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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 recipe was originally published in October 2014 and updated in 2018.
Not only did your chicken pasta look amazing, I scrolled own and saw the others and my jaw literally DROPPED! I'm trying every single one!
May I have a printable copy of this recipe? My computer does not move add it is hard to follow on my online. It looks amazing add I can't wait to try it!!!!!
Unfortunately this was a fail for us and definitely not worth the price for ingredients. As stunningly beautiful as the pictures are, it was not as delicious as it looks nor was it flavorful enough. I'm glad I broadened my horizons by trying it, but I will not be making this again 🙁
A fabulous recipe! I agree with other comments, it's an expensive one to make as sun-dried tomatoes aren't cheap. I live in Australia and I paid nearly $10 for a jar. But the dish was awesome and tasted amazing. It's one of those special treat recipes. Will definitely make again. To me the basil is a must. It really adds to the dish. Thanks!
Are there any substitutes for the half&half? Can I use regular milk?
I made this for dinner and it was a huge hit. So many variations possible. THANKS!!
Made this for my family and all I have is two words. YUM and EASY! I wouldn't change one thing about this recipe. The only thing was couldn't find regular whole sun dried tomatoes at my local grocery store, so I got the Julienne Cut sun dried tomatoes with Italian seasoning and never had to cut them, and I believe they gave the right amount of extra flavor. All the flavors exploded into my mouth with every bite and it was amazing. Was ready in under a half hour on my first try, so I imagine in the future this will be an easy 20 minute meal.
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious- just wanted to say thanks for the great recipe! My husband, a notoriously picky eater with an unusual distaste for eating "leftovers" said he can't wait to eat the remains for lunch tomorrow 🙂
I made this last night. I used only 1/2 cup half and half, and 1/2 cup chicken stock. It was good, but it needs more seasoning, or maybe a mix of cheeses as opposed to just mozzarella.
I just made this recipe for dinner and followed every instruction as written. The only thing I did different was seasoned my chicken as I normally would with more than just salt. I found it very delicious and so did my family. Thank you for this recipe.
Was Delicious!! But why did it not come out so creamy. I added dry sundried tomatoes not in oil bought in jar. Is that why? I did all the recipe said. My husband said I have to make this dish at least one time a month. He loved it !! Thanks!! :)))
I wouldn't be able to say for sure why yours didn't come out as creamy but I actually use heavy whipping cream instead of half and half, then add more mozzarella. If it turns out to be TOO creamy, you can just add more water like the recipe says. This really helped with mine being deliciously creamy and when in doubt add more and more cheese!! Also I used sun-dried tomatoes that were already dry too, and I just soaked them, then drained to help it cook easier with the other ingredients in a pan. Hope that helps!
Can I make this in the crockpot and just add cooked noodles later?
Made this tonight for my family, it turned out very well. I went a little heavier on the cheese, I love my pasta cheesy, and I gave the chicken a pretty good sprinkle of the paprika and red pepper flakes which gave it a nice kick, we went a touch more on the basil too, otherwise followed the recipe exactly including draining the sundried tomatoes well, even squeezed some of the oil out of them and used to fry the chicken and tomatoes. The flavors blended well and my kids loved it and said I need to make it again. We used nice boneless chicken breasts cut up into salad sized pieces. Enough leftovers for everyone to have lunch tomorrow too, I doubled the recipe and am I ever glad I did!