Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta That Tastes Like You Booked a Table

It is 6:40 on a Wednesday, the penne water is just starting to mutter, and the only thing in your fridge with any ambition is a jar of sun-dried tomatoes. This creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta runs 25 minutes from start to plate, and it tastes like you made a reservation. We won't tell if you let them think so.

Seared chicken, garlic, a little tomato sweetness and cream, all of it tossed into one skillet.

You boil the penne while the chicken sears, so the two meet at the end like they planned it. The skillet does the rest: the golden bits left behind by the chicken go into the cream, and the sun-dried tomatoes lend it a sweet, almost jammy backbone. It is the sort of dinner that makes a Wednesday feel like a date you did not have to dress for.

How to make it

1. Cook 12 oz penne pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente, about 10 minutes, then drain.
2. Cut 1 lb boneless chicken breast into pieces, season with salt and black pepper, and sear in 2 tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 6 minutes until golden.
3. Add 4 cloves minced garlic and 0.5 cups sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet and cook 2 minutes until fragrant.
4. Pour 1 cup heavy cream into the skillet and simmer 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Toss the cooked penne into the skillet and stir to coat evenly for 2 minutes.
6. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste, then serve immediately.

Notes

Leftover creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta keeps three to four days in the fridge, per USDA FSIS. The sauce tightens as it cools, so loosen it with a splash of milk or water when you reheat, and warm it gently over low heat rather than blasting it. Cream sauces can turn grainy after freezing, so this one is better planned for the fridge than the freezer.

On day two the garlic and tomato settle in and the flavor reads a bit rounder. Make a little extra and the leftovers become tomorrow's lunch.

The chicken is cut into pieces before it hits the pan, which is a feature: small pieces sear fast and take on color everywhere. Give them room in the skillet and leave them alone for the first minutes so they brown instead of steam. Cooked through means 165°F inside, per USDA, and a quick cut into the thickest piece settles any doubt.

Swaps that actually work

The point of this creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta is the tomato and the cream. Leave those two alone and everything else is negotiable.

Penne is not sacred, and the agent will not sulk if you swipe right on rigatoni instead. Rigatoni, rotini or any short pasta with a hollow or a twist will hold the sauce. Long noodles work too if that is what is in the cupboard, though short shapes carry the cream better.

If your sun-dried tomatoes come dry instead of packed in oil, soak them in hot water for a few minutes and drain them before they go in the skillet. If they come packed in oil, a spoonful of that oil makes a fine stand-in for part of the cooking oil. Chop them smaller if you want the flavor in every bite instead of in a few of them.

Chicken thighs, cut into pieces, will sear in the same way, and they stay a little more forgiving if you wander off to answer a text. A handful of spinach stirred in at the end turns the bowl greener, and it wilts into the sauce without a complaint. A spoonful of the pasta cooking water, if you saved some, loosens things up in one stir.

The swap that costs you the dish: swapping the heavy cream for milk. Milk can split in a hot skillet and tends not to build that glossy coat. If you want it lighter, serve a smaller bowl with a big salad, not a thinner sauce.

If it goes wrong

The sauce is thin and slides off the pasta. It did not simmer long enough, or the heat was too low. Let it bubble gently a few more minutes until it coats the back of a spoon, then toss the pasta in. The starch on the penne tightens it further.

The sauce is oily around the edges. The heat ran too high and the cream separated, which is what happens when you rush a good thing. Take the skillet off the burner, stir in a splash of the pasta water or a spoonful of cold cream, and stir briskly until it comes back together.

The chicken is pale and a bit rubbery. The pan was crowded or not hot enough, so the pieces steamed. Next time sear in two batches. For tonight, a minute or two more in the cream finishes them, and the sauce hides plenty.

It tastes flat. Reach for salt first. Season with additional salt and black pepper a little at a time, tasting after each pinch. If it is salted and still sleepy, a squeeze of lemon wakes it up.

What to serve with it

The default partner is a big green salad with something sharp in the dressing, because the pasta is rich and you want a counterpoint. A loaf of crusty bread for chasing the last of the sauce around the bowl is not a bad idea either.

Better than the default: a pile of roasted broccoli or green beans next to it, and a glass of something cold and crisp. A shower of grated cheese on top is optional and entirely welcome.

For the thing in the fridge that lifts it, fresh basil torn over the bowl does a lot of work for almost no effort. The next day it makes a good lunch, cold or warmed, as long as you remember the splash of milk.

Why this one earns its place

You swipe it on a Sunday, and by Wednesday the agent has already filled the Kroger or Walmart cart, so the weeknight version of you only has to boil water. It reads as a dinner for two even when it is a dinner for one: cream, garlic, a bowl you can lose yourself in.

It is also a good pick when you cannot decide between pasta night and chicken night, because it lets you have both and not feel like you chose. Swipe right on creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta and the decision is made, with no second guessing in the cereal aisle.

If you want more where this came from, try Chicken Alfredo, the glossy and decidedly dressed-up Marry Me Chicken, or the quick weeknight dinner ideas we keep around for nights like this one.

More like this: all Italian recipes in Crave Corner.