Did you know that you can make a decadent, crave-worthy creamy chicken pasta without heavy cream? All you need is milk, parmesan, and the pasta’s cooking water! Up the flavor with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and spinach and you have a delicious 15-minute pasta dinner.
This easy chicken pasta is one of my go-to recipes whenever I crave a little comfort food. It feels like a restaurant-fancy meal with such little effort!
I’m certainly not above indulging in a touch of cream every once in a while. In fact, the Mediterranean diet has always been about balance, not restriction. But when I discovered you could make a silky, downright decadent pasta sauce by simply whisking the pasta’s starchy water with milk, parmesan, and a touch of flour–three things I always keep on-hand–I was hooked!
Plus, with canned artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes, this is truly an all-seasons recipe you can make on repeat, any night of the week.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for this Chicken Penne Pasta Recipe
I wanted this chicken pasta recipe to be pantry-friendly with a few easy upgrades for a good flavor and nutrition boost.
- Pasta: I love how penne pasta matches the size of the chicken, but any medium size pasta you have will work, or even spaghetti.
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breast cook quickly and keep things light, but feel free to use any cut of chicken. Just be sure to cook it to 165°F.
- Seasoning: Dried oregano adds an aromatic quality that gives this simple pasta a deeper flavor. I wouldn’t skip it, but Italian seasoning works well too (I make my own). Kosher salt and black pepper perk everything up.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I recommend our buttery Italian Nocellara with this recipe, but just be sure to use a high quality extra virgin variety with a pleasant flavor.
- Garlic: Swap with diced shallot if you avoid garlic.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Add texture and concentrated sunny tomato flavor year-round. I prefer the all natural unsulfured variety. Use any leftover to make sun dried tomato pesto!
- Fresh tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes are rather sweet and juicy even off season, but in the summertime you can swap in chopped on-the-vine varieties.
- Artichoke hearts: Use oil packed or water packed canned artichoke hearts for a burst of tart flavor, or swap with capers or olives.
- Milk: Whole milk makes the pasta creamy without weighing it down. For a dairy-free option, skip the parmesan and swap with unflavored cashew cream.
- Flour: Helps to thicken the sauce. Feel free to use gluten free.
- Parmesan: Adds richness and umami.
- Baby spinach: Adds a touch of freshness and color. Swap with chopped standard spinach (discard the tough ends).
- Parsley: I never skip the fresh herbs! It’s that final touch that brings a fresh burst of flavor to balance the richness of the pasta. If you don’t like parsley, try basil.
How to Make the Creamiest Chicken Pasta with No Heavy Cream
Starchy pasta water and a touch of flour is the trick to making a velvety pasta sauce without heavy cream. Just be sure to give it a vigorous stir to make sure the pasta is well coated in the sauce!
- Get ready to cook. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Mince 3 large garlic cloves and chop 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes. Drain 1 (15-ounce) can of artichoke hearts. Finely grate enough parmesan cheese to yield 1 cup. Chop enough fresh parsley leaves and tender stems to yield 1/4 cup.
- Boil the pasta. Add 8 ounces penne pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
- Meanwhile, prep the chicken. Pat 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast dry, then slice into bite-size pieces or strips. Season all over with 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, and a good dash of salt.
- Sear the chicken. In a large pan, heat about 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook, tossing occasionally until the chicken pieces are cooked through (they should have a delicious golden-brown hue), about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Flavor the chicken. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan with the chicken and stir it around for about 30 seconds or so, then add 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes and the artichoke hearts. Toss to combine and turn the heat to medium-low.
- Make the creamy sauce. In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup whole milk, 2 tablespoons flour, and the Parmesan cheese. Pour the mixture into the pan and add 2 packed cups of baby spinach. Add a little bit of the pasta cooking water (just a couple tablespoons or so) and give it a good stir, which releases the starch and makes the sauce creamy. Add the pasta and mix to combine. Sprinkle on the parsley and serve.
What to Serve with Chicken Pasta
I like serving this chicken pasta with crunchy garlic bread or homemade focaccia to sop up the sauce. If you start baking the garlic bread a few minutes before you start working on your pasta dinner, they’ll both be done around the same time!
If you want something green, a quick salad is never a bad idea! Try my parmesan lettuce salad, which is ready in just 5 minutes.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container, but keep in mind that creamy sauces tend to thicken in the fridge. To reheat and thin the sauce out again, add a few tablespoons of milk to a shallow, wide pan and heat until the milk is warm but not yet simmering.
Immediately add the pasta to the milk on the stove and stir rapidly. This will help the sauce re-emulsify if it has separated. Remove from the heat and serve.
More Chicken Pasta Recipes
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Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Italian
Lemon Chicken Pasta
Moroccan and Tunisian
Moroccan-Inspired Chicken Couscous
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Creamy Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta (or pasta of your choice)
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 cup whole milk (or a creamy non-dairy alternative such as cashew cream), at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 2 packed cups baby spinach
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Boil a large pot of water and salt it well. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.
- Meanwhile, prep the chicken. Pat the chicken dry, then slice into bite-size pieces or strips. Season all over with the pepper, dried oregano, and a good dash of salt.
- Sear the chicken. In a large pan, heat about 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook, tossing occasionally until the chicken pieces are cooked through (they should have a delicious golden-brown hue), about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Flavor the chicken. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan with the chicken and stir it around for about 30 seconds or so, then add the grape tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Toss to combine and turn the heat to medium-low.
- Make the creamy pasta sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, flour, and Parmesan cheese. Pour the mixture into the pan and add the baby spinach. Add a little bit of the pasta cooking water (just a couple tablespoons or so) and give it a good stir, which releases the starch and makes the sauce creamy.
- Finish and serve. Add the pasta and mix to combine. Sprinkle on the parsley and serve.
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil, oregano, sun dried tomatoes, and pasta used in this recipe.
- Gluten-free option: Swap the pasta out for your favorite gluten-free brand, and use a cornstarch slurry or gluten-free flour instead of regular all-purpose flour.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Creamy sauces tend to thicken in the fridge. To reheat and thin the sauce out again:
- Add a few tablespoons of milk to a shallow, wide pan and heat until the milk is warm but not yet simmering.
- Immediately add the pasta to the milk on the stove and stir rapidly. This will help the sauce re-emulsify if it has separated. Remove from the heat and serve.
Love the sauce idea. I make something similar and can’t wait to try yours! For those saying that it’s not enough flavor, add capers and lemon juice/zest, a touch or oregano and roasted fresh red peppers with garlic. Or add in marinaded fresh asparagus and some feta and use a good olive oil. This is a great recipe with many variations to suit anyone’s palate 💜
Thanks for all those suggestions, Nicole.
Have leftover rotisserie chicken and was hoping this would work.. love your recipes
Absolutely delicious. How would this adapt to being cooked in an air fryer?
Hi, Glen. I’m not sure… it’s not something we’ve tried before. I don’t know how possible it would be to do with pasta. I recommend taking a look at your air-fryer’s instruction manual/recipe book for some guidance.
I made this recipe this past week and it was wonderful. What’s not to like with chicken, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and spinach in a creamy but light sauce. I followed recipe exactly except I added a bit more spinach. I found that letting the finished dish rest in a covered skillet helped to thicken the sauce up. My one tip of advice is to prep everything before you start as this dish comes together pretty fast.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback and for the great review!
Great recipe. I cooked the chicken in the sun dried tomato oil and substituted asparagus for the artichokes. Fantastic, will definitely make again.
Great recipe Suzy. It was all I could do to only have two servings at dinner tonight!!
This was pretty easy :)! The flavor is scrumptious. I modified slightly; I cooked the chicken in a bit of butter, as well as olive oil. Removed, THEN cut into bite size pieces. Using same pan, put in a little more butter and sauteed a bit of red onion and orange bell pepper I had floating in fridge, put the chicken back in, THEN mostly followed recipe. It’s a lot of cheese, but it worked. (I’m also a celiac, so used GF flour (King Arthur’s); & GF pasta (I like Barilla penne)).Thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing, Debra! Very helpful!
OMG! This was delicious! What a wonderful taste! I did use sun-dried tomatoes in oil. I add some of it to the chicken. This is a keeper!
You have terrific recipes
Thank You
Thanks, Stephanie!
I made this and followed the instructions. It was delicious and easy! I will definitely make this again.
I haven’t made this. Can you use sun-dried tomato in oil?
Sure, Stephanie. That should work fine!
Would low-fat milk work in this recipe?
Sure, Steve. I think that would work.
An excellent dish and so easy to make!
The flavors wee phenomenal…once again. I took some leftovers to work today. While heating it up, someone walking by stopped and said “that smells frickin’ delicious.” No lie!! This was my second recipe of yours within a couple days. Loved it!!
Followed recipe exactly. Kind of flavorless.
Easy & delicious, as always. I didn’t find the sauce too thin at all.
So easy to make and tastes delicious!