This Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken Pasta is delicious and creamy pasta coated with chopped sundried tomatoes and parmesan topped with perfectly seared golden-brown chicken breast. It's the perfect combination of a thick and creamy pasta dish with a lean and flavorful chicken breast, plus it's done in under an hour.
Looking for more quick weeknight meals under an hour? Try our Creamy Chicken Parmesan Pasta or Chicken Breast in Lemon Butter Sauce!
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Why a Creamy Pasta?
Creamy pasta is usually frowned upon among the virtuous Italian crowd, especially ones that use heavy cream like our Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken Pasta. It just really irks people that in America, we use heavy cream. I'm aware this isn't an authentic Italian meal, but I think the problem most associated with creamy dishes like this is bland flavor.
That couldn't be further from the truth with my creamy pastas. I go out of my way to make sure there is no way someone could call this bland. It's so flavorful as long as you use the right techniques while cooking, like seasoning your meat and sauce, deglazing the pan, simmering down the heavy cream and chicken broth, etc.
This is very similar to my Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta or Creamy Lemon Sauce. I make sure that it's not just slop on a plate! It's important to me that you really enjoy the dish and not just eat it because it has a creamy texture like some jarred alfredo sauce.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Parmesan. Pecorino romano can be a good substitute.
- Pasta. Substitute rigatoni or penne for the spaghetti or linguine. I like long pasta for a creamy sauce like this and I feel it plays better with chicken but either can work!
- Chicken Breast. A creamy pasta can handle the leanness of chicken breast. You could substitute boneless chicken thighs, it'll just be a little more fatty than I would like.
- Sundried Tomatoes. Choose your favorite store-bought brand or make your own homemade sundried tomatoes.
- Heavy Cream. Half and half could work as a substitute, but you're not going to get the same creaminess as heavy cream (obviously, because it's half cream, half milk. I would recommend not substituting.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients below.
How to Make Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken Pasta
This creamy sundried tomato chicken pasta is a great weeknight meal because it's pretty easy and quick to make. Leftovers are also an option with this dish! Serve it along with a Romaine Salad with Traditional Caesar Dressing and Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons!
Step 1: Remove chicken from packaging and use a paper towel to dry breasts completely. Season on both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Step 2: In a large sauce pan, raise the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoon olive oil once hot. Place the chicken in the pan and cook on both sides for 5-7 minutes per side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉.
Step 3: Rest the chicken for 10 minutes while you begin to cook the sauce. Then slice.
**While you start the next step, bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil your pasta until al dente.
Step 4: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
Step 5: Stir in the oregano, crushed red pepper, and sundried tomatoes. Saute for 1 more minute.
Step 6: Add the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
Step 7: Stir in the heavy cream and lower the heat. Bring it to a low simmer. Transfer some pasta water into the sauce. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Step 8: Strain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Stir and combine really well until the sauce starts becoming creamy and sticking to the pasta.
Step 9: Slowly add the parmesan to the dish, stirring it in thoroughly, before adding more. This could take up to 5 minutes.
Finally, top your creamy sundried tomato pasta with chicken to finish. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately. This pasta goes really well with crisp and crunchy greens like a Kale and Cannellini Bean Salad or Italian Green Bean Salad.
Pro-Tips
- Keep the heat in check when cooking the chicken breast. If it is too hot, you'll burn the outside, but the inside will be raw. If it's not hot enough, you'll never get a golden brown crust. Let the chicken sear for the first 3 minutes before checking it.
- Garlic sautes very quickly and then begins to burn. Be prepared to quickly add chicken broth to make sure you don't burn the garlic.
- When you add the heavy cream, adjust the heat so the simmer is very low. You don't want to boil the heavy cream because that will separate the fat particles.
- Add the pasta and lower the heat. Stir on the heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Then slowly add the parmesan stirring constantly so it doesn't get clumpy. The sauce will seem liquidy at first, then will get thicker as it sits with the pasta.
Recipe FAQs
Half and half can be substituted but it's not ideally what I would use. This pasta is creamy because of the heavy cream. The only great substitute for heavy cream is coconut cream, and I wouldn't use that.
You're either not simmering it for long enough or not stirring it with the pasta for long enough. The sauce takes time to stick to the pasta. Adding a ladleful of pasta water helps this process along.
I would serve a crisp white like a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio that would cut through the fat of this dish.
I think that's another way of just using a word to try and capture the essence of something, but something this creamy or using heavy cream would likely never be found in Italy or Tuscany. It's just an American way to describe how food might taste.
More Creamy Pasta Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 large pot
- 1 cutting board
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ pound linguine or spaghetti
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1.5 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup parmesan
Instructions
- Remove chicken from packaging and use a paper towel to dry breasts completely. Season on both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- In a large sauce pan, raise the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoon olive oil once hot. Place the chicken in the pan and cook on both sides for 5-7 minutes per side or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165℉.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to rest. In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in the oregano and crushed red pepper. Then stir in the sundried tomatoes and chicken broth.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and boil until al dente.
- Simmer the chicken broth for 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the heavy cream and lower the heat. Bring it to a low simmer. Transfer some pasta water into the sauce.
- Strain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Stir and combine really well until the sauce starts becoming creamy and sticking to the pasta. Slowly add the parmesan to the dish, stirring it in thoroughly, before adding more. This could take up to 5 minutes.
- Slice your chicken breast and add it to the top of the pasta. Serve with fresh chopped parsley as a garnish.
Notes
- Keep the heat in check when cooking the chicken breast. If it is too hot, you'll burn the outside, but the inside will be raw. If it's not hot enough, you'll never get a golden brown crust. Let the chicken sear for the first 3 minutes before checking it.
- Garlic sautes very quickly and then begins to burn. Be prepared to quickly add chicken broth to make sure you don't burn the garlic.
- When you add the heavy cream, adjust the heat so the simmer is very low. You don't want to boil the heavy cream because that will separate the fat particles.
- Add the pasta and lower the heat. Stir on the heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Then slowly add the parmesan stirring constantly so it doesn't get clumpy. The sauce will seem liquidy at first, then will get thicker as it sits with the pasta.
Vinny
This pasta is a light creamy sauce perfect for date night!