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Delicious sun-dried tomato pasta with chicken… you know you want it; but let me show you why you NEED it! This is a classic fall dish, but truth be told it’s one you’re going to want to have on your menu all year long. It’s that good.
Best Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Recipe
This time of year, where we’re short on daylight, I feel thrown off. Seriously, once the sun sets, I’m in a frantic rush to get home thinking it’s almost 8! when the truth is that it gets dark while I’m packing up my things at work.
The panic starts the second I get home and ask myself, what am I going to make for dinner?
If you’ve been silently screaming S.O.S! around dinner time, I’m glad you’re here because this sun-dried tomato chicken pasta is a restaurant-style meal that comes together faster than you can drive to a restaurant and get seated.
Ingredients
You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below. Here’s everything you need to make this drool-worthy dinner a success:
- Penne pasta: or any other pasta you have in the pantry.
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil: it’s what makes this pasta ridiculously flavorful!
- Garlic: can this recipe get any tastier? Yes!
- Chicken breasts: or cooked rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Salt: just a little is enough.
- Spanish paprika: for seasoning the chicken.
- Half & half: for creaminess. You can swap it for whole milk.
- Italian seasoning: adds more flavor to this incredible sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: optional… but what is pasta without cheese?
Today, sun-dried tomatoes are the MVP of the recipe. These little guys give off some amazing and robust flavors that amp up any dish.
You’ll find sun-dried tomatoes on the shelf, somewhere up high between the canned tomatoes and the jarred pesto sauce. Make sure to get the sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. The oil keeps their flavor and juices intact and allows leftovers to be kept in the fridge for months.
Also, more juice = more flavor, and we want ALL THE FLAVOR.
If you don’t already, I highly advise keeping a jar or two of sun dried tomatoes in the pantry. They go great in salads, on top of a pizza, blended into a dreamy pesto sauce, or whisked into this creamy pasta sauce!
How to Make Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Let me tell you why you NEED this sun-dried tomato pasta recipe in your chicken dinner rotation.
This dish is pasta coated in a perfectly creamy sauce, this recipe is also one of my favorites because it’s made in ONE large skillet. Cleanup for this weeknight dinner couldn’t be easier.
You can also cut the recipe time in half by using a cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Remove the meat, cut into bite-size pieces and toss into the cooked sauce prior to adding the pasta. So easy.
Ready to make this tasty dinner tonight? Here’s what you’ll do.
- Pasta
Cook pasta according to the directions on the package. Once cooked, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water an set aside. - Chop
Finelly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and season with salt and paprika. - Sauté
Use oil from the sun-dried tomato’s jar to sauté chicken until fully browned on both sides. - Add
To the same pan, add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and continue to sauté for an additional minute. - Cream & simmer
Add half and half to the skillet stiring to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat stiring occastionaly. - Season
Once a thick sun-dried tomato sauce has formed, add Italian seasoning and stir. - Add the pasta
Place the cooked pasta in the skillet and combine with the sauce. Then pour ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and combine to thin the sauce. - Serve
Top with cheese and red pepper flakes and enjoy this fast and easy meal!
Recipe Video
More of a visual learner? Watch this quick recipe video to see how it’s done.
Quick tip – double this recipe so you can pack sun-dried tomato pasta for lunch tomorrow using my easy meal prep tips. You won’t regret it.
What to serve with Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
This Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Pasta is a satisfying meal by itself but also one that pairs great with simple and nutritious side dishes! Add freshness to dinner with a simple side salad, or this tasty bruschetta salad.
Roasted vegetables are also a terrific side, like this Roasted Asparagus or this Roasted Broccolini. Want to indulge yourself a bit? Make these fluffy popovers and enjoy!
Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- 4- ounce jar sundried tomatoes in oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cubed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Spanish paprika
- 1 cup half & half or milk
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring pasta water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain. Set the pasta aside.
- While the pasta cooks, on a cutting board, finely chop sun-dried tomatoes. Season chicken with salt and paprika.
- In a large 10-12 inch skillet over medium heat, heat up a tablespoon of the sun-dried tomato jar’s oil and sauté the chicken until it’s browned on both sides and cooked through.
- To the same pan, add the sun-dried tomato pieces and garlic, and sauté for an additional minute. Add half and half to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to combine liquid and sundried tomatoes. Once a thick sauce is formed, add Italian seasoning and stir.
- Add cooked pasta to the skillet and combine with sauce. Add ½ cup of the reserved water, mix throughout to thin out the sauce. If it’s too thick, add in the additional reserved pasta water. Mix to combine.
- Serve and sprinkle parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired.
Jill says
If using rotisserie chicken instead, would you recommend just heating it through with the sundried tomato oil?
Laura Fuentes says
Great Q! I use about 2-3 cups of chopped rotisserie chicken for this recipe all the time. I heat it through with the sauce, simmering for about 5 minutes, before mixing it with the pasta.
Barbara Rosiek says
is there something i could use instead of half & half? could I use milk
Laura Fuentes says
Whole milk will work as well!
Rewari says
I made this Sun-dried Tomato Pasta for my family tonight. I had to double the recipe since my family is large. It was amazing. And my son requested that this be made for his birthday meal. AMAZING.
Thank you for posting this recipe