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.
Khatara Raz
Awesome recipe! So easy to follow and tastes AMAZING. I didn't have basil so I used store-packaged pesto and threw in some spinach-it was perfect. Definitely recommend making!!
Julia
Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing such positive feedback! So glad you liked this recipe! Love the idea of using store-packaged pesto here!
Roy Daring
Is it possible to use bone in chicken legs with this recipe?
Julia
You could but keep in mind that chicken legs cook longer than chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins, so the cooking times will have to be adjusted. I have one recipe on this site where I cooked chicken legs in a creamy sauce. Take a look here: https://juliasalbum.com/easy-chicken-legs-creamy-mushroom-sauce/
Lauren
Why won’t this work if I shred the cheese myself? I bought a block of mozzarella and then I saw the note at the bottom of the recipe. Thanks!
Julia
If you bought soft fresh Mozzarella cheese (usually sold as big or small balls) - don't use that in this recipe. If you bought a solid block of Mozzarella (it should be labeled as low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella and should be a solid block of cheese not soft like Mozzarella balls) - you can use that to shred it.
The key is to use low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella - whether it's in a solid block form or pre-shredded. Don't use soft fresh Mozzarella cheese balls.
Saqib
Looking So Gorgeous..... Going to try on this weekend.
Julia
Enjoy!
Mary Tognazzini
HOW DO I PIN YOUR RECIPES?
Ella
Recipe looks great. If your looking for a nice easy way to spruce this up garlic is always a great option, but I’ve found that McCormick “salt free” seasonings are tasty! I’d use the roasted red pepper and garlic seasoning with this recipe. I might even add some spinach which I do often with saucy dishes. Hope this came out good for you!
Julia
Great suggestions, Ella! Thank you for sharing such positive and helpful feedback!
Mag
Very nice recipe, tastes really good. A keeper!
Julia
I am so glad you liked it! 🙂
Shantel Mani
Thank you so much for recipe!!! It’s was soo yummy and amazing!!!! I added extra mozzarella cheese make it more creamy!!!!!
nelly
Looks delicious. Can i add bell pepper into this??
Annie
Maybe I did not follow the recipe correctly? But I think I did and the sauce was completely separate. Oil on top and cheese in weird chunks. Had to throw it out.
Ella
Hi Annie, I’m no professional cook, but I’ve learned over the years that using a block of cheese and grating it yourself at home actually melts better in sauces. If I’m not mistaken pre shredded cheese is coated with some type of powder to keep it separated which makes it clump up sometimes. I’m not sure if that’s the case here or not, just something I’ve noticed with my own cooking. Hope this helps a little. I’m going to try and make this one over the weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed it comes out good.
Julia
Great suggestions! Yes, I would also recommend using a block of Mozzarella cheese (not the Mozzarella balls), and shredding it. Also, make sure to use low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella (not the Mozzarella balls).
Miranda
Would you mind adding a link or a description of the pasta you used? Most penne pasta doesn't look like the picture. Thanks
Darci
Loved this recipe!!! It turned out perfect and was so flavorful. My whole family enjoyed it and I will definitely be adding it to my recipe list. I followed the recipe as written and was super happy with how it turned out. Thank you!
Jessica S.
Amazing, easy recipe! This tasted like restaurant quality pasta- exactly what the doctor ordered on a chilly fall night with some nice red wine. I made the recipe with thin sliced cutlets and a ton of crushed red pepper. I subbed fresh basil but followed the rest of the recipe as written.
Terese
This was a nightmare. The cheese clung to the chicken never turned into a cream sauce. What a waste!
Ella
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Hi Terese, I’m no professional cook, but I’ve learned over the years that using a block of cheese and grating it yourself at home actually melts better in sauces. If I’m not mistaken pre shredded cheese is coated with some type of powder to keep it separated which makes it clump up sometimes. I’m not sure if that’s the case here or not, just something I’ve noticed with my own cooking. Hope this helps a little. I’m going to try and make this one over the weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed it comes out good.
Julia
Ella, thank you again for such a helpful comment. Yes, I would also recommend using a block of cheese, and shredding it. Also, make sure to use low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella (not the Mozzarella that looks like a ball).
Tifb
This recipe has zero flavor as written. I had to doctor it up quite a bit.
Brianna Stein
In what ways? I was getting ready to make this! More garlic? More red pepper?