Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Creamy, sun-dried tomato pasta with juicy pan-seared chicken and wilted spinach in a rich Parmesan sauce.

By Cressio Rinaldi

Tuscan chicken pasta is a weeknight favorite for a reason. It has all the elements of a creamy pasta dish, tender chicken, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, wilted spinach and parmesan, and it comes together in one skillet and one pot. This version seasons the chicken with Italian seasoning before searing, so the flavor is in the meat as well as in the sauce.

The chicken is sliced thin before cooking, which means it takes only a few minutes and stays juicy. The sauce is made in the same pan: garlic and sun-dried tomatoes first, then cream, then parmesan melted in until it is smooth.

It makes four servings and takes about 35 minutes. It is rich, so a green salad on the side helps.

Read this first

1. Slice the chicken thin, so it cooks fast and stays juicy.
2. Save some pasta water before draining.
3. Keep the cream at a gentle simmer once the parmesan goes in.

Prep time: 10 mins · Cook time: 25 mins · Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 oz Penne or rigatoni pasta
• 1.5 lbs Chicken breasts, sliced thin
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cups Baby spinach
• 1 cup Heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• to taste Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain. Look for: Firm, al dente pasta, and a cup of cloudy pasta water saved.
2. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until golden and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side. Remove and slice. Look for: Golden chicken with no pink, and a pan with brown bits.
3. In the same skillet, sauté garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Look for: Fragrant garlic and soft sun-dried tomatoes, glossy with oil.
4. Pour in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in Parmesan until melted and smooth. Look for: A smooth, creamy sauce at a gentle simmer, with no grains of cheese.
5. Add spinach and toss until wilted. Add pasta and sliced chicken, tossing to coat. Add a splash of pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Look for: Wilted spinach and pasta coated in sauce, with chicken evenly mixed.
6. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan on top. Look for: A creamy, glossy dish with melted parmesan on top.

Nutrition

Amount per serving. Nutritional values are estimates calculated from the ingredients above and can vary.

• Calories: 570
• Fat: 36g
• Saturated Fat: 18g
• Carbohydrates: 30g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 5g
• Protein: 32g
• Sodium: 440mg
• Cholesterol: 130mg

Notes

• Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days; loosen the sauce with a splash of milk or water when reheating.
• Not for Freezing: Cream-based sauces like this one tend to separate once frozen and thawed, so it's best enjoyed fresh.
• Serve Immediately: This comes together fast and is best served right away while the sauce is silky and the spinach is just wilted.

Cook It With Me

Boil the pasta

Cook the 12 oz of penne or rigatoni in well-salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain.

Cook the chicken

Season the 1 1/2 lbs of thinly sliced chicken breast with salt, pepper and the 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken until golden and cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes per side (thin pieces may take less, so check early). Remove from the pan and slice into strips if needed.

Garlic and tomatoes

In the same skillet, cook the 4 minced garlic cloves for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the 1/2 cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.

Cream and parmesan

Pour in the 1 cup of heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the 1/2 cup of parmesan until it melts and the sauce is smooth.

Spinach, pasta and chicken

Add the 3 cups of baby spinach and toss until wilted. Add the cooked pasta and the chicken, and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the pasta water.

Serve

Serve immediately with extra parmesan on top.

The Ingredients, One by One

Penne or rigatoni

Tubes with ridges that trap the sauce. Cook to al dente.

Chicken breasts, sliced thin

Cutting the breasts into thin cutlets makes them cook fast and evenly.

Olive oil

For searing the chicken.

Garlic

Four cloves, cooked for a minute, give the sauce its aroma.

Sun-dried tomatoes

Oil-packed and chopped. They add sweetness and tang.

Baby spinach

Wilts down to almost nothing and adds color.

Heavy cream and parmesan

Cream makes the sauce; parmesan adds salt and thickens it. Grate it fresh.

Italian seasoning

Seasons the chicken from the outside.

The Technique Behind It

Why slice the chicken thin

Thin pieces cook in minutes and stay juicy. Thick breasts risk drying out on the outside before the middle is cooked.

Why the same skillet

The browned bits left by the chicken dissolve into the cream and give the sauce a deeper flavor.

Why pasta water

Its starch loosens the sauce and helps it cling.

How Do You Know the Chicken Is Done?

Thin chicken cooks quickly. Check early.

Check	What you see	Notes
Temperature	165 F	The USDA safe temperature for chicken.
Color	White inside, no pink	The simplest check.
Texture	Firm but juicy	Dry means overcooked.

Mistakes That Cost You the Dish

• Thick chicken The outside dries before the inside is cooked.
• Boiling the cream The sauce can split.
• Overcooking the pasta It turns mushy.
• Pre-grated parmesan The sauce can be gritty.
• Skipping the pasta water You can’t loosen the sauce.

Fix It: If This Happens, Do This

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Sauce is too thick	It tightened	Add pasta water.
Sauce is grainy	Heat too high	Take off the heat and whisk in a splash of cream.
Chicken is dry	Overcooked	Check early and slice thin.
Sauce is thin	Not simmered	Simmer a minute more.
Dish is bland	Needs salt	Add salt and lemon.

What Each Ingredient Does (and What You Can Swap)

Ingredient	Its job	Swap, and what changes
Penne	Pasta	Fusilli, rigatoni or fettuccine work.
Chicken breasts	Protein	Chicken thighs or shrimp work.
Heavy cream	Sauce	Half and half works with low heat.
Sun-dried tomatoes	Tang	Roasted red peppers work.
Baby spinach	Greens	Kale works.

Plan Ahead

• Prep ahead: Slice the chicken ahead.
• Fridge: Up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Gently with cream.
• Freezer: Not recommended.

What to Serve With It

Serve with a green salad and garlic bread. A squeeze of lemon on the pasta brightens the cream.

Questions People Ask

About the Author

Cressio Rinaldi

Cressio Rinaldi is the recipe developer behind Cressio Recipes. He cooks, tests, and writes every recipe on the site himself — refining each one until it's simple enough for a weeknight and good enough to make again. He's not a trained chef, just someone who cooks constantly and pays close attention to what actually makes a recipe work.