Ultra creamy with layers of bewitching flavor, this Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta recipe is special enough for a romantic dinner, but so easy anyone (even my husband) can make it with absolute success.
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Why You’ll Love This Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Recipe
- A Tried-and-True Winner. This is one of the most popular recipes on Well Plated, and why wouldn’t it be?! It’s creamy, it’s easy, and it’s loaded with chewy, sweet sun-dried tomatoes. (Why are sun-dried tomatoes so good? Because they take the flavor of tomatoes and concentrate it, giving you more bang for your buck!)
- Let Me Repeat: It Is Easy. Like other simple weeknight pasta recipes (Chicken Pesto Pasta, Penne Alla Vodka, and Ricotta Pasta), this sun dried tomato chicken pasta tastes stunning with minimal effort (if my husband can make it, anyone can make it!).
- Perfect for a Date Night In. Do you ever go to an Italian restaurant for a dinner date and then wonder why you’re paying $25 for a plate of spaghetti? Save your money and whip up this sun dried tomato pasta with chicken for dinner instead.
5 Star Review
“Absolutely delicious, my family said it was like restaurant food!”
— Kirstie —
How to Make Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
The Ingredients
- Whole Wheat Pasta. Go for bowties. They’re a gentleman’s pasta. Penne pasta or another bite-sized shape will work too.
- Unsalted Butter. Far superior to extra-virgin olive oil in this recipe.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts. Or leave them out for a vegetarian version
- Sun Dried Tomatoes. If you only have access to sun dried tomatoes sealed in a pouch, as opposed to packed in a jar with oil, I would suggest rehydrating them in warm water for 10 minutes before adding them to the dish. This ensures the tomatoes will be perfectly tender as opposed to tough or leathery.
- Herbs and Spices. The always essential garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper—both black and cayenne. Red pepper flakes are a simple swap for the cayenne if you prefer.
- Dry White Wine. A few splashes for the pasta. Some for you and your date. More for you and your date. (Also a star in this Mushroom Pasta.)
- Whipping Cream. A little goes a long way, and it’s worth it!
- Parmesan Cheese. Go the extra mile and grate your own.
- Spinach. It’s packed with things like iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin, K, and folate. (Love the healthy addition? Consider this Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese for your next dinner.)
The Directions
- Cook the Pasta. Drain it and set aside.
- Cook the Chicken. Using butter gives rich flavor right from the start.
- Stir in the Flavor-Makers. Sun dried tomatoes and wine.
- Finish. After the wine has reduced, remove the pan from the heat and toss in the pasta along with the cream, spinach, and Parmesan.
- Serve. Stir everything together until the spinach is wilted. ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Add Fresh Herbs. Stir in fresh basil, thyme, or rosemary at the end of the cooking time.
- Make It Vegetarian. Skip the chicken and add a can of chickpeas or white beans, or your favorite plant-based chicken.
- Try Different Greens. Swiss or rainbow chard or arugula would also work here.
- Add Some Umami. Fancy Italian olives—or even just pitted kalamata olives—add some briny, umami flavor to this sun dried tomato chicken pasta recipe.
Leftover Ideas
Sometimes you have a little bit of leftover pasta, but not necessarily enough for a full meal. In these cases, I like to bulk it up by adding a hefty serving of veggies on the side. Grilled broccolini, Sauteed Zucchini, or Roasted Asparagus are all great options.
What to Serve with Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
- Salad. Round out your meal with Arugula Salad or Burrata Salad.
- Vegetable Sides. You can never go wrong with roasted veggies! I like this pasta with Roasted Green Beans and Roasted Eggplant.
- Bread. Yes, we’re serving carbs on top of carbs here, but you know you want to soak up any leftover creamy sauce with a slice of Rosemary Olive Oil Bread or No Knead Focaccia!
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use a Big Skillet. You want to have room to stir without the pasta spilling out over the sides of the pan. No one wants to clean up that mess!
- Have a Mise en Place. In other words, make sure you have all of the ingredients ready to go before you start cooking. This is a quick recipe, which means you won’t have time to pause and prep ingredients.
- Grate Your Own Cheese. This is so important! Freshly grated Parmesan melts smoothly into the cream sauce, while the store-bought grated Parm (“shaky cheese,” as the kids call it) never fully melts, giving your sauce a weird texture.
Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
This easy weeknight recipe for sun dried tomato pasta with chicken, spinach, and Parmesan is filling, creamy, and ready in just 20 minutes!
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat pasta any shape you like (recommended: bowtie or linguini)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 jar julienne-cut sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (7 ounces) drained
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus additional for cooking the pasta
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio) or low sodium chicken stock
- ⅔ cup whipping cream
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
- 2 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Sprinkle in a few teaspoons of salt, then add the pasta and cook according to package directions, just until al dente (lightly firm and chewy, but not hard). Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the chicken and cook until lightly golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, then add the drained sun dried tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and for cook 2 minutes, until the liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- To the skillet, add the whipping cream, then the pasta, spinach, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Stir for 30 seconds to allow the spinach to cook down. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and serve.
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover sun dried tomato pasta in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- TO REHEAT: Warm gently in the microwave, topped with a little drizzle of chicken stock or heavy cream to keep it from drying out.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze the pasta in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 627kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 50gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 182mgPotassium: 795mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2303IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 205mgIron: 1mg
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Pasta night is the best night of the week! Here are some more of my favorite pasta dinners.
I made this for dinner. My husband loved it. A no muss no fuss recipe to prepare after work
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Ann! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This recipe is wonderful!! The flavors are amazing. It has become my family’s absolute favorite dinner.
I wanted to know what other recipes had flavors like this one? My son lost his taste during Covid and can only taste a few things. He loves this. I keep trying to find foods he can enjoy. Any help would be appreciated!! 😊
Hi Kris! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review! I have a few more recipes that include sun dried tomatoes which might be helpful! https://www.wellplated.com/?s=sun+dried
I have just recently come across your website…and have managed to spend HOURS browsing! I LOVE this post by your husband. Definitely gave a chuckle to my day! :) Not to mention a great recipe.
Thanks so much Jenn!
Truly Scrumptious! This dish was quick and easy to pull together and also very rich and satisfying. After my husband and I enjoyed it, there was easily enough left for another meal for both of us. I love all of Erin’s recipes!
Hi Debbie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made this tonight…it tasted good but it was very salty. The salt seemed to come from the sun dried tomatoes. Could that have been the overall culprit? Should I have rinsed the tomatoes as opposed to just draining them? Thanks!
Hi Christine! There could be a few culprits to it being salty for you. First did you use kosher salt? Any other salt would add a more pronounced saltiness to the dish. Draining the tomatoes should be fine because you just need to remove the oil. Might need to find a different brand of sun dried tomatoes if the ones you used were too salty for you. Hope this helps!
Delicious! Love all the flavors that burst in this dish, especially the sun dried tomatoes.
Hi Anita! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This was absolutely delicious! My spinach went bad so I just sautéed some broccoli instead and WOW. I’ve got fresh spinach coming to try it again next week!
Hi Jess! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made this today and it was absolutely beautiful! Thank you – can’t wait to try some of your other recipes.
Hi Sian! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Delicious pasta that’s a little more special / indulgent. Unfortunately my family doesn’t like whole wheat pasta so we swapped for regular and lost some of those benefits, but very delicious! I feel like 20 min would be a miracle but it’s certainly a more simple dish.
Hi Nicole! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Another great recipe from Erin. I’m definitely going to continue making her recipes. We are loving the handful of ones I’ve done so far. I’m buying her recipe book. She does not disappoint.
Glad you enjoyed it Martha!
This was Fabulous! Came together in no time and tasted GREAT! I made it without chicken for a vegetarian meal and it was superb. Thank you for a great recipe.
Thank you Susie!
Excellent! Very tasty. I will make it again and add some anchovies to it. That should make for a killer rich taste.
Thank you, Kevin!
This deserves 10 stars, it was amazing!!
Thank you Korina!
I don’t often cook for my wife, but when I do, she is always surprised at what I come up with. This recipe made me a hero, and is a keeper for my files for sure. I used fettucini pasta, but in retrospect, will use either the butterfly or another more spoonable pasta. I am not a spinach lover, so I did delete it. (Sorry)
Thank you so much, I was craving pasta with sun dried tomatoes and this absolutely hit the spot
Yay! Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Frank!
This recipe was INSANELY easy to make, and came together very quickly. It is the perfect after work dinner when you want something that taste like it took hours to cook. Admittedly, I did double the recipe to feed a larger crowd, but otherwise made no changes. Next time, I think I will use blackening seasoning on the chicken, but beyond that, this recipe needs no substitutions. Everyone absolutely loved it. There were no leftovers!
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Leslie! Thank you!
Wow! My picky 4 year old son loved this (as did the rest of my family)! He even asked for seconds and that doesn’t happen often! I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. We will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Elizabeth!
I tried this Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta last weekend, and it was incredible. The flavors were balanced perfectly, with the sun-dried tomatoes adding a wonderful depth. The chicken was cooked to perfection and complemented well with the pasta. This is definitely one of my new favorite recipes.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Kelly! Thank you!
I was pleasantly surprised by how easy this dish was to make and how elegant it tasted. The sun-dried tomatoes really elevate the pasta, giving it a gourmet feel. Thank you so much, Erin!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the pasta, Ellie! Thank you!
This was delicious and I’ll definitely make it again. Fantastic blend of flavors!
Thank you Marie! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Quick and easy dinner that is so delicious and flavorful! My husband went back for seconds and my 5 year old daughter told me the seasonings were perfect. Haha
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Amanda! Thank you!