This creamy Tuscan chicken pasta tosses golden seared chicken and penne in a garlicky Parmesan cream sauce loaded with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh spinach. It's rich and comforting, but it comes together fast enough for a busy weeknight!
I've been making this one for years, and it's still one of the most requested dinners at my house. The secret is building the sauce right on top of the browned bits the chicken leaves behind, a classic pan-sauce technique from my years cooking professionally. You get restaurant flavor from one skillet and a pot of pasta, and since the chicken, pasta, and veggies are all in the bowl, dinner is done!
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Quick Look
- Total time: 30 minutes, start to finish
- Key ingredients: chicken breasts, sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, heavy cream, Parmigiano Reggiano, and penne
- Flavor: rich garlic-Parmesan cream sauce with sweet, tangy pops of sun-dried tomato
- Method: sear the chicken, build the sauce in the same pan, then toss everything with the pasta
- Serving: a complete meal in one bowl that feeds 4
- Leftovers: make a great next-day lunch (see Storage and Reheating)
A lot of Tuscan chicken pasta recipes dump everything in one pot and let it simmer. That's convenient, but you lose the best part! Searing the chicken first gives you a golden crust on the outside, juicy meat inside, and a layer of browned bits in the pan that turns into the backbone of the sauce.
The sauce is meant to coat every noodle without drowning it, and I'll show you how to make it saucier if that's how your family likes it. If you give this one a try, please leave a star rating and a comment below. I love hearing how it turned out and what you changed!
Why This Recipe Works
- Pounded chicken cooks evenly. Chicken breasts are thick on one end and thin on the other. Flattening them to an even thickness means the whole piece finishes at the same time, so nothing dries out while you wait on the thick end.
- The sauce is built on the fond. Those browned bits stuck to the pan after searing are pure flavor. The cream and broth lift them right up, so the sauce tastes like roasted chicken instead of plain cream.
- Parmesan goes in a little at a time. Adding the cheese in batches over gentle heat lets each handful melt smoothly. Dumping it in all at once is how you end up with clumps and a grainy sauce.
- Sun-dried tomatoes bloom in the pan. A quick minute with the garlic softens them and wakes up their sweet, tangy flavor, which cuts through all that richness.
What Makes a Pasta "Tuscan"?
If you ordered "Tuscan chicken" in Florence, you'd probably get a funny look! The dish is an Italian-American restaurant creation. It borrows ingredients associated with Tuscany and the Mediterranean: garlic, olive oil, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan.
In American kitchens, "Tuscan" has come to mean that combination simmered in a creamy garlic sauce. Toss it with pasta and seared chicken, and you have a full meal in one bowl.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken breasts - Boneless, skinless breasts are what I use here. Pick breasts that are similar in size so they all finish cooking together.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - I've made this with both bagged (dry-packed) and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, and both work great! Look for bagged ones in the produce section or near the salad toppings. If you use oil-packed, drain them well and give them a rough chop.
- Heavy whipping cream - The fat in heavy cream is what lets the sauce thicken and stay smooth. Half-and-half works in a pinch, but skip low-fat milk because the sauce won't thicken and it's more likely to break.
- Chicken broth - I recommend Swanson Unsalted or Low Sodium chicken broth. The Parmesan brings plenty of salt, so starting with low-sodium broth keeps the sauce from getting too salty.
- Parmigiano Reggiano - This is the one ingredient worth splurging on. Real Parmigiano Reggiano has a nutty, deep flavor, and grating it fresh from the block helps it melt smoothly. Pre-shredded Parmesan has anti-caking agents that can make the sauce gritty.
- Baby spinach - Fresh baby spinach wilts in just a couple of minutes and doesn't need any chopping.
- Pasta - Penne is my go-to because the tubes hold the sauce inside. I've also made this with fettuccine for a more restaurant-style plate, and it's just as good!
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Salt the water until it tastes like the sea, since this is your only chance to season the noodles themselves. Pull the pasta at al dente because it keeps softening once it hits the hot sauce. Scoop out a cup of the starchy pasta water before you drain it.
- Pound and season the chicken. Lay the breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and work from the thick center outward with the flat side of a mallet. A heavy skillet works too! You're aiming for an even thickness from end to end, not a thin cutlet.
- Sear the chicken. Wait until the butter stops foaming before the chicken goes in, then leave it alone. Moving it around keeps a crust from forming. When it releases easily from the pan and the underside is deep golden, it's ready to flip.
- Soften the aromatics. Lower the heat before the onion goes in so the browned bits in the pan don't scorch. The onion is ready when it looks translucent around the edges. Garlic burns fast, so keep it moving for just that one minute with the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Build the cream sauce. As soon as the cream and broth go in, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to lift up all that fond. Keep it at a gentle simmer with small bubbles around the edges, not a rolling boil. Add the Parmesan a handful at a time, waiting for each one to melt before adding the next.
- Wilt the spinach and slice the chicken. The spinach will look like way too much at first, but it collapses down in a couple of minutes. The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon. Slicing the chicken now also gives it a few minutes to rest, so the juices stay in the meat instead of running out on the cutting board.
- Toss and finish. Add the pasta and chicken, and toss until every piece is coated. If the sauce looks tight, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta water. Taste before adding salt, since the Parmesan is already salty!
Scott's Tips
- Want it saucier? Double the sauce. I've tested this with both chicken and shrimp, and with penne and fettuccine, and I like the sauce just thick enough to cling to the pasta. A few of you have told me your family wants more sauce, though! For a saucier version, double the cream and the chicken broth and add a little more cheese to help it thicken up. Everything else stays the same.
- Use a thermometer. Chicken is done at 165°F in the thickest part. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out, and pulling it right at 165°F is the difference between juicy and dry.
- Don't crowd the pan. If all the chicken won't fit in a single layer with a little space around each piece, sear it in two batches. Crowded chicken steams instead of browning, and you lose the fond the sauce depends on.
- Keep the heat gentle once the cream goes in. A hard boil can make a cream sauce separate and the cheese turn stringy. Medium to medium-low is all you need.
- Use a wide pan. A 5-quart sauté pan or a large, deep skillet gives you room to toss a full pound of pasta without sending penne flying across the stove.
What to Serve with Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
With chicken, pasta, and spinach all in one bowl, this is a complete meal on its own. If you want something on the side, a crisp salad or a simple green vegetable is a nice fresh contrast to the rich cream sauce.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The pasta keeps soaking up sauce as it sits, so it will look drier the next day. That's normal!
To reheat, add the pasta to a saucepan with a splash of chicken broth or cream and warm it over medium-low heat, stirring often. Low heat keeps the sauce from breaking, and if it does start to separate, a little more liquid and some steady stirring will usually bring it back together. The microwave works for a single serving at 50% power in short bursts, stirring in between.
Substitutions & Variations
- Shrimp - Swap the chicken for 1½ pounds of peeled, deveined shrimp. Sear them for 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink and opaque, set them aside, and add them back at the end with the pasta.
- Chicken thighs - Boneless, skinless thighs stay extra juicy. They take a few minutes longer per side than pounded breasts.
- Rotisserie chicken - Shred about 4 cups and skip the searing step. Start the sauce with the oil and butter, then stir in the chicken at the end just to warm it through.
- Salmon - If you'd rather keep the fish whole, try my Tuscan salmon instead.
- A little heat - Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes with the garlic. A reader suggested this one, and it's a great idea for grown-up palates!
- More veggies - Sliced mushrooms can go in with the onion, or swap the spinach for chopped kale and give it a couple extra minutes to wilt.
- Frozen spinach - Use about 1 cup of thawed frozen spinach. Squeeze out as much water as you can in a kitchen towel first, or it will thin out the sauce.
- Gluten-free - Use your favorite gluten-free penne and cook it just to al dente, since GF pasta turns soft quickly.
FAQs
Yes! One reader's boys picked them right out, and they still loved the saucy pasta. You can leave them out, or swap in a cup of halved cherry tomatoes and cook them with the garlic until they just start to burst.
Let it simmer a few more minutes before adding the pasta, stirring so it doesn't scorch. The sauce also tightens up quite a bit once the pasta goes in and starts soaking it up, so it's better to stop when it looks a little loose.
What's a pasta dinner without wine? If you're a red wine lover a nice Pinot Noir goes great with Tuscan Chicken pasta. If you prefer white wine you can't go wrong with a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc!
Fresh spinach will work best in this recipe. Frozen contains too much water and will make the sauce thin.
Other Delicious Pasta Recipes
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
- Chicken and Spinach Lasagna
- Salmon Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce
📖 Recipe
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz penne or other pasta , cooked
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes, bagged or oil-packed and drained, roughly chopped
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup chicken broth, low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for topping
- 3 cups fresh spinach
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to the package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- While the water heats, place the chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to an even ½ to ¾-inch thickness with a kitchen mallet or heavy skillet. Season both sides with the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter stops foaming, add the chicken and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side, until golden brown and 165°F in the thickest part. Transfer to a cutting board.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the onion for 2 to 3 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the cream and chicken broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then add the Parmesan a handful at a time, letting each addition melt before adding more.
- Add the spinach and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until wilted and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. While the sauce cooks, slice the chicken.
- Add the pasta and sliced chicken to the pan and toss to coat, adding a splash of reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Top with extra Parmesan and serve immediately.
Notes
- Saucier version: Double the heavy cream and chicken broth, and add ¼ cup more Parmesan cheese.
- Doneness: Chicken is cooked through at 165°F. Shrimp is done when pink and opaque, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Swaps: Use 1½ pounds of shrimp in place of chicken. Half-and-half can replace the cream, but low-fat milk won't thicken.
- Cheese: Grate Parmigiano Reggiano from the block. Pre-shredded cheese can make the sauce grainy.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Reheat over medium-low heat with a splash of broth or cream, stirring often.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
Holly says
My family really enjoyed this dish! Made it tonight and although my boys picked through the sun dried tomatoes, they gobbled up the saucy pasta and chicken! Served with a vegetable medley and focaccia bread. Very tasty and filling. Will definitely make this again!
Jess says
Loved the recipe! As pictured, it doesn’t come out too saucey, I would double the cream and broth next time! But it was approved!
Scott says
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it, it's a favorite around my house.
Janet says
I agree, I would double the sauce. If I was cooking for my grown kids, I’d add some red pepper flakes.Also, I didn’t use all of the pasta because I wanted more sauce, but again, doubling the sauce would do the trick. Excellent recipe!!
Scott says
Thanks Janet!