Everyone will love this easy Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta! It’s the perfect weeknight dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes.
It’s creamy, comforting, and packed with so much flavor. Cooking with the infused oil that comes with the sun-dried tomatoes is a game changer!
This Tuscan chicken pasta is make-ahead friendly and also highly customizable.
There’s nothing better than a creamy, comforting chicken pasta dish. Our favorite weeknight creamy Tuscan chicken pasta comes together in just 30 minutes, it’s quick and easy!
This recipe is similar to my Creamy Chicken Artichoke Pasta, give it a try!
The secret to making flavor-packed Tuscan chicken pasta is using the oil that comes with the sun-dried tomatoes to cook the chicken and make the sauce. It’s basically infused olive oil!
You’ll love all the robust flavors from the sun-dried tomatoes and the fresh baby spinach, all in a delicious creamy sauce.
If you’re in the mood to make comforting pastas for a busy weeknight, try this Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, Creamy Salmon Pasta, or Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
If you’ve got more time, try these amazing Spinach Stuffed Shells, Rigatoni Bolognese, or Lasagna Bolognese with No Boil Noodles.
Why I love this Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta dish:
- Ready in just 30 minutes! This creamy Tuscan pasta comes together in no time, perfect for weeknight dinner.
- Creamy and comforting: Everything about, from the tender chicken and pasta to the creamy, flavorful sundried tomato sauce. Yum!
- Packed with LOTS of flavor! As mentioned, using the infused olive oil that comes in with the sundried tomatoes adds amazing flavor.
Jump to:
The Secret: Sun-dried Tomato Oil
The secret ingredient in this creamy Tuscan chicken pasta recipe is the sun-dried tomato oil!
This recipe calls for oil-packed sundried tomatoes in a jar. It’s basically flavor-infused oil, which adds so much great flavor to this dish. We use it to sear the chicken and to make the sauce base.
If you can’t find oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, feel free to use regular sun-dried tomatoes, and use olive oil to cook instead.
I love sun-dried tomatoes so much I even made a pesto with it! Check out my Sundried Tomato Pesto recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil: You’ll use the aromatic infused oil from the jar to cook the chicken and make the sauce base. It adds AMAZING flavor!
- Rotini pasta: Other pastas you can use are penne, rigatoni, cavatappi, bowtie, or similar.
- Chicken breast: Cut into ½ inch cubes.
- Seasoning for the chicken: A blend of dried Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper.
- Minced garlic
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese: Use freshly grated so it melts better. Avoid pre-packaged shredded parmesan, as it contains starch that makes it hard to melt.
- Fresh baby spinach
Step-by-Step Directions
Step 1 | Cook pasta
Making this creamy Tuscan chicken pasta is easy! It all starts with the pasta. In a pot with boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water just in case. Drain pasta and set aside.
Step 2 | Season and cook chicken
Season diced chicken with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Drain about 2-3 tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar onto a large skillet over medium heat, and cook chicken until fully cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Step 3 | Make the creamy sauce
Onto the same skillet, add about 1-2 tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. Sauté minced garlic and sun-dried tomatoes for about 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Add heavy cream and parmesan. Simmer for about 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened. If it’s too thick, add some of that reserved pasta water as needed.
Step 4 | Return chicken and pasta
Return cooked chicken and pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Add spinach leaves and stir until slightly wilted. To serve this Tuscan chicken pasta, grate some parmesan cheese on top.
Customizations and Variations
The great thing about Tuscan chicken pasta is that it’s highly customizable! Just add your favorite ingredients and make it yours.
Here are a few of my favorite add-ons:
- Sliced baby bella mushrooms
- Fresh tomatoes
- Fresh herbs, such as basil
- Diced bacon or pancetta
- Mini pearl mozzarella balls
In terms of ingredient variations, try these:
- Pasta shapes: Rotini, penne, rigatoni, bowtie, and cavatappi.
- Chicken: I use chicken breast, but works great with chicken thighs too.
Make Ahead
Creamy Tuscan chicken pasta reheats well, but may lose some of its creaminess overnight. Store in a sealed container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave oven.
If you want to keep its creaminess, I’d recommend tossing the cooked pasta into the sauce (the chicken can be added to the sauce in advance) when ready to serve. All warmed up, of course.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
We like to serve this creamy Tuscan chicken pasta with our favorite Cheesy Garlic Bread.
A side salad is also great! Try this Tomato Burrata Salad, Italian Chopped Salad or Arugula Salad.
More weeknight pasta recipes you’ll love:
Recipe FAQs
Rotini, penne, rigatoni, bowtie, and cavatappi are great options.
In this recipe, we use the oil that comes in the sun-dried tomato jar to give this dish LOTS of flavor. It’s like using infused oil. However, if you can’t find oil-packed sundried tomatoes, you can use olive oil to cook instead.
Yes! It reheats really well. I’d recommend tossing the cooked pasta into the sauce right before serving if you want to keep it super creamy.
I wouldn’t use half-and-half or milk. The sauce will turn out too thin and watery.
Tips for Success
- The secret ingredient: The olive oil that comes with the sun-dried tomato jar. It’s basically infused olive oil that adds tons of flavor to the chicken and sauce.
- Use freshly grated parmesan cheese for the creamiest sauce! Avoid pre-packaged shredded parmesan, as it contains starch that makes it hard to melt.
- Use rotini or similar pasta shapes. I think rotini is the best because its shape allows more sauce to cling onto it.
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Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ pound dried rotini pasta - see notes
- 2 medium chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- 6 ounces sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, diced - do not drain oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ to 2 cups heavy cream - plus more if desired
- ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan - plus more for garnish
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves - loosely packed
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to box directions in generously salted water. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water just in case you'll need it later, and then drain pasta and set aside.
- In a bowl, evenly season chicken with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
- Add about 2-3 tablespoons of the oil from the sundried tomato jar into a large deep skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken on all sides until seared and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- To the same skillet (do not wipe clean), add another 1-2 tablespoons of oil from the sundried tomatoes. Saute garlic and chopped sundried tomatoes until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and freshly grated parmesan. Bring to a low boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer for about 3 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring often. If it's getting too thick, add some of that reserved pasta water as needed.
- Return cooked pasta and chicken to skillet. Add spinach. Combine evenly and cook for another 2-3 minutes until warmed and the spinach is wilted.
- Serve with more parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Sundried tomatoes: Get the ones that come in olive oil (in jars). This recipe uses the flavor-infused oil from the sundried tomatoes to cook the chicken and make the sauce base. Lots of flavor!
- If you can’t find sundried tomatoes in oil, just use olive oil to cook.
- Use freshly grated parmesan cheese Avoid pre-packaged shredded parmesan, as it contains starch that makes it hard to melt.
- Use rotini or similar pasta shapes. I think rotini is the best because its shape allows more sauce to cling onto it.
- Storage: Store leftovers in a refrigerated container for up to 3 days.
- Make ahead: Store the prepared sauce (with chicken and spinach included) and cooked pasta separately. When ready to serve, warm up and toss both to combine. This way, it will stay creamy.
- Rotini: Penne, rigatoni, cavatappi, bowties.
- Chicken breast: chicken thighs.
- Add-ons: Mushrooms, fresh diced tomatoes, diced bacon or pancetta, fresh basil, mini mozzarella balls.
Linda says
If I want to serve this to six people, do you suggest just doubling everything in the recipe?
Tania says
Hi! Yes, you can double it.
Suz says
Hello! Did I miss where the remaining reserved pasta water is used?
Tania says
Step 3!
emma says
fast, easy, and delicious
I substituted non-fat milk for the heavy cream because of dietary restrictions and it was still creamy and delicious
Jocelyn says
Hi Tania,
I made this and it was delicious. Served with garlic bread, salad and wine. Used Penne pasta and precooked the boneless chicken breasts in the oven and then cut them into pieces and finished in the skillet sauce. The use of the sun dried tomato oil was brilliant and really seasoned the cream. After reducing, I added a tbsp of butter to bring the sauce together.
The family loved it and I will be putting it into my dinner rotation. Thanks!
Tania says
Sounds lovely and love your pairing choices! Thanks for the kind comment, Jocelyn!