Description
Creamy Tuscan chicken pasta elevates weeknight dinners with rich Italian-inspired flavors. Quick ingredients blend seamlessly for a restaurant-quality meal you can savor at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless), sliced into thin cutlets
- 12 oz (340 g) pasta (penne, fettuccine, or rigatoni)
- 1 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half for a lighter version)
- ½ cup chicken broth (or pasta water)
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 tbsps unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp salt (for boiling water)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Fresh basil or parsley
- Extra Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Seasoning: Thoroughly coat chicken cutlets with a harmonious blend of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder, massaging the spices into every crevice for maximum flavor infusion.
- Searing: Ignite olive oil in a capacious skillet over medium-high heat, creating a sizzling canvas that transforms chicken into a golden-crusted masterpiece, cooking each side for 4-5 minutes until perfectly caramelized.
- Sauce Foundation: Leverage the chicken’s flavorful remnants to craft a sumptuous sauce, introducing sun-dried tomatoes, vibrant spinach, and velvety heavy cream into the same skillet, simmering until the mixture thickens into a luxurious embrace.
- Chicken Reunion: Gently reintroduce the seared chicken into the creamy sauce, allowing the pieces to bathe and absorb the rich, herbaceous essence of the Tuscan-inspired creation.
- Pasta Integration: Concurrently prepare pasta in salted boiling water until achieving an ideal al dente texture, then delicately fold the noodles into the skillet, ensuring each strand becomes thoroughly enrobed in the luscious sauce.
- Finishing Touch: Crown the dish with a generous dusting of freshly grated parmesan cheese and a delicate sprinkle of chopped basil, creating a visually stunning and aromatic culinary masterpiece ready to be savored immediately.
Notes
- Seasoning Technique: Press the seasoning mix firmly into chicken cutlets to create a robust, even flavor profile that penetrates deeply during cooking.
- Oil Temperature Control: Watch for shimmering oil’s subtle dance – this indicates perfect medium-high heat for achieving golden-brown chicken without burning.
- Sauce Consistency Trick: Simmer sauce slowly to prevent separation; if too thin, let it reduce naturally or add a pinch of cornstarch to thicken without compromising texture.
- Dietary Adaptation: Swap heavy cream with coconut milk for dairy-free version, use gluten-free pasta, and replace chicken with tofu or plant-based protein for vegetarian alternative.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 610
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 57g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 90mg