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All you need is one skillet, a few fresh ingredients and soon enough you’ll have 20 minute creamy sun dried tomato chicken pasta for dinner.
Pasta used to be my go-to meal. When I was just barely starting out in college I quickly learned that pasta could be cheap, quick and really easy to make which was essential for a busy college student. I stuck to the same few ingredients, a little jarred sauce, chicken, peas, maybe even an occasional tomato and always cheese for this 20 Minute Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta.
Cheese and pasta just work, don’t they? I mean, even something as simple as parmesan on plain noodles tastes fantastic. As I got older and my bank account wasn’t full of nickels and dimes I started to buy a few more ingredients and mix things up. An all time favorite has been this 20 minute creamy sun dried tomato chicken pasta.
Check out how we make it!
What Do I Need to Make Chicken Pasta?
The ingredients are simple and easy to keep on hand.
Sun dried tomatoes are packed in olive oil and kept in our fridge at all times. We use them in everything from omelets and pasta to sandwiches and appetizers. We linked up to our favorite brand and highly suggest you start buying them too. They are a little sweet and perfect for any meal.
Cream isn’t just for whipped cream in our house. We love the silky, rich taste of it on pasta. If you really want to go crazy you can swirl a little butter into those tomatoes at the beginning too but the cream is enough for us. We like to add a little squeeze of lemon juice at the end to brighten things up. Never add acid to a sauce at the beginning or it will break down the sauce and separate it.
We like pecorino romano or parmesan cheese with a little mozzarella for the gooey factor. The parm brings a sharper, saltiness to the dish while the mozzarella smoothes it all out.
Garlic is a must in any pasta and of course salt and pepper to taste. If it’s bland it’s merely that you didn’t season with enough salt.
Finally, chicken adds some good protein to the dish and really breaks up the heaviness of the pasta. We have a very tried and true method of cooking chicken in a pan so you don’t end up with raw middles or dry, hard chicken. Just head over to our post on How To Cook Chicken in a Pan to read all about it.
You’ll start with getting the pasta in a pot to cook. Quickly cook the chicken and remove it to a cutting board, allowing it to rest and juices to redistribute. If you skip that step the juices will run out when you slice the chicken and it will be dry.
Then just whip up a quick sauce by sautéing garlic and the tomatoes, whisking in the cream and cheeses and finally seasoning to taste. Add the sliced chicken and pasta back to the sauce pan and toss everything together. 20 minutes, done and done.
20 Minute Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
20 Minute Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 Pound Spaghetti Noodles
- 2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, oil packed
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic, less if you don't love it
- 1 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
- 2/3 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/3 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
- 1- teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Basil, fresh or more to taste
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a pot of water over high heat and season well with salt until the water tastes like salt water.
- Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente.1/2 Pound Spaghetti Noodles
- Meanwhile, in a skillet over high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.2 Boneless, Salt and Pepper
- Place the chicken in the pan once the oil is shimmering and immediately turn to low heat.
- Cook the chicken the proper way as instructed in THIS post.
- Turn the meat once it’s cooked halfway, about 5-7 minutes.
- Cook through, about another 5-6 minutes.
- Remove to a cutting board to rest.
- To the same pan, add the sun dried tomatoes with a little of their oil and the garlic.1/2 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- Turn the pan to medium and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat to medium high and quickly add the cream and cheeses.1 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream, 2/3 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese, 1/3 Cup Shredded Mozzarella
- Cook for about 3 minutes or until thickened and add return to a simmer at medium low heat, add remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste.1- teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice, 1/4 Cup Chopped Basil, Salt and Pepper to taste
- Slice the chicken and add it into the sauce along with the drained pasta.
- Stir using tongs and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I must be the odd one out… this recipe did not work for me At. All. It was basically $20 right down the drain. The chicken was nowhere near done by the end of the cooktime. It took three times longer and was complete rubber. Then, at the suggested temperature, my sauce “broke” and I thought we could live with it but the main problem is that it wouldn’t thicken. I have it 12 minutes and gave up. It’s all gone in the trash. Very disappointing.
Hi Steph,
Do you have a gas or electric stove? I’d be happy to help you trouble shoot. This is a favorite recipe and I’m sure we can help. 🙂
This was sooooo good and simple. Definitely will be making this often.
So glad you liked it!
Thanks for this recipe, sounds like something my kids will love! Would you be able to say how much chicken you used in the recipe? About 1 pound? Coz chicken breasts vary so greatly in size.
Hi Elaine, any size will be fine as it’s just added in as the meat in the dish so you can’t go wrong.
I love how fast this is to make! It is the perfect recipe for the busy weekdays!
Thanks Carolyn! Hope you enjoy it!
hey girl- this is right up my alley! yummy!
I’m obsessed with sun-dried tomatoes right now!
Me too! I seriously adore them!
Awesome. …Awesome.
Made this over the weekend and it is delicious! My family raved about it. Thanks for giving me a great new recipe!
Thank you so much Chris!
Oh no , Carrian 🙁 What did you add in the end to the pan after the cream and cheeses. I think you may have forgotten to write it to the recipe.
It’s my family’s favorite recipe. Super easy. If you can boil water you can make this dish and everyone will think you’re a master chef! It’s so foolproof that if you mess this one up you should stick to DoorDash. Yum. No SUPER yum!
Thank you so much Kitti! So glad you enjoyed it!
I am definitely making this dinner. Chicken is my favorite food along with pizza and what a great way to pair it with sun dried tomatoes and garlic, mmmm simply yummm 🙂