Delight your tastebuds with a bowl of this comforting Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta. The flavorful sauce is paired with al dente pasta and hearty strips of chicken.
Weeknight-easy
Beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: The key to emulsifying the sauce
Worth It: A reliable family favorite that even picky eaters love
Bonus: Easy to tailor to common diets
an Italian-inspired dish that the whole table will love
This Tuscan chicken recipe brings the taste of a summer night in Italy straight to your home with simple ingredients. Featuring hearty chicken, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy and comforting sauce, this dish is a flavor-packed meal that can be enjoyed all year long.
Perfect for a family dinner or cozy at-home date night, this Tuscan chicken pasta is a crowd-pleaser that will be loved by anyone across the table. Everyone’s tastebuds will be wanting more.
So, give it a go and impress your dinner mates with this Italian-inspired Tuscan chicken pasta. It is sure to become a household favorite.
Kitchen tools
- Frying pan or skillet
- Large pot for boiling pasta
- Sharp knife and cutting board
- Cheese grater
What is the origin of Tuscan sauce?
The origin of Tuscan sauce comes from the Tuscany region of Italy. It typically is made up of a creamy parmesan sauce with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.
You can serve this sauce in a pasta dish or as a cream sauce for chicken. I decided to use both chicken and pasta in my dish.
I omitted the mushrooms that are traditionally in this sauce, but feel free to add them back in along with the spinach!
Serving Suggestions
This Tuscan chicken pasta pairs perfectly with some crunchy bread to dip in the creamy sauce. A light side salad on the side would also be a nice addition.
I like to make a simple green salad and toss it in my mason jar salad dressing. Occasionally I will make a loaf of focaccia to dip in the creamy sauce.
Ingredients
- Pasta
- Chicken breast
- Salt
- Oregano
- Basil
- Red pepper
- Olive oil
- Tomato paste
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Spinach
Ingredient substitutions
Don’t worry gluten-free friends, you can still enjoy this dish. To make this creamy Tuscan chicken pasta recipe gluten-free, just simply substitute gluten-free pasta.
If you want to simplify the ingredients, use 2 tsp of Italian seasoning in place of the seasoning blend listed. Be sure to add salt and pepper to the seasoning blend if they are not already included in it.
You can also substitute or add veggies to your liking. Sautéed onions or mushrooms are two that would work very well. The tuscan sauce traditionally includes mushrooms, but I decided to omit them.
How to make Creamy tuscan chicken pasta
Step 1: Boil Pasta and prep chicken
To begin making this Tuscan chicken recipe, boil pasta in heavily salted water. Reserve half a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
Next, slice chicken breasts in half and then into thin slices. Toss chicken in salt, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper.
Step 2: Cook chicken and make the sauce
Next, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add seasoned chicken to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes tossing occasionally.
Then, remove the chicken from the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Place tomato paste, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and pasta water in the pan and mix until a smooth sauce remains.
Now it is time to mix the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach into the sauce. Simmer until the spinach wilts.
Step 3: Mix everything together and serve
Then, pour the cooked pasta and chicken into the pot and toss to coat in the sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Storage and reheating
Allow this creamy Tuscan chicken pasta to cool completely. Then, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
You can reheat it on the stove but just add a little bit of water and parmesan cheese to refresh the sauce.
If you love a creamy pasta sauce with chicken, you need to try this penne alla vodka with chicken and this creamy shredded chicken pasta sauce.
Check out these other Pasta recipes
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!
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!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup julienne cut sun dried tomatoes or whole sun dried tomatoes cut into slices
- 6 oz fresh spinach
Instructions
- Boil pasta in heavily salted water. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining pasta.
- Slice chicken breasts in half and then into thin slices. Toss chicken in salt, garlic powder, oregano, basil and crushed red pepper.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add seasoned chicken to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes tossing occasionally.
- Remove chicken from skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Place tomato paste, heavy cream, parmesan cheese and pasta water in the pan and mix until a smooth sauce remains.
- Mix the sun dried tomatoes and spinach into the sauce and simmer until the spinach wilts.
- Pour the cooked pasta and chicken into the pot and toss to coat in the sauce.
- Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese
Recipe Notes
- Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free pasta
- Use any addition vegetables you want like sauteed onion and mushroom
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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