Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
My creamy Tuscan chicken pasta is the Italian meal my husband and I crave constantly! It's full of pan-seared chicken breast, sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, and Parmesan cheese. It's so easy to whip up in only 35 minutes, but tastes like you ordered it at a restaurant! I love serving it by itself or alongside some kind of sourdough garlic bread. I hope it becomes a weeknight favorite in your home, like it has in ours!
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tsp avocado oil (or a high heat oil like coconut oil)
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast (or 2 small)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup half and half (or sub for more milk, just won't be as creamy)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes (like Jeff Garden's, or a brand with clean ingredients)
- 1/2 cup baby spinach (I like to use organic)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice (fresh or pure concentrate)
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (fresh is best not the processed kind)
Pasta
- 1 cup farfalle pasta (aka bow tie pasta)
Instructions
Pan-Sear Chicken
- Heat avocado oil in a medium to large sized skillet over medium heat.
- While oil is warming, cut chicken breast into small bite sized pieces (about 1/2 inch each).
- Add diced chicken into a bowl with salt and pepper. Stir to evenly coat.
- When oil is hot, add chicken to pan. Let chicken pieces cook on one side for 4-5 minutes. Don’t move them while cooking.
- Once golden brown, flip each piece. Cook an additional 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked. Remove from pan. Leave browned drippings stuck on skillet, we will deglaze with milk in a little bit. This helps flavor the sauce.
Prep Sauce and Pasta Water
- Add butter and grated/minced garlic cloves to the skillet used to cook chicken. Turn heat to low and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occassionally, until butter is melted and garlic is cooked down.
- While butter and garilc cook, roughly dice sun-dried tomatoes into small chunks. Set aside.
- Rinse and pay dry spinach then roughly chop into small pieces. Set aside.
- Fill a medium sized pot 1/3 of the way with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add a tsp or two of salt to the water, if desired, for more flavorful pasta.
Make the Sauce
- Turn heat to medium for the skillet with butter and garlic and add half and half, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chopped sun dried tomatoes, and lemon juice. Stir to combine with a woodn spoon until browned dripping come off the bottom (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add spinach and grated Parmesan cheese. Use a whisk to combine. Turn heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While sauce cooks, add pasta to boiling pasta water then cook as package directs (about 6-7 minutes on medium heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking).
Toss Together and Enjoy
- Drain pasta then add to skillet with sauce. Stir to combine.
- Add cooked chicken to skillet with pasta and sauce, stir to combine.
- Let everything warm together on low for 5 minutes, stirring occassionally.
- Take off heat, add 1/4 extra tsp sea salt, if desired, and grate more fresh Parmesan over the top. Enjoy!
Notes
Please see blog post for all kinds of helpful tips, storage information, and serving ideas.
Did you make this recipe? – Please leave a comment below or share a photo on social media! If you share a photo be sure to tag me @plumbranchhome
A Note From Me – This recipe was developed from scratch by me, Molly LaFontaine, in my kitchen and tested many times to ensure success. My recipes here on Plum Branch Home are created with purpose and cherished in our own home. They’re developed with my own experiences, trial and error, and skills, NEVER AI (artificial intelligence).
Here at Plum Branch Home we’re serving God by loving our families and bringing them around the supper table one recipe at a time!