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.
VL
This dish was delicious! The one thing I will change next time is not add as much basil. I added some grated Parmesan cheese on top. Next, I am going to make this and substitute the chicken with Shrimp, then they time after that will be to cook its with both! Thanks!
Julia
VL, thank you so much for trying the recipe! Glad you enjoyed it - a sprinkle of grated Parmesan on top elevates any dish! This would work great with shrimp, too, in fact, I've made this:
https://juliasalbum.com/creamy-mozzarella-shrimp-pasta/
Pat
I made this and it was very very good!
Julia
Pat, thank you for trying the recipe and thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
Sandra Heindel
This recipe was a huge hit! My fussy Granddaughter loved it and she hates anything with chicken. I did do one substitution because I did not have sundried tomatoes. I used 1 1/3 cup drained petite diced tomatoes which was the recommended amount. Next time I will try making it with shrimp and possibly the spinach everyone else seems to like.
Julia
Sandra, so glad you and your granddaughter loved this recipe! Thank you for such a positive comment and the 5-stars! 🙂 Good to know drained diced tomatoes worked just as well as sun-dried tomatoes. And, yes, this would be delicious with shrimp - I have this recipe, too: https://juliasalbum.com/creamy-mozzarella-shrimp-pasta/
Eric
Do you make the sauce in the skillet with the chicken, or do you use a separate pan for the sauce and add it after?
Julia
Eric, I made the sauce in the same pan with the chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. The reason behind it is that the more fat content in the sauce, the creamier it would be when adding and melting cheese. So, don't overcook the chicken since it will continue cooking while you make the sauce!
Nina
Hi Julia,
I have a question about the mozarella. Why does it need to be pre shredded? Every other recipe that I've read says that preshredded cheese wont melt like fresh cheese will.Thanks, Nina
Julia
Nina, I think the more important thing about the Mozzarella is that you use Mozzarella labeled as part-skim, low-moisture (not the fresh kind!). Don't use fresh Mozzarella that comes in logs or balls. Use either a rectangular block of Mozzarella or pre-shredded cheese in bags.
I used pre-shredded in this recipe and other similar ones - and it worked great. And, I say "to use pre-shredded" only because at my local store, I am more likely to find pre-shredded part-skim, low-moisture Mozzarella than the one as a rectangular block of cheese. You can certainly shred your own!
Shawn
Turned out great, I was apprehensive about adding all the cheese in at once. Getting cheese to melt into a sauce is my nemesis when it comes to cooking. However this turned out fantastic. Thank you for a great recipe that everyone loved.
Julia
Shawn, you are very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment and the 5-stars! 🙂
Cassandra
I made this and added spinach. Made it for a family potluck now everyone wants the recipe. Turned out great!!
Julia
Cassandra, I am so flattered that this recipe was so popular at your family's potluck! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to comment and sharing this positive feedback with me. 🙂
Kat
Is this 1 tbs dried basil? Or fresh?
Julia
Kat, that's 1 tablespoon of dried basil.
Kk
I made this for dinner tonight. I used fresh basil and added crumbled bacon when serving. Delicious!
Julia
Glad you gave this recipe a try and loved it! 🙂 I bet it was delicious with fresh basil and crumbled bacon!
Cyn
Great, easy recipe. Have made this a few times now. Family loves it also.
Julia
I am so flattered by your comment. Glad your family loves it and thanks for the 5-star review! 🙂
Babs
I followed the recipe except that I also sauteed mushrooms and spinach with the tomatoes ( in the frig, had to be used up) . So quick and easy.We love it.
Julia
I am so happy this recipe was a success! Love the addition of mushrooms and spinach - sounds so good! And thank you for sharing such a positive comment and the 5-stars! 🙂
Karen
I tried this recipe tonight. The flavors were good, but my sauce had a grainy texture despite adding pasta water as suggested to thin it out. I wondered if bringing the half and half to a boil had something to do with it. Any suggestions for a smooth, velvety sauce?
Julia
Karen, here are some troubleshooting tips:
1) Next time, try using heavy cream instead of half-and-half. Sometimes, the sauce will curdle when there is not enough fat in the sauce.
2) Make sure the cheese is at room temperature. Before you start making the recipe, take the amount you need out of the fridge and set it out on the counter to warm up. Or, you might have to microwave it briefly (without, obviously, melting it in the microwave). Just bring the cheese to room temperature before adding it to the sauce.
3) Bring the sauce to a stable simmer (but not boil) - mix the sauce ingredients on a low simmer, slowly, and patiently. Do not boil the sauce - just simmer.
Mary Reed
This was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. We all loved it and will be making it again.
Julia
Mary, I am so flattered by your comment! Glad everyone loved this dish and thank you for the 5-stars! 🙂
Carol Witwer
Can I make this ahead and freeze it? Sounds fantastic!
Julia
Carol, because the sauce here involves cream and cheese, it doesn't freeze well. It will separate when thawed.
Caprice
I made this for my family. I did make a few adjustments. I could not find sun dried tomatoes so I used sun dried tomato pesto. I added the red pepper flakes to individual plates so it would not be too spicy for the kids. BTW the kids loved it!!!
Julia
Caprice, I am so glad you loved the recipe! Good to know that sun-dried tomato pesto worked well in this recipe. Great idea to let everyone spice up their own plate individually! 🙂
Laura
I made this for dinner and it was delicious..I definitely will make it again..it was very light considering the ingredients
Julia
Laura, I am glad you gave this recipe a try and that it was a success! 🙂
TM Soupa
I never follow recipes and because of that I rarely comment because on one as i do not think it to be fair. However, this recipe was a godsend for me. I have been looking to recreate one of my favorite dishes that my nonna made but I just couldnt get right. While this was not THE recipe, it seemed pretty darn close and because it was such a great find I will comment and hopefully others will appreciate it and appreciate the original posters kindness in sharing it with the world. That is what good chefs (home or profession) do - they cook to make others happy and to bring joy to others and then share that joy. Thank you Julia. So here are my changes that i did not to fault the recipe but to get it close to my Nonna's dish:
Admittedly I do not like sun dried tomatoes. This receipe changedd that WOW what a different and great flavor they have when they are sauteed. The 2nd round of this dish I doubled the amount of sundried tomatos, excluded chicken and replaced crushed red pepper with ground black pepper. When the dish was done I removed it from the heat and stirred in thinly sliced NYStrip steak prior to serving.
The steaks had rested for 5 minutes prior to slicing. The NYStrip was pre-seasoned with generous amounts of Montreal Steak seasoning and grilled to mid rare .
Julia
Wow, what a wonderfully written and positive comment - thank you so much! I think you are trying to win the prize for the best comment I have ever received on this recipe (or this website in general). 🙂
Glad this recipe made you like the sun-dried tomatoes (it's really one of my favorite ingredients). And I love that you served it with the thinly sliced NY Strip - that sounds really good!
And, thank you so much for taking the time to share your kindness through your words - it made my day so much better! 🙂