Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Print Recipe

4.77 from 13 votes

Another one of my childhood favs - this Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta is the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

1 pound spaghetti or linguini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
4 slices bacon
8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 15-ounce can canned diced tomatoes
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 handful baby spinach
½ cup heavy cream
½ - 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 lemon, zested and juiced
basil to garnish

Instructions

Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water once cooked, drain and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Liberally season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until golden on the outside and no longer pink inside, about 7-8 minutes per side. Remove from the pan, let rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing.
In the same skillet, add the bacon and cook until crispy. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and then tear into bite sized pieces.
If there is a lot of bacon fat leftover, drain most of it off. Add the garlic, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes and spinach to the skillet and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add heavy cream, Parmesan, and a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Simmer for 5 minutes until saucy and combined.
Add the reserved pasta, chicken, bacon, lemon juice and lemon zest and toss until combined. If it's too thick, add a few more tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Garnish with basil and serve.

Notes

The chicken is simple and just adds a bit of protein. If you want to amp it up, and use a blackened chicken recipe, use the spice rub from here. It certainly spices things up a bit and that’s not always everyones jam.

Nutrition