Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta loaded with juicy, flavorful chicken bathed in creamy, sun-dried tomato, Parmesan, garlic, herb sauce on your table in 30 MINUTES!

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta is guaranteed to become a family favorite!   It’s quick and easy for a busy weeknight dinner yet tastes restaurant delicious for any special occasion.  It’s exploding with creamy, cheesy, sun-dried tomato, garlic herb flavor in each luxurious forkful.  I’ve include ways to customize the pasta for a lighter version as well as with chicken breasts, thighs or rotisserie chicken AND you can also customize the veggies!    

Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Guys, I know it is the middle of summer, but I couldn’t wait to share this epic Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with you all.  Because sometimes, we all need a little comfort food in the form of creamy cheesy pasta and chicken.  Hello delicious.  From my Worlds’ Best Lasagna to my Lemon Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine to my Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta, and more, I’ve got you covered in the creamy comforting pasta area!

There are a lot of Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta recipes out there, but I promise this recipe is the most flavorful and bewitchingly creamy while still only using ½ cup heavy cream (or see the notes for no heavy cream option). It starts with buttery, pan fried shallots, sundried tomatoes and garlic and is finished with sharp, salty Parmesan and smooth, rich mozzarella.

The rich, bold, ultra creamy layers create a dreamy, cheesy sun dried tomato and garlic herb sauce that bathes the tender, juicy, spice rubbed chicken, pasta and spinach in every nook and cranny.  You will want to drink the sauce.  And the pasta.  Or at least inhale it as fast as you can.  No judgement here.

Another unique feature of this Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta recipe is the chicken.  I’ve used a brined, spice rubbed chicken to create the ultimate juicy Italian style chicken – no bland or dry chicken here!  Read on for more on brining chicken.  If you don’t want to brine your chicken, that is totally okay!  I’ve included other options as well.  Just promise you’ll make this Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta recipe before the year is over because I can guarantee it’s going on menu repeat!

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Ingredients

To make this easy sun dried tomato chicken pasta recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Chicken breasts: Need to be sliced horizontally through the equator and pounded to an even thickness.
• Seasonings: This dish is packed with spices and herbs! The chicken is coated in garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. The sun dried tomato pasta sauce is flavored with red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, and parsley.
• Pasta: Use any kind you’d like. I made this dish with cellentani.
• Sun dried tomatoes: Buy the kind packed in oil. (see my notes below for more details).
• Butter: Use unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in this dish.
• Shallot: Half of a small yellow onion may be substituted, if needed.
• Garlic: 4 whole cloves flavor this dish.
• Flour: Helps thicken the cream sauce.
• Chicken broth and bouillon: Packs in lots of flavor. Use low-sodium chicken broth to control the amount of salt in the dish.
• Milk and heavy cream: Makes the sauce super creamy. Use whole milk or 2% milk for best results.
• Cheese: I used a blend of freshly grated Parmesan and shredded mozzarella.
• Spinach: Optional, but a nice addition.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CUTLETS

Chicken cutlets are more tender and cook more evenly than whole chicken breasts. Whatever you do, don’t skip pounding the chicken – it’s what makes it tender!

1. Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and hold it in place with the palm of your hand.  
2. Now get out your sharpest knife or sharpen your knife. A sharp knife helps cleanly cut the chicken instead of tearing/shredding the chicken. Carefully slice through the center horizontally (parallel to the cutting board) to create two cutlets.
3. Next, pound the chicken to an even thickness by placing the cutlets next to each other and topping with plastic wrap (or I like to place my chicken in a large freezer bags because it seals in all the mess/germs – but you can use whatever you have on hand). 
4. Gently pound the chicken to an even thickness using the smooth side of a mallet, rolling pin, or side of a can. Take care not to over-pound, we are pounding to make the chicken even, not super thin like in Chicken Parm. You don’t need to be too aggressive.

Which SUN-DRIED TOMATOES SHOULD I BUY?

For this Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta. you want to purchase the sun-dried tomatoes in a jar packed in oil, not water. They are usually located near the olives or pickles at your grocery store. Don’t be tempted to buy the dry shriveled ones that come in a package. 

We are going to be rinsing off most of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes so you don’t have to worry about them being too oily, but the oil keeps them bold and moist and we are going to be using the oil they are packed instead of regular olive oil for extra sun-dried tomato oomph throughout the recipe.

How to make Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

• CREATE CUTLETS.  Slice the chicken through the equator to create four chicken cutlets. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness.
• SEASON CHICKEN.  Simply drizzle the tops of the chicken breasts with oil from your sun-dried tomato jar.  Next, whisk together garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper and rub all over the tops of the chicken.  Repeat for the bottom side of the chicken.

• COOK CHICKEN.  Heat 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato olive oil in very large skillet with sides over medium high heat. Once very hot, add chicken and cook, undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, or until nicely browned on one side. Turn chicken over, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook for approximately 3-5 more minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil.  Wait until ready to serve to slice or chop chicken so that the juices that have been pushed to the outside of the chicken are redistribution throughout the whole chicken breast.

• SAUTE AROMATICS & BEGIN ROUX. Don’t clean out your pan from cooking the chicken so we can get all the leftover flavorful bits in our sauce.  Begin by melting 2 tablespoons butter in 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato olive oil over medium-low heat in the same skillet. Add sun-dried tomatoes and shallots and sauté 3-4 minutes, until shallots are tender, scraping up any brown bits left from chicken. Add garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook an additional 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour and cook while stirring for 1 minute (it will be thick).

• MAKE SAUCE.  Turn heat to low then slowly whisk in chicken broth, milk, and heavy cream, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in chicken bouillon and spices then increase heat to medium high to bring sauce to a simmer. Simmer until thickened, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and stir in Parmesan cheese until melted, followed by mozzarella cheese until melted.

• ADD PASTA AND SPINACH.  Stir in pasta until well coated followed by spinach.  Add reserved pasta water a little at a time if needed to reach desired consistency. Add sliced or chopped chicken and stir into pasta. Garnish with additional Parmesan if desired.

• EAT!

LIGHTER SUN-DRIED TOMATO PASTA

This AH-mazing Sun Dried Tomato Pasta joins the cast of my other creamy alfredo-esque pastas including Margherita Pasta, Million Dollar Mac and Cheese, Caesar Chicken Tortellini, Cajun Chicken Pasta, Tortellini Toscana, and Shrimp Lemon Garlic Cream Ravioli, and on and on.

Each creamy pasta boasts a different flavor profile but they all start with a roux as the sauce thickener so we can use less heavy cream or no heavy cream at all.  This Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta tastes decadently creamy although we’ve only used ½ cup heavy cream as opposed to 1 ½ cups like several other recipes.

If you would like to omit the heavy cream all together, you can increase the flour to ¼ cup, increase milk to 1 ½ cups and omit heavy cream. 

CHICKEN VARIATIONS for Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

There are three options for chicken in your Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta if you choose not to use chicken cutlets:

• Use chicken thighs. Due to their higher fat content, chicken thighs are inherently juicer than chicken breasts and harder to overcook. Chicken thighs will cook faster than chicken breasts so adjust cooking time accordingly.
• Use chopped chicken breasts. Chop your chicken breasts up before you cook them.  Add raw chopped chicken to a large bowl and add the oil and seasonings.  Toss to coat.  Heat one tablespoon oil over medium high heat, add chicken and cook chicken just until cooked through.  Remove to a plate then stir into pasta once done.
• Use rotisserie chicken. Add shredded rotisserie chicken to a large bowl.  Add seasonings and toss to coat.  Stir into pasta once done.

TIPS AND TRICKS for Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

This Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta is pretty straightforward, but here are a few helpful tips and tricks to help you achieve perfect pasta every time as well as customize it with different noodles, proteins and veggies.

• You can substitute ground turkey or beef for the chicken and use the same seasonings.
• You can use a different pasta but I suggest something with ridges so the sauce wills stick to it.
• You can substitute the shallot with yellow onion.
• Purchase sun-dried tomatoes packed in OIL not dry packaged ones.
• Use more or less sun-dried tomatoes depending on desired taste.
• Rinse tomatoes very well so your pasta isn’t oily. You can chop your sun-dried tomatoes smaller instead of strips if you prefer.
• If you don’t have enough sun dried tomato olive oil when called for, then use regular olive oil.
• Use your favorite veggies such as mushrooms, asparagus, artichokes, zucchini, bell peppers, etc.
• Only use freshly grated Parmesan and mozzarella as packaged cheeses do not melt very well.

Recipe Variations to Try

• Ground Italian sausage:  you can swap the chicken for ground Italian Sausage. 
• Shrimp.  roasted shrimp or butter garlic shrimp would be fabulous.
• Go vegetarian:  omit the meat altogether and add tofu, chickpeas or white beans in its place.
• Artichokes:  are tender, slightly sweet and nutty and divine paired with tomatoes. Purchase artichoke hearts in water NOT marinated. The marinated ones often have an acrid taste. Chop and sauté with the shallots.
• Make it gluten-free: use your favorite gluten-free pasta and gluten free flour in the sauce.

Can I Prep Sun Dried Tomato Pasta in Advance?

You can make the sun dried tomato chicken pasta 100% ahead of time and gently warm (see instructions) or prepare elements in advance so it can come together super quickly at dinner time.  That being said, it already is a super quick meal!  If you know you are reheating, take extra care that your pasta is al dente.

To prep ahead:

• Pasta: cook the pasta al dente, drain with cool water and toss with a drizzle of oil to prevent it from sticking together.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Chicken: season and store in fridge. You can go one step further and cook and slice the chicken as well.
• Aromatics:  mince the garlic, chop the shallots, chop the tomatoes.
• Cheese: grate the Parmesan.

How to Store Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

Creamy sun dried tomato pasta should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  When properly stored, it is good for up to five days.

How to Reheat Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

This sun dried tomato chicken pasta recipe reheats well so you can enjoy leftovers for days!  Just be aware you always want to make sure your pasta is cooked al dente, especially if you are going to be reheating. 

• Microwave:   Microwave for one minute, stir, then continue to heat at 30 second intervals until warmed through. You may need to add a splash of milk to add some creaminess back.
• Stove:  For larger portions, reheat pasta on the stove.  You may need to add a splash of milk to thin the sauce as it will have thickened in the refrigerator. 

CAN I FREEZE Sun Dried Tomato PASTA RECIPE?

I do not recommend freezing this pasta recipe because the creamy sauce can break and become a funny texture. If you want to try freezing, use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream and omit the Parmesan.

What to Serve with Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

• Bread: Garlic Bread, Dinner Rolls, Garlic Parmesan Butter Breadsticks or Pesto Pull Apart Bread.
• Salad: Wedge Salad,  Apple Salad, Pear Salad, Roasted Butternut Squash Salad, Green Bean Salad. Strawberry Salad, and Beet Salad.
• Vegetables: Roasted Parmesan Broccoli, Roasted Parmesan Asparagus, Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Butternut Squash, Glazed Carrots or Roasted Carrots, and Sautéed Brussels Sprouts or Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
• Fruit: Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette, Winter Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Poppy Seed Vinaigrette and Berry Salad in Honey Mascarpone.

LOOKING FOR MORE PASTA RECIPES?

• Caprese Chicken Pasta with Balsamic Chicken & Roasted Vegetables
• One Pot White Chicken Lasagna Soup
• Cheesy Taco Pasta Bake
• 30 Minute Weeknight Spaghetti
• Cheesy Tortellini Al Forno
• Chicken Parmesan with 5 Minute Marinara

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