Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes - Italian-inspired dinner with the best homemade creamy pasta sauce! The sun-dried tomato pasta sauce is made from scratch using basil, red pepper flakes, garlic, paprika, cream, and shredded Mozzarella cheese.
I am a huge fan of pasta, and some of the most popular pasta recipes on this site include this chicken mozzarella pasta that you are reading right now, creamy chicken pasta with bacon, and pesto chicken pasta. One thing all these pasta recipes have in common is that they use creamy, comforting sauces.
If you want to try chicken pasta that is more refreshing, without the creamy sauce, I whole-heartedly recommend family favorite chicken pasta with spinach and tomatoes or super flavorful Italian sausage pasta.
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken
- This recipe features sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Both ingredients are popular in Italy and in the Mediterranean region.
- The most prominent flavor in this recipe is the homemade sun-dried tomato sauce. The sauce is made from scratch by combining cream with shredded Mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes.
- Cooked chicken and penne pasta are then smothered in this delicious creamy Mozzarella pasta sauce. There is enough sauce to coat every single bite.
Ingredients for sun-dried tomato sauce
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes
- olive oil
- salt
- paprika
- basil
- 1 cup half-and-half (or ½ cup heavy cream + ½ cup milk)
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
How to make sun-dried tomato sauce
- In a large skillet, cook 3 cloves of minced garlic and 4 oz of chopped sun-dried tomatoes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil on high-medium heat for about 1 minute.
- Add ½ cup of heavy cream + ½ cup of milk (or 1 cup of half-and-half) to the same skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer.
- Add 1 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese.
- Simmer and stir until the cheese melts and forms a creamy pasta sauce.
- Add 1 tablespoon of dried basil, paprika, and at least ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Season with about ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Cooking Tips
- Use either sun-dried tomatoes without oil or sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar). Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them.
- Sprinkle a small amount of paprika over the chicken before cooking - it adds flavor as well as the color to the dish.
- Make sure to reserve some pasta water as you will DEFINITELY need it to thin out the cream sauce.
- Feel free to increase the amount of spices for this recipe: basil, red pepper flakes, paprika. This will make the sun-dried tomato sauce even more flavorful!
- Make sure to season the chicken mozzarella pasta with just the right amount of salt. That means you might have to add more salt. Salt will enhance the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
How to Make Chicken Mozzarella Pasta
1) In a large skillet, on medium heat sauté garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in the olive oil. Remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the skillet.
2) Season sliced chicken with salt and paprika.
3) Add the chicken to the skillet and cook on high heat.
4) Add back the sun-dried tomatoes. Add half-and-half and shredded Mozzarella cheese.
5) Bring the mixture to boil, then reduce to simmer and stir the sun-dried tomato sauce until the cheese melts.
6) Add spices: basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt.
7) Add cooked and drained penne pasta and stir to combine.
More recipes featuring sun-dried tomato pasta
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Mozzarella Sauce features shrimp instead of chicken.
- Asiago Chicken Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach - this sun-dried tomato pasta is made even more flavorful with the addition of Asiago cheese and spinach.
- Scallop Pasta features scallops - another protein you can use in place of chicken in a recipe that is otherwise very similar to this one.
- Creamy Mozzarella Pasta with Smoked Sausage is a great choice if you want to make the same pasta with sausage.
- Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Pasta is the meatless version of this recipe.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Creamy Mozzarella Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breast tenderloins , sliced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup half and half (or use ½ cup heavy cream + ½ cup milk)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded (do not use fresh Mozzarella, use pre-shredded Mozzarella)
- 8 oz penne pasta (for gluten free, use gluten free brown rice pasta)
- 1 tablespoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup reserved cooked pasta water or more
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, sauté garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar) for 1 minute on medium heat until the garlic is fragrant.
- Remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the skillet, leaving the olive oil.
- Add sliced chicken (salted and lightly covered in paprika for color) and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain the pasta.
- Slice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller pieces and add them back to the skillet with chicken.
- To make creamy pasta sauce, add half-and-half (see substitution for half-and-half in the Recipe Notes section below) and Mozzarella cheese to the skillet, and bring to a gentle boil.
- Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly stirring, until all cheese melts and creamy sauce forms.
- Add cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce, and stir to combine.
- Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and at least ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- If the creamy sauce is too thick: Add about ½ cup of reserved cooked pasta water to the skillet to thin it out. Do not add all of pasta water at once - you might need less or more of it.
- Season the chicken pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, to taste, if needed. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.
- Note: Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
Notes
- What is half-and-half? Substitute ½ cup of milk + ½ cup of heavy cream for 1 cup of half-and-half.
- If using sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained olive oil.
- Do not use fresh Mozzarella. Fresh Mozzarella is usually sold as a large ball or small balls in a brine or water solution. Do not shred fresh Mozzarella. Use pre-shredded Mozzarella cheese sold in bags.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was a HUGE hit with my husband and teenage son. I was asked to put it in the favourite meals.. Thank you very much!
I’m not a great cook but I have been trying to learn more recipes and not rely on takeout/delivery or frozen meals.
This recipe was pretty quick & easy to make (will be even easier next time), tasted delicious. My husband said it’s his favorite meal I’ve ever made for him! Definitely will be making this again.
I followed the recipe exactly but I didn’t actually measure the salt or red pepper flakes. I’m sure I used a little more than the 1/4 Ts the recipe states though, to my personal taste preference. I did not need any of the reserved pasta water but do recommend you keep it available in case you want the sauce thinned out a little.
I will be trying it with fresh basil, because it rocks! Hmmmm, not sure about the bargain brand mozz. I always have better luck with the fresh mozz. Will keep you informed!
This was very good. I added more liquid and cheese to make more sauce and added chopped spinach at the end for some additional color and a bit of extra nutrients. I'll definitely be working this into the rotation!
Delicious and easy to prepare when you have all the ingredients.
This is delicious and I will be making it again and again. I suggest increasing the sauce because you are going to want more of that!
My husband absolutely loved this! My picky kids wouldn't try it but this time, thats fine by me, more for us!! One question for more sauce, double everything minus the chicken or chicken and roasted tomatoes? What would you do for lots of extra sauce?
Love this recipe! I've made it twice in the last month. I added some bacon and onion. Also doubled the 1\2 & 1\2 to make it saucier. I used a large pasta but I think it would be great with angel hair.
Equally lovely in its cruelty-free version with plant-based chicken strips!!! 🙂
Delicious and uncomplicated. I may grate some Parmesan or Romano into the sauce next time for a little bite, as we don’t care for red pepper flakes. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Linda, so glad you gave this recipe a try! Adding grated Parmesan would be delicious! ❤️
Simply delicious, recipe is a keeper! Easy to follow and make. Made it for dinner, we loved it. Thank you for sharing!
Patricia, so glad this recipe was a success! ❤️
Question : Is it fresh or dried basil?
Rozanne, I used dried basil.
I tried fresh basil, but the basil flavor seems to get lost in the other flavors.
Made this for family get together and it was amazing!
Can this be made ahead
Anne, I wouldn't make this ahead because cheese-based creamy sauces don't reheat well. They thicken and/or separate.
Linda, thank you for this wonderful review! 🙂
Can I use chicken thighs in this recipe?
Why do you say to not use fresh mozzarella? I would never buy the pre-shredded stuff. They coat it in silicone to prevent clumping. Gross.
Tiffany, when I say not to use fresh Mozzarella, I mean soft Mozzarella balls that are sold in tubs of water.
What I used was Mozzarella labeled as Part-Skim, Low-Moisture. It is sold either as pre-shredded or as a rectangular block of cheese that you can shred yourself. You can use either. Just don't use fresh Mozzarella.
It is not clear to me why you can't use fresh mozzerella? How about if you use fresh mozz w/out the water it comes with. Pray tell...
Andra, yes, you can use skinless boneless chicken thighs.
Love this. I am wondering if it can be frozen.
Marsha, I wouldn't recommend freezing cheese-based creamy sauce. They lose their texture and don't reheat well at all.
I don't know if I somehow went wrong somewhere but 8oz of pasta for the 4 servings recipe was NOT enough pasta, I have so much extra sauce! That said the flavor was PHENOMENAL so this is still getting a full 5 stars. Like, absolutely insane how tasty this came out, just wish I'd had more pasta to soak up all that fabulous sauce!
Thanks for sharing! I can count on one hand the amount of recipes I've made that I've found randomly searching google that actually came out good enough to make a second time. Will DEFINITELY be making this again!
Kristi, I love reading rave review like this - thank you! ❤️
I do personally like to have more sauce and less pasta, so feel free to add more pasta next time!