Chicken Penne Pasta

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings: servings

Calories: 416cal

Author: Ashley Fehr

Chicken Penne Pasta is a one pan dinner recipe that always satisfies! Tender bites of penne are tossed with chicken, spinach and tomatoes in the best creamy sauce. It's an easy dinner recipe that's loaded with protein, nutrients and tons of flavor.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon seasoning salt
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme
⅛ teaspoon red chili flakes
2¼ cups low sodium chicken broth
398 ml canned diced tomatoes (with liquid) (14 oz)
375 grams penne pasta (about ¾ lb)
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 cups spinach (loosely chopped)
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with seasoning salt and sear each side for about 2-3 minutes until golden.
Add garlic, basil, oregano, salt, thyme, and chili flakes and and cook 1 minute.
Add broth, tomatoes, and penne pasta. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until pasta is al dente (about 9-10 minutes).
Remove cooked chicken breasts from the pan and slice.
Whisk together cream and corn starch and stir into the pasta to thicken. Add in sliced chicken, spinach and Parmesan.
Taste and serve.

Video

Notes

Ingredients and Substitutions:

Chicken: any kind of boneless, skinless chicken will work here, and thighs should cook in about the same amount of time. You can also swap for cooked, crumbled sausage or omit and add in white beans for a meatless meal.
Broth: I like to start with low sodium broth and add salt as needed. If you are starting with salted broth, you may want to omit the added salt and adjust as needed before serving,
Diced tomatoes: I have not tested this recipe without the tomatoes, and the pasta does need the juice from the tomatoes to cook. If you want to omit them, I would start by adding an additional 1/2 cup broth and adding more liquid to cook the pasta as needed.
Pasta: any variety of short pasta will work here, but ideally choose something with roughly the same cook time. Macaroni, rotini, etc., would all work well.
Cream: heavy cream gives the thickest and richest sauce, but you can swap for a lighter cream if need be.
Spinach: spinach adds a pop of color and nutrients, but you can omit if necessary or swap for fresh herbs or chopped kale.
Parmesan: Parmesan adds a great, salty kick, but you can swap for another cheese if desired.

Nutrition