Creamy Chicken & Sundried Tomato Pasta is a perfect weeknight meal! Grilled chicken, spinach, and sundried tomatoes in a light cream sauce. And the best part is this dish is ready in about 30 minutes, making it a quick and easy weeknight meal!Â
On busy weeknights when everyone is going a different direction, I want a recipe that I can make quickly but that still has tons of flavor. Pasta dishes are usually my go-to when I need a quick dinner that I know everyone will eat and enjoy.  To make this recipe fast, I dice the raw chicken and throw it in a skillet instead of baking it and shredding it. It saves so much time and every bite of chicken gets seasoning and flavor. Make sure to add a little squeeze of lemon before serving to boost the flavor even more!
Here’s how I made my Creamy Chicken & Sundried Tomato Pasta:
Step 1:Â In a large pot, boil water and cook the ziti according to the package.
Step 2: Dice the chicken into small cubes and add to a bowl. Add 1 tbsp of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of Italian seasoning, a large pinch of salt, and a good bit of black pepper. Stir to coat the chicken.
Step 3: Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add a round of olive oil (drizzle the pan in a circular motion one time). When the olive oil is hot, add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is nicely browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Step 4:Â Dice the onion and roughly chop the sundried tomatoes.
Step 5: In the same skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or chicken broth. Scrape all the bits off the bottom of the skillet and let the liquid burn off for just a minute.  When the liquid is almost gone, add 1 tsp of minced garlic and the chopped onion and sundried tomatoes to the pan. Let it cook until the onion gets soft and translucent.
Step 6: Add 8 oz of heavy cream to the pan and stir.
Step 7: Add half a bag of spinach to the pan (more if you’d like). Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook until slightly wilted.
Step 8: Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, stirring to coat all of the pasta. Add 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese and the cooked chicken and stir to combine all of the ingredients.
Step 9:Â Serve hot and top with extra grated parm.
Creamy Chicken & Sundried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, diced into chunks
- 1/2 box ziti pasta
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 cups spinach
- 8 oz heavy cream
- 2 tbsp vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup grated parm
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 slice lemon
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the ziti as the package instructs.
- Dice the chicken and add it to a bowl. Season with Italian seasoning, 1/2 tbsp of minced garlic, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Stir to coat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Drizzle with 2 tbps of olive oil. When hot, add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
- In the same skillet, add the vinegar, apple cider vinegar or chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Scrape any chicken bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the liquid cook for a minute or two.
- Once the liquid has cooked down, add the chopped onion and sundried tomatoes. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the heavy cream to the pan and stir. Let the cream bubble a little and then add 1/2 cup of grated parm and the spinach to the pan. Cook the spinach until slightly wilted. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the heavy cream and spinach. Stir to combine and coat all of the pasta.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and combine all the ingredients.
- Squeeze a slice of lemon over the top of the pasta.
- Serve hot and top with extra grated parm.
