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This simple one pot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta is the perfect winter dinner. Quick, easy, hearty, and so delicious! Pan-seared Italian seasoned chicken in a creamy sun-dried tomato spinach sauce. Cooked together with rigatoni pasta for a quick dinner made in one pot. Truly one of those all-in-one dinners that everyone at the table will love. Great for a weeknight, but equally fancy enough to serve up at your next holiday dinner. You can’t go wrong with this Tuscan style pasta.
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This December has been a special one in that four out of six of my brothers are here in Colorado all month. Normally, they’ll all come in the days leading up to Christmas, but with some snowboard events happening here all month long, the boys have been at home.
And when I say the boys, I mean Kai and Red. Well, Creighton is here too. I’m not exactly sure of his reasoning for being here all month. But I truly believe it’s because he misses Oslo when he leaves. And Trevor has been back and forth. I love having them home. Each one provides a little inspiration on any given day.
Lately, the boys have been requesting a lot of pasta and chicken. I’ve been making random dishes every night. But this one turned out so good that I wanted to recreate the dish and share it.
Everyone at the table loved this pasta. Even my dad, who’s not that into chicken and pasta, said the flavor was delicious.
And what do I love about this dish? Just how quick and easy it is to prepare!
The details
Seeing as this is a one pot recipe, it’s pretty straight forward. I start with the sun-dried tomatoes. I love using a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Not only are the tomatoes delicious, but I also use the oil from the jar to cook the chicken. The oil is always seasoned, so it adds even more flavor. Just make sure it’s extra virgin olive oil.
While I’m cooking the chicken, I season it with a homemade Italian seasoning blend…dried basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage. Then I add smoked paprika and chili flakes. It’s a delicious mix and makes the chicken very flavorful.
Oh, and I add some parmesan too!
Once the chicken has cooked, add some water to make a paste. Then add the pasta and cook until the pasta is just al dente. Stir in a bit if cream, lots of spinach, the sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan.
Add the chicken back to the pasta and toss everything until it is creamy.
I serve each bowl with extra parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. DELICIOUS!
It’s everything you’d expect out of a multi-step recipe, but all made in way less than an hour – and in one pot too. Simple, simple – and we love that.
You can serve this up on busy weeknights, but it’s equally great for holiday dinners with friends and family. I’m sure I’ll be remaking this over the holidays. My family members are slowly starting to make their way back to Colorado for Christmas (my remaining brothers and cousins), so this will be on repeat.
Looking for winter pasta recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana
Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta
One Pot French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
Basil Parmesan Pasta with Crispy Chicken, Prosciutto, and Arugula
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning , (see note)
- 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
- red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- 1. Drain 3 tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar into a large pot or skillet with sides. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and set aside.2. Set the pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning, the paprika, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook until golden brown, 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup parmesan, cook another minute, then remove the chicken from the pot. 3. To the same pot, add the butter, shallot, garlic, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, add the pasta, and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 8 minutes. Stir in the cream, mustard, parmesan, spinach, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Slide the chicken and any juices left on the plate.4. Serve the pasta topped with lemon juice and fresh parmesan.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I have made this multiple times for my family and we love it!
I would like to make it a day before we will have it. Is there anything you would do differently to make it ahead?
I make your recipes weekly and they’re all fantastic! Thank you!
Third time as excellent as ever but precooked the rigs and added to preassembled sauce. While reading instructions there was a window with recipe for something looking like tacos but so many ads and then it snapped off. Too bad – too fast for me!!
Hi Susan! So sorry about that, thank you for letting me know! xT
Second time making this recipe. Love it!
Thank you so so much Susan! 🙂 xT
I will read the directions more carefully next time but the flavor was certainly in this dish!!! I won’t forget to use one pot. I just automatically cooked the pasta separately while making the chicken.
Hey there,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and your review, so glad it was delish! xT
It was delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Hey Amy,
I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your review! Happy Sunday! xT
Hi Tieghan,
This recipe looks amazing. I’m thinking of making this for Christmas Day for my family of adults. I think I might need an appetizer or two, a salad, and a dessert to round it off. (Just because I always have to make things harder, lol). Any suggestions? I could make it a Christmas Day Tieghan-palooza. 🙂
Many thanks in advance.
Julie from San Carlos
P.S. I’m enjoying your Super Simple cookbook.
Hi Julie,
Here are some recipes you might like:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/prosciutto-wrapped-baked-brie/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/christmas-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/christmas-monster-cookies/
I hope this helps!
Just made this last night and thought it was very bland. Followed the recipe , unfortunatly disappointed.
Just made this last night and thought it was very bland. Followed the recipe exactly but very disappointed.
Hey Beth! I’m so sorry about that! Is there anything I can do to help? xT
I’ve made this many times, so so good!
Hey Aura,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I appreciate you making it and your feedback! x
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I have one question that is also asked above, but I don’t see a response: do you drain the pasta water after it is cooked? I love your recipes, but I do find the instructions to be a bit vague sometimes! Thank you! Michele
Hi Michele,
No need to drain the water for this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Another great recipe to add!!! Light sauce with flavorful chicken! Once prep is done, it’s quickly put together…thank you!
Hey Betsy,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your review:) Have a great weekend! xT
Do you drain the water before adding everything else? or does it just absorb?
Pretty sure I’ve rated this recipe before, but we had it last night and it’s just so good! Quick and easy!
Hi there! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thank you for giving it a try! xT
Great recipe overall. One problem I ran into was I cooked the chicken in a stainless steel pan. It browned fine, but when I added the cheese at the end the cheese all stuck to the bottom of the pan. Any tips on best way to add the cheese without it sticking?
Hi there! Hmm I would maybe just stir constantly after adding? xT
One of my favorite easy recipes you have on here! I like to add mushrooms and artichoke hearts 🙂
Thank you so so much Clara! xT
It was really good but I definitely had to increase the seasoning (lemon was definitely necessary it was a bit bland before) and the amount of liquid needed to cook the pasta. The end result was great though would definitely make again!
Thank you for letting me know Wendy! xT
I just made this for my family and it was such a hit (even with my two toddlers!)!! It felt like we got it from an Italian restaurant it was THAT good! I had to add another cup (and even more) of water for the pasta but otherwise I loved the flavor!
So delicious! What would be the best reheat instructions? Thanks!
I would reheat with a little bit more liquid mixed in to make it nice and creamy again!
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT