Sun-dried Tomato Pasta With Chicken
Best Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
This sun-dried tomato pasta with chicken recipe is for you if you love pasta, but sometimes you want it ready in no time without compromising the taste. Just like any one-pot dish, you don’t really need side dishes to enjoy it because it has everything you need in a meal, the carbs and the protein, with a bit of veggie goodness.
The best thing about this sun-dried tomato chicken pasta is that you can make it in less than 30 minutes. So it’s an ideal choice for one of those busy weeknights. Even better, you can also meal-prep this dish ahead so that you can enjoy it later in the week.
The punchy sundried tomatoes and the rich cheese cream make a delicious creamy pasta sauce that goes well with the succulent chicken. Enjoy it with your favorite pasta and create one of those comforting foods that you’ll want more and more.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Pasta in Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato
- Time-saving one-pot dish: You get carbs, protein, and a little veggies from this pasta dish, so you don’t have to cook many items. Hence, you don’t need to spend ages in the kitchen.
- Comforting flavor: The sweet tart taste of sundried tomatoes marries well with the creamy cheese that makes the pasta comfortingly delicious.
- Budget-friendly: All ingredients you need for this recipe are pretty basic and won’t break your bank. Most of them are probably already in your pantry.
Ingredients You Need
Here is the list of ingredients you need to make this comforting chicken pasta in creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. You can see that all of the items are pretty basic, and chances are you already have them in your pantry.
- Chicken thighs: You can always use chicken breasts or chicken legs, just make sure they are skinless and boneless to make the cooking easier and quicker.
- Ground black pepper.
- Salt.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Make sure you get a good-quality one. If possible, get the one from a deli, which tends to be fresher compared to the tin ones. You can also use sun-soaked tomatoes, which are not as ripe as the sun-dried ones and have a slightly milder taste.
- Garlic.
- Olive oil.
- Red pepper flakes: Feel free to swap them with cayenne pepper or ordinary red chili powder (such as Kashmiri red chili powder). Just make sure you add it with caution, as each may give a different level of spiciness to the dish.
- Pasta shells: Use other types of pasta if that’s what’s available to you. Penne, fusilli, rigatoni, or macaroni can be a good options. Choose the best quality pasta you can possibly get, as every pasta brand offers different tastes and textures. Plus, the cooking time can vary too.
- Cream cheese: It makes a flavorful, creamy sauce.
- Fresh basil leaves: A little fresh herbs always add extra flavor and delicious fragrance to the dish.
How to Make Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta With Chicken
Prepare 2 chicken thighs, clean and cut them into small pieces. Place the meat in a mixing bowl and pierce all over the chicken pieces with a skewer. Then add ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix well to make sure all chicken pieces are covered with seasoning. Set aside to marinate.
Place ½ cup of sundried tomatoes in a food chopper, then blitz until the tomatoes become pureed. And chopped the remaining ½ cup of sundried tomatoes. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet or large frying pan. Fry the sliced garlic for one minute before adding 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes.
When the spices become fragrant, add the chicken pieces and cook the chicken until it is slightly brown and almost cooked through.
Add the pureed sundried tomatoes to the chicken, stir well, and let it cook with the lid on for about 5 minutes at medium heat.
In the meantime, cook the pasta shells in boiling water until the pasta is al dente. Drain and set aside.
Season the chicken mixture with one teaspoon of salt and about ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
Add the cooked pasta shells to the chicken, and stir well.
Stir in 2 heaped tablespoons of cream cheese into the pasta.
Then add the remaining chopped sundried tomatoes and scatter some chopped fresh basil right before serving.
Tips and Tricks for Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
- I always pierce the meat that I use for my cooking for a few minutes. Whether it’s red meat, chicken, or even fish. The idea is to create “pores” on the meat so that the seasoning or marination can penetrate inside the meat and make it more flavorful. This trick also helps the flavor to develop quickly, so I don’t need to marinate the chicken or meat for a long time. 10 to 15 minutes is normally enough for me.
- Just like anything, the quality of our cooking ingredients matters. So, try to choose the best quality pasta and sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe.
- This recipe is like a one-pot dish that uses the stir-fry method. Get everything ready and put it within your reach before you start, so that you can cook quickly as soon as you begin.
Storing and Reheating Matter
You can keep this chicken pasta in sun-dried tomato sauce in an airtight container once it’s cooled down and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If needed, you can also freeze the pasta up to 6 weeks. Make sure you thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before you have it.
To reheat this chicken pasta, you can add a tablespoon of water to the dish and reheat it in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes or until it’s piping hot, depending on your microwave. If you want to reheat it on the stovetop, make sure you keep stirring the pasta.
More Ideas for Carb Chicken Recipes
If you need some inspiration for what to cook with chicken that has carbs in it, you can try Chicken Biryani, Chicken Tikka Biryani, Chicken Fried Rice, or Roasted Tomato and Chicken Quinoa Salad.
Sundried Tomato Pasta With Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs.
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
- ¼ teaspoon salt.
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes.
- 1 clove garlic finely sliced.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes.
- 7 ounces pasta shells.
- 2 heaped tablespoons cream cheese.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- A handful of basil leaves optional, roughly chopped.
Instructions
- Prepare 2 chicken thighs, clean and cut them into small pieces. Place the meat in a mixing bowl and pierce all over the chicken pieces with a skewer. Then add ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix well to make sure all chicken pieces are covered with seasoning. Set aside to marinate.
- Place ½ cup of sundried tomatoes in a food chopper, then blitz until the tomatoes become pureed. And chopped the remaining ½ cup of sundried tomatoes. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or large frying pan. Fry the sliced garlic for one minute before adding 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes.
- When the spices become fragrant, add the chicken pieces and stir-fry until the chicken is slightly brown and almost cooked through.
- Add the pureed sundried tomatoes to the chicken, stir well, and let it cook with the lid on for about 5 minutes at medium-high heat.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta shells in boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Season the chicken mixture with one teaspoon of salt and about ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
- Add the cooked pasta shells to the chicken, and stir well.
- Stir in 2 heaped tablespoons of cream cheese into the pasta.
- Then add the remaining chopped sundried tomatoes and scatter some chopped fresh basil right before serving.
Notes
- You can use any other part of the chicken, such as breasts or legs.
Carefully choose your sundried tomatoes as the quality can differ from brand to brand. Some can have really strong taste that you may not need the whole cup for this recipe. Stick to the one you like. - Feel free to use different shapes of pasta, such as penne, fusilli, or macaroni, which can be your options.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional info in this recipe is only estimate using online calculator. You should refer to it as a guide only. Please verify with your own data if you seek an accurate info.
