it with prawns, love that idea!
Mariela says
I changed the heavy cream for greek yogur with a little bit water and it works
simplyhomecooked says
Awesome substitute Mariela! Thanks for sharing your review 🙂
Emily says
I loved this!
I used half and half instead of heavy cream, and I ran out of garlic so I just added more of the sun dried tomato juice and my family loved how healthy and tasteful it was!
simplyhomecooked says
Emily, I am thrilled to hear that you and your family enjoyed this Tuscan chicken pasta. I love how you gave it a spin! 🙂
Ash says
My family is very hard tp please, however they loved this recipe! It would be helpful to know when to start cooking the pasta, or how long to cook the chicken. But those notes aside it was fantastic! I did run out of heavy cream and substituted the last cup using half and half. I will be cooking this again, thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Ash, thank you for your kind review! It’s hard to tell how long to cook chicken since the thickness of everyone’s chicken is different and requires different cook time. If you’re ever unsure if your chicken is cooked through, I recommend using an instant-read thermometer. It should read at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Quinnee says
How can the the sauce thicken with 3 cups of half and half and only 1/2 cup of cheese?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Quinnee, the recipe should be made with cream. The half and half was typo. Thank you for catching that.