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    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Mozzarella

    By Julia | Updated: May 05, 2024 | Published: Jan 30, 2018 | 1,251 Comments

    4.1M shares
    • Facebook110.7K
    Jump to Recipe Print SaveSaved!
    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

    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.

    chicken mozzarella penne pasta with sun-dried tomatoes on a white plate

     
    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.

    Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes in a stainless steel skillet

    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

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Add 1 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese.
    4. Simmer and stir until the cheese melts and forms a creamy pasta sauce.
    5. Add 1 tablespoon of dried basil, paprika, and at least ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
    6. Season with about ¼ teaspoon of salt.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken  on a white plate

    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.

    sun-dried tomatoes and cooked chicken in a stainless steel skillet

    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.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken in a stainless steel skillet

    6) Add spices: basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt.

    7) Add cooked and drained penne pasta and stir to combine.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken on a white plate

    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 chicken pasta with mozzarella cream sauce
    4.74 from 1733 votes

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Creamy Mozzarella Sauce

    This easy Italian-inspired Chicken Mozzarella Pasta features sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, and paprika.  The sun-dried tomato sauce is the star of this recipe!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 641 kcal
    Author: Julia

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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 Information
    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Creamy Mozzarella Sauce
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    641
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    24
    g
    37
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    9
    g
    56
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    117
    mg
    39
    %
    Sodium
     
    700
    mg
    30
    %
    Potassium
     
    1626
    mg
    46
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    62
    g
    21
    %
    Fiber
     
    5
    g
    21
    %
    Sugar
     
    12
    g
    13
    %
    Protein
     
    43
    g
    86
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    810
    IU
    16
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    13.7
    mg
    17
    %
    Calcium
     
    258
    mg
    26
    %
    Iron
     
    3.9
    mg
    22
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    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.

    Keyword chicken mozzarella pasta, sun-dried tomato pasta

    This recipe was originally published in October 2014 and updated in 2018.

    « Spinach Artichoke Pasta with Chicken
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    4.1M shares
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Cherie

      May 13, 2025 at 1:13 pm

      Can this be made with orzo instead of the pasta? If so, how much orzo?

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 17, 2025 at 11:58 am

        Hi Cherie! This would be so good with orzo! I would use 1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo.

        Reply
        • Cherie

          May 19, 2025 at 12:06 pm

          Thank you! Can’t wait to make this!

          Reply
          • Julia

            May 20, 2025 at 12:14 pm

            Let me know how it turns out!!

            Reply
    2. Ian

      April 30, 2025 at 1:00 am

      A full cup of mozzarella is insane. It ruins the whole pasta. Do not recomend

      Reply
    3. xinhulian

      April 25, 2025 at 2:33 am

      good!

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 08, 2025 at 5:36 pm

        Awesome!

        Reply
    4. Ulrica Westman-Ife

      April 19, 2025 at 11:43 am

      Hi Julia
      How do I change this recipe to Metric? I've managed to do it with your other recipes but can't see that option for this one. Thank you! ☺️

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 08, 2025 at 6:28 pm

        I will look into this!

        Reply
    5. Bruce Porter

      March 24, 2025 at 3:14 pm

      Fast and easy with flavors that are restaurant quality!

      Enjoy

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 25, 2025 at 2:09 pm

        Thank you, Bruce, for your review, I appreciate it! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Laurie Plouffe

      February 24, 2025 at 8:53 am

      I have made this recipe three times since discovering it about 6 weeks ago. So easy and delicious!

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 25, 2025 at 3:34 pm

        So glad you've enjoyed this recipe, Laurie! Thanks for your review! ❤️

        Reply
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    Julia is the author of JuliasAlbum.com (a food blog focused on easy dinner recipes, pasta dishes, salads made with seasonal ingredients). In this photo, Julia is pictured wearing a yellow sweater against an Autumn background.

    Hi, I'm Julia!

    I am a full-time food blogger living in beautiful Colorado. I focus primarily on savory recipes (protein-based & fiber-rich main dishes, pasta, salads) using fresh & seasonal ingredients. A food blogger since 2012, I help home cooks create well-balanced and visually appealing dinners (many of which are 30-minute ONE-PAN meals). Find out more about me and my cooking philosophy. 

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