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This simple one pot Spicy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is the perfect winter dinner. Quick, easy, hearty, and so delicious! Pan-seared Italian seasoned chicken in a creamy Italian chili sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. 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. Elegant enough for a special holiday dinner yet equally great to make at the end of a busy day. You can’t go wrong with this Tuscan-style pasta.
Growing up, Valentine’s Day was definitely more of a holiday celebrated at school than at home. In our house, a house full of boys, no one cared much for Valentine’s Day. Even my mom, who you’d think might have some interest, does not care for the holiday. My dad refers to it as a “Hallmark Holiday“.
But there was one person in my life who always made Valentine’s Day special, my Nonnie. No matter where she was, Florida or Cleveland, she’d send us a small gift for V-Day every year. She always made it special and fun.
I can’t say that Valentine’s Day is my favorite day of the year, but I honestly find the holiday of love to be very sweet. I love any excuse to bake chocolate and make a yummy dinner that feels super special.
On Friday, I shared what I’ll be making for my Valentine’s Day dessert. With today’s pasta we now have a full Valentine’s Day meal (I do have another fun dessert coming tomorrow too!)
And if where you live is as booked up for dinner reservations as it is here in New York, you’re going to want to stay in and cook!! And this creamy Tuscan-style pasta, which also happens to be super easy, is just perfect.
Here are details
I mentioned last week sometime that I’ve really been enjoying cooking with Italian jarred Calabrian chili paste. I’m finding it so delicious and a great way to add a small amount of spice to my Italian-inspired dishes.
I wanted to make a red pasta for Valentine’s Day that was not tomato based. It’s funny, this is actually a request I get often. Apparently, not everyone enjoys a tomato heavy pasta.
You’ll want to start with sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Yes, these are tomatoes, but they’re stirred, and so different than fresh or canned. I love them so much. Drain the oil and save that for cooking. Then chop the tomatoes.
Now add the chicken and Italian seasoning to a big pot that will also fit your pasta. Cook the chicken until browned, then add a bit of parmesan cheese. The cheese melts on the chicken, then turns crispy.
Once you’ve cooked the chicken, add the chilies and other spices/seasonings into the pot with some oil. Let that cook for a minute, then add water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Now add the pasta and let the pasta cook until it’s al dente.
At this point, all you need to do is add some milk or cream and a handful of spinach. Then more parmesan and mix, mix, mix.
As soon as the cheese melts. Serve the pasta directly from the pot with fresh basil on top. It’s going to smell and look incredible, so you’ll want to eat it all up right away!
I recommend some soft bread on the side like a garlic roll or maybe beer bread. A crusty no-knead bread could also be delicious.
Then a big Caesar-style salad would be great as well! Super elegant, even romantic meal, right? It could be wonderful for tomorrow night! Hope you all enjoy this as much as I do!
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
southerSouthern Style Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Tuscan 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!
Spicy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 622 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 jar (8 ounce) 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
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons crushed Calabrian chili paste
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
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 a drizzle of oil and the butter. Add the shallot, garlic, Calabrian chili paste, and 1 teaspoon of 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, spinach, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and remaining 3/4 cup parmesan. Slide the chicken in, and any juices left on the plate.4. Serve the pasta topped with fresh parmesan and basil.
Notes
Italian Seasoning: Mix 2 tablespoons dried basil, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, and 1 teaspoon dried sage. Store in a sealed container.
Wonderful recipe! My boyfriend and I loved it–we followed the recipe exactly and it pretty much cooked itself! The sun dried tomatoes + cooking with the sun dried tomato oil really elevated the dish! I found a Calabrian chili red pepper paste at Trader Joe’s so don’t worry about finding it! Thank you Tieghan!
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! I’m so glad you loved it! xT
A winner at here at home! It’s in the regular rotation!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! I hope you loved it! xT
This was sooo good! My husband asked that we keep it in a regular rotation. Just enough spice but not too much for me. I couldn’t find the crushed Calabrian pepper paste locally so had to order from Amazon. Worth it but don’t get splattered in the eye. It burns!
Hi Michelle,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:)
I really wanted to love this recipe (because honestly I’ve never made a HBH pasta recipe I didn’t love), but this one was just TOO heavy… with the cream, butter, cheese, and tomato oil it was really a lot. Flavors were still good but the consistency was just too dense. I think I’d give it another try but omit or cut back on at least some of those heavier ingredients.
Hi Emily,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
Thinking about making this this week. What about using tomato paste instead of the tomatoes and groung chicken instead of chicken?
Thoughts? Thanks for your time!
Hi Roxanne,
Sure, you could use ground chicken, I would not use tomato paste in place of the sun dried tomatoes, you are really going to want those for this dish. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This looks so good, has anyone tried making and freezing this dish for later in the week? Trying to do freezer meals for summer time chaos!
Thanks Elizabeth!! Sure, you could do that! Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
Has anyone doubled or done 1 1/2 of the recipe? Wondering if the pasta cooks well enough?
Hi there,
That would be just fine for you to do, just be sure you are using all of the correct measurements especially for the liquids. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This recipe is incredibly versatile as you can easily substitute the spinach for any other greens, such as broccoli, kale, or swiss chard. I’ve also added more smoked paprika when I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes. It’s delicious! I’ve made this dish twice now and it comes our perfect every single time. I’m so glad I found HBH! Thank you!!
Hi Trish,
Happy Sunday!!😃🍊 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was delish! xx
This is delicious and will be eaten over and over in my home. I have one complaint but, being a cook, I suspected it was going to be a problem so allowed time in my prep. The pasta was still crunchy after it was cooked following the recipe directions. I used another two cups of water and enough time to cook the pasta. It cooked down to a beautiful sauce with a nice firm pasta. I can’t express how much I enjoyed this dish…slightly spiced with a rich texture and those delightful sun dried tomatoes!
Hey Regina,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it:) Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
I cooked my pasta in about 5 cups of chicken stock. I salted the stock so that the pasta would become salted. You do need extra fluid because of evaporation. My pasta cooked perfectly and I had enough liquid in the pot to create the rest of the sauce. It looks like you figured out how to adjust the recipe in your kitchen.
Delicious! Like some of the other commenters, I found that I needed to cook the pasta a bit longer and add a little more water. I had to stir it continuously to try to get all of the pasta cooked since there was so little water. I had some half and half I needed to use up, so I used that instead of heavy cream and it was still great. I had read that you can add butter to half and half to make it like heavy cream, and since the recipe ingredients list shows 2 Tbsp butter but never calls for it in the instructions, I just added it with the half and half. It was plenty creamy and rich. For those looking for calabrian chili paste, I used the Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Sauce. Yum!
Edit: when I copied the recipe to my app, it did not call for the butter in the directions. I see that it now does.
Hey Amy,
Happy Monday!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xx
This has now become a staple meal in our home. I have a newborn and it’s so hard to find something easy and yummy. This was the best!
I use all the things and I also just use a cooked rotisserie chicken to cut the time in half (if he have that available) and it turns out great. Hubby loves it!
Hi Samira,
Happy Sunday!! 🍉🍓🫐 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe always turns out well for you, thanks so much for making it so often and your comment! xT
Amazing! Have made this twice in the last 2 weeks. Thank you SO much!!
Hey Michelle,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and sharing your review:)
This was AMAZING! Easy to make and so many great flavors. I bet the leftovers will be even better!
Hey Amanda,
Happy Wednesday!! 🌞 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
We used this recipe with fresh penne pasta rather than dry and just cooked the pasta in its own boiling water for half the recommended time (1.5 minutes, recommended 3) then transferred to the pot with the sauce at the remaining 2 minutes and it turned out perfectly! We did use less water – 2 cups vs 3.5, as we figured the reduced time of the pasta in the sauce meant less starch to reduce the sauce and make it thick. It was delicious and turned out perfectly with the modifications! Would definitely try this recipe again with dry pasta as is.
Hey Bridget,
Happy Monday!!🌞 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Did this come out super watery for anyone? Followed the recipe exactly as instructed.
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for trying this recipe!! Did you measure out your water and cook the pasta in the pot? Let me know how I can help! xx
Made this tonight. My 13 yr. old daughter loved it. Not watery at all. I used chicken stock instead of water. Not sure that would make a difference in the consistency. We did not have sun dried tomatoes but it turned out creamy and flavorful.
Hey Julie,
Happy Monday!!🌞 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xx