Use this Creamy Shredded Chicken Pasta Sauce recipe to make a creamy tomato sauce without any dairy. Mix blended cashews into marinara sauce and serve over your favorite pasta or zoodles.
Weeknight-easy
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: The ideal time to shred chicken to guarantee it’s super tender
Worth It: A creamy and comforting without dairy complications
Bonus: Easy to tailor to common diets
Let’s make a creamy chicken pasta sauce!
We have officially entered the time of year where I want my dinners to be warm, cozy and filling. This creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce gives all the flavor and comfort of a cheesy, creamy pasta sauce, but without any of the dairy.
The creamy part of this creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce comes from cashews. You can use this creamy cashew sauce in many other recipes.
This creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce recipe uses the basic principle of boiling chicken in a sauce and then shredding it and returning it to the sauce. Using this method you are left with super tender pieces of chicken that shred easily and a flavorful sauce.
What kitchen tools do you need to make this creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce?
- Large pot or dutch oven for cooking the sauce
- Measuring spoons, measuring cups and liquid measuring cup for measuring ingredients
- Blender for blending the creamy cashew sauce
- Forks for shredding the cooked chicken breasts
- Mixing spoon for mixing shredded chicken and cashew cream sauce into the marinara
How should you enjoy this creamy tomato sauce?
The first time had this creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce on bowtie noodles. The next time I tried it on zoodles so that I could make a full Whole30 meal.
Since then I have had the sauce with different types of pasta and roasted potatoes. I even had a bowl of the creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce alone after a workout when I was hangry and it was perfect.
If you want to enjoy this creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce with zoodles, I suggest undercooking the zoodles slightly.
I sautee mine in a large pan or wok in a little bit of oil until they are just starting to get soft. Then I pour the hot pasta sauce on top of the warm zoodles.
What ingredients will I need to make this Whole30 creamy chicken pasta sauce recipe?
Grab a few basic ingredients you will need for this creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce. To make the creamy cashew sauce you will need raw cashews, water, lemon juice, and salt.
Then, you will move on to the shredded chicken in marinara. You will need two boneless skinless chicken breasts, some chicken broth, marinara sauce, and salt.
If you are on the Whole30, you will need to be sure that the marinara sauce and chicken broth are Whole30 compliant.
Let’s make a creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce!
Step 1: Soak the cashews
To make this creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce, start by soaking raw cashews in water for at least 12 hours. If you have less time, you can add them to a pot with cold water, bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes.
Then, prepare the cashew cream by draining the raw cashews and rinsing.
Step 2: Make the Cashew Cream Sauce and Poach the Chicken
Then, add the cashews to a high-speed blender with water, salt, and lemon juice. Blend until a thick, smooth cream sauce remains and set the cream sauce aside until later.
Next, add marinara, chicken broth, and salt to a large thick bottom pot like a dutch oven.
Then, mix broth, salt, and marinara together and add chicken breasts to the pot and cover the breasts with some of the sauce and bring the mixture to a boil.
Once the liquid boils, reduce to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Then, allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes and then turn off the heat.
Step 3: Shred the Chicken and Mix in the Cream Sauce
Next, remove the chicken breasts from the pot and shred the breasts with 2 forks. Then, add the shredded chicken back into the sauce in the pot along with the cream sauce you prepared earlier.
Finally, increase heat to medium-low and mix until a smooth creamy sauce remains. Remove the chicken pasta sauce from heat and enjoy with noodles or zoodles!
Step 4: Enjoy!
How long will this creamy tomato sauce with chicken last in the fridge?
Enjoy the creamy chicken pasta sauce immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove top or in the microwave.
Looking for more dairy free recipes?
Check out these other dairy free recipes that use cashews to make creamy sauces!
If you like this recipe, try this veggie packed meat sauce next!
Keep reading for the full recipe. If you make this healthy, creamy, and delicious sauce, please let me know in the comments or on my Instagram.
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Creamy Shredded Chicken Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 + 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsbp lemon juice
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Soak raw cashews in water for at least 12 hours or add to a sauce pan with cold water and bring to a boil, boil for at least 10 minutes to soften
- Prepare the cashew cream by draining the cashews and rinsing. Add the cashews to a high-speed blender with 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Blend until a thick, smooth cream sauce remains and set the cream sauce aside
- Add marinara sauce, chicken broth, and 1 tsp salt to a large pan or dutch oven
- Mix thoroughly and add chicken breasts to the pot
- Cover the breasts with some of the sauce and bring the mixture to a boil
- Once the liquid boils, reduce to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid
- Allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes then turn off the heat
- Remove the chicken breasts from the pot and shred them with 2 forks
- Add the shredded chicken into the pot with the sauce and pour in the cashew cream sauce
- Mix to combine thoroughly and turn the heat on to medium-low, simmer for 5 minutes until a smooth creamy sauce remains
- Allow the sauce to cool slightly and enjoy with noodles or zoodles
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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