Creamy sun dried tomato & spicy chicken pasta

This is the ultimate one pot stove top pasta dish. It’s creamy, bursting with flavor, and oh so satisfying.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my time in Italy, it’s that Italians detest the idea of putting chicken (or any meat for that matter) in a pasta dish. Pasta is typically the first course of an Italian meal, with meat following as the second course. In typical American flair, we’ve managed to combine the two courses and all I’ve got to say to my Italian friends is this: don’t knock it ’till you try it darling!

There are many variations of this recipe out there – a creamy sun dried tomato sauce with spicy chicken medallions. I’ve tried many of them and refined the recipe to what I think makes for the most flavorful and delicious pasta. What’s best about this dish is that it’s all made within the same pot – yes, even the pasta!

Make this pasta on a busy weeknight or on a Sunday when you are too tired to cook anything too extravagant. It’s got the extravagant taste with minimal effort required. Now that’s my kind of meal!

Give it a go and let me know what y’all think. Buon appetito!

Creamy sun dried tomato & spicy chicken pasta

This one pot stove top pasta dish is creamy, bursting with flavor, and oh so satisfying. It's the perfect and easiest comfort meal year round!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 8 oz sun dried tomatoes chopped
• 1 lb chicken breasts or thighs cubed
• 1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 dash red pepper flakes optional for spice
• sea salt & fresh black pepper
• 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 shallot chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 cups spinach

Equipment

• 1 Dutch Oven

Method

 

1. Set the pot over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of oil from the sun dried tomato jar. Add chicken and sprinkle the paprika, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until golden brown on both sides and remove from pot.
2. Add butter, shallot and garlic to pot and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic! Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes.
3. Stir in parmesan cheese, heavy cream, mustard, chopped sun dried tomatoes and spinach.
4. Add the chicken back in and give it a good stir. Add extra parmesan on top and a scrunch of black pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

• Pro-tip: I like to chop/mince/dice all of the veggies before I begin any recipe. It makes things go much smoother, and it’s satisfying to have everything ready to go as you follow along with the recipe. 
• You may need to add extra water to the pot to ensure the pasta is fully covered and has enough water to cook. Note, the water will cook down and you do not need to drain the pot, so be careful not add too much extra water. 
• For leftovers, add a fresh squeeze of lemon and some good extra virgin olive oil since most of the sauce will be absorbed into the pasta.