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.
Hi I just made this it’s awesome!I forgot to save some pasts water how can I thin the sauce out a little
My question; how do you stir the cream sauce with all the chicken in the pan?
Just keep stirring on high enough heat so that the sauce visibly simmers without aggressively boiling. This should melt the cheese in the sauce and around the chicken.
Such a good recipe! I used 2 costco sized thinly sliced chicken breasts and their 4 chicken caprese sausages. Whole family (teens boys and adults) enjoyed the dish and ate a ton. Will make again and again! I did double the half and half measurements and added the pasta a bit early so it could absorb some of the flavors.
If I haven’t got any cream can I just use milk (just a bit less)
I would still use either half-and-half or heavy cream. Milk alone does not have enough fat to create the creamy texture.
Amy, I love your creativity with this recipe! Love that you used both chicken breasts and chicken Caprese sausages - that sounds so good!
I’ve made this before and it’s delicious, everyone loves it
I want to also try it with sausage this time
What kind would you recommend??
My favorite sausage to use with this kind of sauce is spicy Italian sausage (crumbled). Here is a recent pasta recipe I made with spicy Italian sausage: Creamy Sausage Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Spinach.
I look forward to making this tomorrow - we have some dehydrated tomatoes from my summer garden that need to be used up!
I hope the recipe was enjoyed! 🙂
Very delicious and super easy dish!! My husband and I really enjoyed it!! I made a couple of modifications but it did not hurt the recipe or the flavor. I will definitely make it again!! Thank for sharing this delicious recipe!!
Christy, I am so happy this recipe was enjoyed! Thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment!! I know a lot of people might like the recipe but don't have the time to comment, but when I see glowing reviews like yours - they really make my day!
The tablespoon of basil.... is that fresh basil or dried?
I've used dried basil, so it's 1 tablespoon of dried basil. If using fresh basil, you can use much more than 1 tablespoon.
This is a v delicious recipe. Have made it a few times now. First time, I made it exactly as instructed. Perfection. The next 2 times, I doubled the recipe. Not sure what I did wrong, but the sauce didn't turn out creamy like the first time. Started like it was going to be creamy, but the cheese clumped, stuck to the chicken n the canned mushrooms that I added. ( I drained n dried the mushroom).My sauce was on the watery side, while the cheese clumped together. The flavor was still great. What did I do wrong? Pls help!
I had the same problem and I doued recipe. I was just looking in reviews to see what I did wrong.
Seems like the sauce was not heated through enough to melt the cheese quickly. If doubling the recipe, I would make sure to bring the sauce to a visible boiling point before adding any cheese. Then, add the cheese gradually, stirring at all times, while the sauce visibly simmers. Once the first batch of cheese is added and has been melted, add the next batch gradually, and so on.
Just made this recipe. Do not recommend using a full tablespoon of dry basil! It’s a very strong flavor so you probably need half a tbs or less.
Mia, great feedback - thank you! Yes, I think whether to use 1 tablespoon of dried basil is a matter of personal preference - it could be too much for some. Also, I think it depends on the brand of dried basil. Some dried basil is more strong while other brands are more mellow.
My son said some recipes are hit and miss thus one definitely is a hit we loved it even without the chicken.
Lorie, I am so happy you and your son enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
I made it and used fresh grape tomatoes instead of the sun dried. I also added fresh baby spinach and Parmesan cheese. It was delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Brenda, you are very welcome! I am glad you liked the recipe - love that you used fresh veggies!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Definitely a keeper and I’d even make it for a casual company dinner. There’s just the two of us, so we have plenty leftover for another meal - betting it will be as good, if not better, reheated.
Cris, I am so glad you've enjoyed this recipe - thank you for stopping by and letting me know!
I made it and it was so good.
I am happy you liked it! Thanks for the comment! 🙂
Very tasty and so easy. This a weekly meal
Greg, I am glad you like this recipe. Thank you for the comment and the 5-star review!
Hi I just made this it’s awesome!I forgot to save pasta water how can I thin this out without losing favor
Sylvia, I am glad you liked it! You can thin out the sauce by adding extra milk or half-and-half, or even chicken broth.