Quick, simple and oh so delicious! This creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta is packed with Mediterranean flavours in a thick and creamy garlic and parmesan sauce that everyone will love. This dish is a total crowd-pleaser that comes together in around 20 minutes for an easy weeknight meal. And the sauce is so good, you’ll want to eat it by the spoonful!
I think you’re going to love this pasta! With sun-dried tomato, lemon and loads of flavour, it will be love at first bite. And it has the creamiest, most irresistible garlic and parmesan sauce that will have you mopping up every last bit!
Don’t you just love a delicious meal that can come together in 20 minutes? This one has earned a regular spot in our family’s dinner rotation because the whole thing comes together in one pot, which means easy prep and minimal dishes for the win! And you can save even more time by using up some leftover chicken breast or a shredded BBQ chicken.
Not only does it taste amazing, but this recipe is so easy to make! The creamy sauce comes together in the time that it takes to cook the pasta, with familiar fridge and pantry staples you already love.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – one pot, 20 minutes and some basic ingredients are all you need.
- Freezer and meal prep friendly – the sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated, or frozen before being added to freshly cooked pasta.
What you’ll need
Ingredient notes
** This post contains tips for the best possible results. For full ingredient quantities and instructions, see the recipe card below this post.
Chicken – breast or thigh can be used here. Or you can save time by using already cooked chicken. Pick up a BBQ chicken on your way home, or use leftover chicken meat from the fridge. Simply chop it up and add it to the sauce at the end to heat through.
Sun-dried tomatoes – For a juicier, richer flavour, I recommend using fresh deli sun-dried tomatoes, rather than from a jar. I love to add a little of the reserved oil to the sauce, for extra flavour.
Pasta – use your favourite! I prefer fresh or dried pappardelle, because the wide and thick strands cling to the creamy sauce, making it totally slurp-worthy. Spaghetti or fettucine work well too, or any small pasta like spirals or penne.
Parmesan cheese – is used to lightly thicken and flavour the sauce. I recommend using a freshly grated block of cheese here, rather than pre-packaged grated cheese. Packaged grated cheese can contain a coating that prevents it from melting properly into the sauce. This will cause clumping and the sauce won’t thicken as nicely.
Step by step instructions
The creamy chicken pasta sauce is so easy to make and can be done while the pasta is cooking. Sauté the chicken in a pan until cooked and then remove it and rest it on a plate until the sauce is ready. In the same pan, start the sauce.
Once the spices have been cooked until fragrant, add the lemon juice, canned and sun-dried tomatoes and stir.
The cream and stock is added and brought to a simmer. The cheese will melt into the sauce and it will start to thicken slightly.
Toss in the baby spinach, chopped chicken and drained pasta and mix. And top with some toasted pine nuts, fresh basil and extra parmesan cheese. That’s it! A deliciously creamy pasta, ready in around 20 minutes. Magic!
Handy tips
- Storage – the ingredients for this dish can all be cut, prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge in airtight containers, ready to throw into the pan on a busy night. You can also make the sauce ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for up to 2 months. If you are making the sauce ahead, I recommend cooking the pasta fresh and adding it to the re-heated sauce, rather than freezing the pasta. This is because the pasta will soak up more of the sauce and lose its texture when frozen.
- To save even more time, you can use pre-cooked, leftover chicken or a shredded BBQ/rotisserie chicken instead of cooking raw chicken breast.
- The sauce can be adapted to add more veggies. Try adding some marinated capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms or whatever you like!
- If you love chicken and bacon pasta, crispy bacon makes a delicious addition to the sauce!
Related recipes
Are you hungry for more easy pasta recipes? Then give these recipes a try!
- 15 minute spaghetti carbonara
- Cajun sausage pasta
- Creamy tomato pasta sauce
- Spinach and ricotta cannelloni
- Prawn and chorizo pasta
I hope you love this pasta! If you try it, I’d love for you to leave a comment or rating and let me know how you enjoyed it. I really appreciate it! Andrea x
Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 400 grams fresh or dried pasta
- 2-3 olive oil plus a little extra
- 2 chicken medium breasts chopped, or use leftover, pre-cooked chicken.
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- ¼ tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper
- ¾ cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
- ¼ cup canned or diced tomatoes
- 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup cream
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 cup parmesan cheese fresh, grated
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
To serve
- fresh basil
- extra freshly grated parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- Place the pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water and cook to packet instructions. While the pasta is cooking, start on the sauce.
- **If using leftover (already cooked) chicken, leave the chicken out of the pan until the end an stir it through the finished sauce to heat through. **To cook the chicken, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the chicken. Continue stirring until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and rest on a plate until the rest of the sauce is finished.
- Reduce the heat and add a little more olive oil to the pan. Add the garlic, paprika and oregano with a pinch of salt and some pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the lemon juice, canned tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes and stir.
- Gently stir through the cream and chicken stock and bring to a low simmer.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and spinach leaves and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring, until the spinach has wilted and the cheese melts through the sauce.
- Drain the cooked pasta and stir it through the sauce with the chicken pieces. Add the pasta to bowls and serve with fresh basil and toasted pine nuts. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage – the ingredients for this dish can all be cut, prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge in airtight containers, ready to throw into the pan on a busy night. You can also make the sauce ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for up to 2 months. If you are making the sauce ahead, I recommend cooking the pasta fresh and adding it to the re-heated sauce rather than freezing the pasta. This is because the pasta will soak up more of the sauce and lose its texture when frozen.
- To save even more time, you can use pre-cooked, leftover chicken or a shredded BBQ/rotisserie chicken instead of cooking raw chicken breast.
- The sauce can be adapted to add more veggies. Try adding some marinated capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms or whatever you like!
- If you love chicken and bacon pasta, crispy bacon makes a delicious addition to the sauce!
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