Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta (2024)

Why you’ll love it

This creamy Tuscan pasta recipe is so tasty, comes together fast, and isn’t complicated at all. In other words, my kinda pasta dish! It’s the ideal pasta recipe for busy weeknights. It also happens to be very elegant and is guaranteed to impress your guests.

I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious the sauce is. I mean, who doesn’t love the classic Tuscan-inspired flavors of sun-dried tomatoes and basil? They’re even better in a rich and garlicky cream sauce! All of this in just 30 minutes? Yes please.

What you’ll need

• Pasta – I prefer a longer pasta like linguini, but any shape is great
• Chicken – we’re using chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• Olive oil – for pan frying the chicken until it’s golden
• Garlic powder – along with salt & pepper, garlic powder adds a wonderful savory base to the chicken
• Italian seasoning – it’s a classic dried herb blend that you’ll find in a jar in the spice aisle of your grocery store
• Smoked paprika – my secret ingredient to amp up flavor
• Chicken broth – adds another layer to the sauce. Feel free to sub it with a good dry white wine like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.
• Garlic cloves – I suggest 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, but we all know you measure garlic with your heart
• Dijon mustard – don’t omit this! It gives a fantastic savory depth of flavor, and you can’t taste the mustard itself. It’s one of my favorite cooking hacks to make sauces incredible.
• Flour – to thicken the sauce
• Lemon juice – a burst of brightness and acidity
• Sun-dried tomatoes – they’re a staple in Tuscan-inspired recipes
• Cream – use whipping/heavy cream to get that rich, luxurious texture
• Spinach – baby spinach perfectly complements the sun-dried tomatoes
• Basil – fresh basil is another hallmark ingredient in Tuscan recipes
• Parmesan – pile on as much fresh parm as you like!

How to make Tuscan chicken pasta

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

Boil water and cook your pasta until al dente. In a skillet, add the chicken along with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and salt & pepper. Pan fry until golden, about four minutes. Transfer to a plate.

To the skillet add the chicken broth, garlic, Dijon mustard, flour, and lemon juice. Whisk until combined. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cream to the pan and simmer for two minutes.

Return the chicken to the skillet and finish cooking it. Add in the spinach and basil, and simmer until the spinach is wilted. Toss with the pasta, and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese!

Substitutions and variations

• If you’re not keen on sun-dried tomatoes, you could chop up a medium fresh tomato instead. Keep in mind that the sauce may end up a little thinner. You can reduce it for longer if necessary.
• I don’t recommend substituting the heavy cream for anything else. It really enhances the flavor and richness, and using something with a lower fat content could cause the sauce to curdle.