Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Pasta Recipe

Creamy Tuscan chicken and pasta is a simple and delicious meal featuring pan-seared chicken, Gamelli pasta, and a fresh creamy sauce.

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Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Pasta Recipe

This creamy Tuscan chicken recipe served over pasta is something both pasta AND chicken lovers can get behind. Creamy Tuscan chicken is a straightforward recipe made with a simple cream-based sauce. The sauce is comprised of heavy cream, white wine, cherry tomatoes, shallots, garlic, Parmesan cheese, butter, and spinach. The sauce takes on a nice orange hue thanks to the sauteed tomatoes.

You’ll find a handful of different variations of this recipe, but I couldn’t resist the urge to add both shallots and garlic for enhanced aromatics and flavor. My recipe features pan-seared chicken (you could use chicken thighs or breast) and Gemelli pasta—it’s a creamy and delicious meal that comes together in under 30 minutes.

Renditions and Substitutions

What I love about the general flavor of the sauce is how well it can be adapted to a handful of different spinoffs. If you’re looking for a “pasta-only” dish, you can skip the chicken and add more pasta for a simple creamy pasta dish bursting with flavor.

You could also turn this into an awesome seafood pasta dish by using shrimp or mussels (or both). Lastly, you can skip the pasta altogether and just nestle the chicken in the rich and creamy sauce. I would also consider bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for a chicken-only spin. Crispy-seared chicken skin will really give the sauce something to cling to.

Important Chicken Prep

As I mentioned above, this recipe works with both chicken breast and chicken thigh. Regardless, I would stress the importance of flattening your chicken before cooking. Whenever I use chicken breast, I typically cut it in half horizontally to form two thinner uniform slices. This helps speed up the cooking process greatly.

You can also use a rolling pin to hammer the chicken into thinner pieces. I’ve found this both tenderizes and also renders thinner pieces. The simplest option is to buy thinly sliced chicken breast.

Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Pasta Recipe

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Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Pasta Recipe

★★★★★ 4.5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Shawn Williams
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

Creamy Tuscan chicken and pasta is a simple and delicious meal featuring pan-seared chicken, Gamelli pasta, and a fresh creamy sauce.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 10-ounce chicken breasts, halved into 4 thinner uniform slices
  • 8–10 ounces Gemelli pasta
  • 3 cups baby spinach
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Minced Italian parsley for garnish
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta al dente. Strain and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, use a rolling pin to hammer slices of chicken into 1/2 inch thick slices. Season all over with salt and pepper. 
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken undisturbed for 3-4 minutes per side or until no longer pink and fully cooked through. Depending on the thickness of your chicken, the more or less time it will take. Remove chicken from heat and place on a plate.
  4. Add butter to the skillet and let melt. Add garlic and shallot, and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted.
  5. Stir in cream, wine, and Parmesan cheese and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 3 minutes or until sauce begins to reduce and thicken. Add pasta and mix until fully coated in the sauce. Return the chicken to the pasta and nestle it in the sauce. Flip to coat in the sauce and let heat through. Sprinkle all over with parsley.
  6. Serve chicken sliced over pasta with extra parmesan cheese and parsley if desired.

Notes

As I mentioned above, this recipe works with both chicken breast or chicken thighs. Regardless, I would stress the importance of flattening your chicken before cooking. Whenever I use chicken breast, I typically cut it in half horizontally to form two thinner uniform slices. This helps speed up the cooking process greatly.

You can also use a rolling pin to hammer the chicken into thinner pieces. I’ve found this both tenderizes and also renders thinner pieces. The simplest option is to buy thinly sliced chicken breast.

See the section in the written post for variations!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: Chicken and 1/4 pasta
  • Calories: 752
  • Sugar: 3.5g
  • Sodium: 472mg
  • Fat: 35.8g
  • Saturated Fat: 14.7g
  • Carbohydrates: 49.1g
  • Fiber: 3.1g
  • Protein: 54.4g
  • Cholesterol: 182mg

Keywords: tuscan pasta, creamy tuscan chicken