This sundried tomato pasta is a simple, hearty, and slightly tangy dish that pairs perfectly with pan-seared chicken and Parmesan cheese. It’s easy to make and comes together in under 30 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight dinner choice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Uniquely tangy and subtly sweet flavor.
- Lightly creamy sauce with no heavy cream.
- Quick and easy dish perfect for busy weeknights.
- High-protein dinner option that is easily customized.
Ingredients
- Pasta – any pasta will work beautifully in this recipe. We usually use spaghetti or linguine, but any pasta, short or long, will work.
- Chicken breast – lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and pan browned, this chicken is a juicy and high-protein addition to this dish, if desired.
- Sundried tomatoes- dehydrated or sundried tomatoes in oil work equally well. If you are using dehydrated sundried tomatoes, rehydrate in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes before draining and adding to the sauce. For sundried tomatoes in oil, drain any oil and pat dry to remove excess oil.
- White wine – we prefer a dry white wine to sweet white win in this sauce. Try Sauvignon Blanc, chardonnay, or pinot grigio.
- Milk – whole milk adds an extra thick and rich flavor to this sauce, but 2% or 1% milk also work. We’ve also tried Lactose-free 1% milk with delicious results.
- Pasta water/broth – to thin the sauce down if it is too thick.
- Tomato paste
- Onion and garlic
- Flour – for thickening the sauce.
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Sundried Tomato Pasta
Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, about 7 to 8 minutes for al dente pasta. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Lightly drizzle cooked pasta with olive oil and cover to keep warm. Set aside.
While the water boils, thinly slice/cube the chicken and season the slices with ยฝ teaspoon sea salt, ยผ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
Heat ยฝ tablespoon of the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large, nonstick pan. Add half of the chicken slices in a single layer in the pan. Cook undisturbed on one side, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Turn the chicken over and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and tent with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining ยฝ tablespoon of oil and repeat the process with the second half of the chicken.
Carefully wipe the pan out with paper towel. Reduce heat to medium-low heat. Add the remaining ยฝ Tbsp of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, and sundried tomatoes and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly fragrant.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Stir in the tomato paste.
Whisk together the milk and flour to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the pan, mixing to incorporate. Season the sauce with remaining ยฝ teaspoon of sea salt, ยผ teaspoon of pepper, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the liquid thickens. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it down with the reserved pasta water/broth to the desired consistency.
Add the kale to the sauce and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted.
Pour the sauce over the prepared pasta. Divide the sundried pasta among plates and top with cooked chicken. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
How to Store
Store leftover sundried tomato chicken pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers in a large skillet with a splash of chicken broth to loosen up the sauce. Warm for 5-6 minutes over medium heat, or until warmed throughout.
Recipe Variations
- Protein – sub out chicken breast with chicken, turkey, or pork sausage, turkey meatballs, bison meatballs, or grilled shrimp.
- Milk – we love to use whole milk for a lighter option than heavy cream that still creates a rich and creamy sauce. However, feel free to use 2% or 1% milk. We’ve also had luck with lactose-free milk varieties too.
- Veggies – kale is our go-to veg in this recipe, but you can swap it out with chopped spinach or add to it with other easy veggies, like sliced mushrooms, chopped zucchini, or sauted bell peppers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Either. However, we recommend soaking dehydrated sundried tomatoes in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes before using to rehydrate. We also recommend pat drying sundried tomatoes in oil before using to remove oily residue.
Sure! We opted for whole or 2% milk to keep the sauce lighter. Heavy cream will be much richer and creamier, but will also have significantly higher fat content.
No! We like the unique flavor dry white wine adds to the sauce, but feel free to replace wine with chicken broth or starchy pasta water.
Check out our other pasta dishes
- Creamy Avocado Pasta
- Avocado pesto pasta
- Butternut squash and sausage pasta
- Bruschetta Breaded Chicken
- Cheesy Hamburger Pasta
- Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Skillet
Let us know what you think about our recipe for sundried tomato pasta by dropping a comment, star rating, and/or sharing on Pinterest/social media! We really appreciate your help in sharing and rating our recipes, as it allows us to continue to bring delicious and healthy recipes to our community!
Sundried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz linguine, fettuccine, or spaghetti
- 1.25 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced or cubed
- 1ยฝ Tbsp avocado oil or high heat oil, divided
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt, divided
- ยฝ tsp cracked black pepper, divided
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
- ยฝ medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 oz sundried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- ยฝ c dry white wine
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1ยฝ c whole, 2%, or 1% milk
- 1 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 c reserved pasta water or chicken broth (optional for thinning sauce)
- 2 c kale, finely chopped
- โ c Parmesan cheese (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, about 7 to 8 minutes for al dente pasta. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Lightly drizzle cooked pasta with olive oil and cover to keep warm. Set aside.
- While the water boils, thinly slice/cube the chicken and season the slices with ยฝ teaspoon sea salt, ยผ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
- Heat ยฝ tablespoon of the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large, nonstick pan. Add half of the chicken slices in a single layer in the pan. Cook undisturbed on one side, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Turn the chicken over and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and tent with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining ยฝ tablespoon of oil and repeat the process with the second half of the chicken.
- Carefully wipe the pan out with paper towel. Reduce heat to medium-low heat. Add the remaining ยฝ Tbsp of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, and sundried tomatoes and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Whisk together the milk and flour to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the pan, mixing to incorporate. Season the sauce with remaining ยฝ teaspoon of sea salt, ยผ teaspoon of pepper, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the liquid thickens. If the sauce is too thick, you can thin it down with the reserved pasta water/broth to the desired consistency.
- Add the kale to the sauce and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted.
- Pour the sauce over the prepared pasta. Divide the sundried pasta among plates and top with cooked chicken. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
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