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    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken and Mozzarella

    Published: Jan 30, 2018 / 973 Comments

    4.1M shares
    • Facebook110.7K
    Recipe Print

    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.

    chicken mozzarella penne pasta with sun-dried tomatoes on a white plate
    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.

    Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes in a stainless steel skillet

    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

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Add 1 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese.
    4. Simmer and stir until the cheese melts and forms a creamy pasta sauce.
    5. Add 1 tablespoon of dried basil, paprika, and at least ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
    6. Season with about ¼ teaspoon of salt.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken  on a white plate

    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.

    sun-dried tomatoes and cooked chicken in a stainless steel skillet

    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.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken in a stainless steel skillet

    6) Add spices: basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt.

    7) Add cooked and drained penne pasta and stir to combine.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken on a white plate

    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 chicken pasta with mozzarella cream sauce
    4.79 from 734 votes

    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!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 641 kcal
    Author: Julia

    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.

    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.

    Keyword chicken mozzarella pasta, sun-dried tomato pasta
    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
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    Please share your comment and Star Rating in the comments section below.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nora

      August 01, 2021 at 8:08 pm

      Looks delish

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 13, 2021 at 8:30 pm

        Thank you! Enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Regina

      July 26, 2021 at 8:29 am

      Can you please tell me the serving size?

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 13, 2021 at 9:17 pm

        The recipe has a total of 4 servings, so I would just divide the whole dish into 4 equal parts before adding it to the plates.

        Reply
    3. Rhonda Snell

      July 25, 2021 at 6:23 pm

      Have made this dish twice. Absolutely delicious and easy but a little time consuming (but not terribly). Well worth it! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 13, 2021 at 9:23 pm

        Rhonda, so glad you liked it! Thank you for the comment! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Ebony

      July 21, 2021 at 10:21 pm

      Where do I get your recipe for the pumpkin pancakes?

      Reply
    5. Brandi Dvorak

      July 18, 2021 at 10:00 pm

      Looks yummy! I dislike sundried tomatoes. Could I sub for cherry or grape tomatoes? If so, how much?

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Joe Burkett

        July 28, 2021 at 12:23 pm

        Recipe looks very good. It’s on my Facebook page which is on my iPad and I can’t print. Please send to my email.

        Reply
        • Julia

          August 13, 2021 at 8:57 pm

          Joe, if you scroll down to the bottom of the recipe where there are share buttons for Pinterest and Facebook, there is also a button for email.

          Reply
      • Julia

        August 13, 2021 at 9:55 pm

        Yes, you can use cherry or grape tomatoes. Use 1 or 2 cups. You can also use roasted bell peppers.

        Reply
    6. Janet

      July 17, 2021 at 5:24 pm

      This recipe is definitely a keeper. Very easy to prepare & so flavourful.
      I added fresh basil to the finished dish instead of dry basil during cooking.
      It added a very fresh flavour.

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 13, 2021 at 10:00 pm

        Janet, I am so glad you liked it! Thank you for the 5-star review - I really appreciate it! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Amanda

      July 14, 2021 at 9:16 pm

      Delicious and easy! Loved it!!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 13, 2021 at 10:10 pm

        Glad to hear that! Thank you for 5-star review! 🙂

        Reply
    8. Debra

      July 12, 2021 at 10:56 pm

      OMG, this recipe was easy, fast, inexpensive, and DELICIOUS!! I'll definitely make it again soon. My only change was that I doubled it.

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 13, 2021 at 5:36 pm

        Debra, I am so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for the comment!

        Reply
    9. Robin

      July 12, 2021 at 4:18 pm

      Very good, my husband has was thrilled with the results. I already had grilled chicken so I used that. I double the recipe recipe except I didn’t double the basil or paprika. It was delicious! Thank you for sharing your awesome recipe

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 13, 2021 at 5:38 pm

        Robin, you are so welcome! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing such positive feedback - I really appreciate it!!

        Reply
    10. Pam G

      July 12, 2021 at 7:05 am

      Easy and delicious !! My husband and nine year old loved it too!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 13, 2021 at 5:39 pm

        Pam, so happy you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for the comment!

        Reply
      • Arthur

        July 25, 2021 at 10:23 pm

        So good as is. But the leftovers were EVEN BETTER!!

        Reply
        • Julia

          August 13, 2021 at 9:19 pm

          Glad the leftovers were tasty, as well!

          Reply
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    Hi, I'm Julia! / Welcome to my recipe blog where I share easy-to-make weeknight dinners and other recipes using simple ingredients!

    The recipes presented on this site are everyday, familiar foods, cooked from scratch.

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