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Tubes of rigatoni are smothered in a creamy sun-dried tomato pasta sauce with basil and little pieces of flavorful, juicy chicken

Creamy Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Chicken Pasta

Print Recipe
Ready in under 20 minutes, this incredible easy to make pasta features juicy pieces of chicken breast, and pasta that is smothered in a flavor-packed Creamy Sun-dried Tomato & Basil sauce!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword basil, Chicken, creamy pasta, heavy cream, parmesan, pasta, sun-dried tomatoes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 10 oz Pasta
  • 1 cup Reserved Pasta Water
  • 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, cubed
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • Dash of Cayenne
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/2 cup White Wine
  • 1/4 cup Chopped Sun-dried Tomatoes in Oil, drained
  • 1 cup Heavy Cream
  • 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Basil
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and turn down to medium-high heat. Cook according to box instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.
  • Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium heat, heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. When oil is hot, add in chicken. Season with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Fry until chicken is cooked through, then remove chicken and place onto a plate. Set chicken aside for later.
  • Add white wine to the pan, and deglaze the pan by scraping at any browned bits on the pan. Add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes, allowing the wine to reduce by about half. Add in heavy cream and allow cream to come to a bubble. Then, remove the pan from the heat and pour the sauce into a blender or food processor. Carefully blend the sauce until it is smooth, then return the blended sauce back to the pan. Add in chopped basil and cook for an additional minute. (Sauce time = 11 minutes)
  • Add hot cooked pasta and chicken to the sauce and toss to coat. Add parmesan cheese and toss. Slowly add pasta water, bit by bit, just until you are left with a creamy uniform sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes

When making pasta, you must always determine if you should start the sauce first, start the pasta first, or start them simultaneously – depending on the cooking time of the pasta according to the box.
The goal is to have the pasta and the sauce to finish at the same time.