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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.
So yummy! I just made it a bit healthier... didn’t sauté in oil. Used 1% milk and 2T cornstarch and 1T Better Than Bouillon. Also didn’t use the mozzarella. Still really tasty!
Glad you enjoyed this recipe!
The flavor of this was really good, but the sauce was really grainy. I’m not sure what made it that way, I followed the instructions exactly.
Did you use low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella cheese?
Made this recipe for the first time today! Super easy to to follow and absolutely delicious! I have 2 kids and quick/ easy meals are my go-to! Definitely will be a staple in our home. Thank you!
You are very welcome! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Your pasta recipes are pure perfection!!!
Thank you!
This was my first time cooking with sun-dried tomatoes, and I was super excited going in, and was not disappointed! This has immediately become me and my husband's new favorite, and it was super easy! Great flavor, not a lot of prep time (or time at all) and wonderful cheesy sauce. WILL make again!
Thank you so much for such a wonderful comment! I am glad you tried this recipe and enjoyed it! 🙂
Is there a way I could make the sauce lower calorie? Could I use almond milk. Instead of half and half or maybe use light whipping cream and almond milk?
In the printed recipe, it says to drain the sun dried tomatoes and reserve 2 tablespoons of the oil. It does not say what I am using this oil for. Any ideas?
Yes it says if you're using oil packed sun dried tomatoes reserve the 2 Tbs of oil from the jar.
That is what you are sauteeing the garlic and tomatoes in if you buy the jarred kind in oil. If the tomatoes you buy are not in oil, then just use your own olive oil.
It says you can saute the garlic and sundried tomatoes in it. Mine were dry so I used regular olive oil
Yes, if you use sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, use the olive oil from the jar to saute garlic with sun-dried tomatoes.
Use the reserved olive oil from sun-dried tomatoes for cooking the sun-dried tomatoes with garlic and cooking the chicken.
Super easy and yummy. I used fresh mozzarella and it turned out great. I cook the chicken breast in the oven with the broiler, to make it more like grilled chicken. Overall will make again and again!
So happy you liked this recipe! Thank you for such a wonderful comment!
While making this recipe I wasn't sure I would like it. But wow my husband and I really enjoyed it! Will definitely make again.
So happy you tried this recipe and enjoyed it!
Can I make it with diced tomatoes added? I’m making it for 12 people and don’t want it dried out?
I suppose you could add diced tomatoes but I would still use the sundried tomatoes also for their flavor. I might make 1 1/2 or double the sauce to keep from drying out.
Or you could use both regular tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes.
Can this be prepared ahead of time and then baked in the oven?
Yes, you can do that. Reheat the pasta in the oven using a gentle heat setting to prevent the sauce from boiling and separating.
Can’t I reheat a portion In my microwave?c
You can, using a gentle setting and reheat it for a short time. Reheat for 20 seconds at a time to make sure the sauce does not get overheated and lose its texture.
Can I use regular chicken breasts instead of the tenderloin?
This is my second time making this dish and I used chicken breast all the time. I slice it thin and comes out great! My little boys favorite dish. I also used fresh mozzarella and grated it and it fine. Just have to press in pan to melt better. Came out delish!
Sure, but I would cut them down smaller so they cook properly
You could use chicken breasts - make sure to slice them thin. You can slice them thin after you cook them.
Yes, you can use regular chicken breasts (boneless, skinless). Make sure to slice them thinly after you cook them.
This recipe was absolutely amazing. The whole family loved it, even the picky 3 yr old. We will be adding this to our menu. Thank you
So glad you enjoyed this pasta dish! Thank you for the comment!
I did a variation that I think knocks this already wonderful recipe out of the park. I browned one link of crumbled Italian sausage after the chicken and added it to this dish. Also threw a crown or two of broccoli into my pasta while boiling for the last 5 min to add some a veggie to this dish. Just WOW! So much much flavor.
Love your additions! The additions of Italian sausage and broccoli sound so good!