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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
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!
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 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.
This recipe was originally published in October 2014 and updated in 2018.
I made the mozzarella and paste and it was good. Do you have recipes for 2 people
Made this for the first time today. It was so delicious! Will be making again.
Why do you recommend pre shredded cheese? I find it has a waxy texture so I never buy shredded cheese of any kind.
I came to the comments to find out the same thing. I use fresh mozzarella in all of my recipes.
Hi Charlene! I use either pre-shredded Mozzarella cheese or I buy a rectangular block of Mozzarella and shred it myself. The key is to use Mozzarella labeled as "low-moisture, part-skim". If you use fresh Mozzarella (which is usually softer Mozzarella sold as a large ball or small balls "pearls") - that will not work well for melting in the sauce in this recipe.
Made this recipe tonight. My husband and I both loved it. Will definitely make this again.
My family didn't like the sun dried tomatoes in it. I liked it but did need more flavors. Added more garlic and red pepper. Worth trying if you like tomatoes.
We loved this recipe. I did add more onion and doubled the sundried tomatoes with a pinch of ground red pepper instead of flakes. I also used GF penne pasta. Next time I think I'll add some wilted spinach at the end. I'll make this one again and again.
Hi made this in a pan and was awesome how do or can I make this in a slow cooker please
Thank you for such a great recipe and making me appear to be a great cook!! Absolutely delicious! I get so many compliments when I make it. I do add more garlic and sun dried tomatoes because I love them.
Basil? Is that fresh or dried basil
Hi Maggie! I used dried basil in this recipe, but fresh would be even better!
Can I make this with out the cream?
Hi Gloria, there are so many options here. You could try using evaporated milk - it's much lower in fat than heavy cream or cream. Another option is to mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1 cup of milk, gradually heating it until it thickens (that will replace 1 cup of heavy cream). You could also substitute Greek yogurt for heavy cream; just add it towards the end of the recipe and heat it gently without bringing it to a boil.
Or, use cashew milk or unsweetened coconut milk for dairy-free option.
This was delicious! My entire family loved it. Love your recipes Julia
Thank you, Cat, you are so sweet! 🙂
This is delish! I doubled the garlic (or tripled) but I always do that. So good.
Hi Amanda, I am that person too who always doubles or triples the garlic!
Everything curdled. Sounds good. Needs better directions!
Hi Laura, here are some troubleshooting tips:
➡️ 1) Before adding the cheese, bring the cream to a quick boil but immediately reduce it to a simmer (the lowest heat setting at which the sauce still simmers but without violently boiling). Then, gradually add the cheese. It's important that the sauce should be hot. At the same time, it should not be violently boiling. This is one of the most common reasons why the sauce separates. You can also heat the liquid part of the sauce until it's hot, then turn off the heat, and add cheese gradually off heat.
➡️ 2) You did use pre-shredded mozzarella (labeled as part-skim, low-moisture)? Not the fresh kind (usually sold as soft balls or logs)?
➡️ 3) Bring shredded mozzarella to room temperature before using it in the recipe. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to making this recipe.
➡️ 4) If the sauce did separate, you can somewhat salvage it by a) adding some heavy cream to add creaminess; b) serving your pasta dish with lots of grated Parmesan sprinkled on top (and some of the grated cheese mixed into the sauce) to disguise the "broken" texture of the sauce.
Tasted awesome. I used a sundried tomato marinated chicken and added mushrooms and onions
Yay! Love to hear this - thanks, Lisa!
Recipe makes no sense. Do you add the cream to the pan with the chicken or remove the chicken? Literally turned into a giant ball of mozzerella. Not a creamy sauce.
Did you use mozzarella cheese labeled as "part-skim, low-moisture"? It's usually sold as a solid rectangular block of cheese or it's pre-shredded in the bag.
Do not use fresh mozzarella (that is soft and shaped like a ball or a log).
Very bland!
Bland can easily be remedied by adding more spice that appeals to you. The recipe is a basic starting point for anyone to enjoy. Make it your own. Our family loved it as is!