A lot can change in just a few days. Two days ago I attended a protest in Brooklyn with my church to stand with the Black Live Matters movement, and it was powerful. We prayed with thousands of people, sang songs, held flowers, and cheered for a better tomorrow. During the protest, a friend of mine mentioned how they found my food content comforting during a troubling time, and I was so touched by her sentiments. So while I contemplated posting a recipe today, I decided to listen to my friend. I hope to be a comfort online for you and space where we can continue to connect and be friends. And what’s more comforting than a bowl of creamy chicken pasta?
This creamy chicken pasta recipe is one of my all-time favorites to make. I’ve been making a version of this pasta recipe for years, and I finally feel like I really nailed the recipe. Between the sun-dried tomatoes and the added red pepper flakes, I can almost guarantee it’s going to be one of your go-to dinner recipes, too.
Use your trusty cast-iron skillet
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how much I love my cast-iron skillet (get your own here!). I mean, I make practically everything in this thing. Especially if it involves some kind of cheesy pasta or chicken dish. Actually, I guess that’s kind of all I post if you really think about it?
Let’s evaluate.
Hmm. Yeah. Looks like I have a thing with for chicken and pasta.
A note about cream
So, when I make my creamy chicken pasta, I actually will do a mixture of milk and cream. Which then made me realize…why wasn’t I just using half and half? Practically the same thing! However, if you don’t have half and half, you can use 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of cream as a substitution.
In terms of the pasta, I like to use penne. But you can easily make this pasta recipe with any shaped pasta you have! Preferably a medium-sized pasta shape like farfalle, pappardelle, fusilli, orecchiette, ziti, or gemelli.
Okay, that’s it. Here’s the recipe, I hope you make this one all the time!
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Creamy Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz. penne pasta
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes sliced thin
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb. chicken breast cut into small pieces
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
- 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 1 cup half & half
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Fill up a medium-sized pot with water, sprinkle in some salt, and bring to a boil. Add in the pasta and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until your liking. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat up the olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add in the minced garlic and the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Remove into a bowl.
- Add in the diced chicken, seasoned with the paprika, as well as some salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink on the inside—about 5 minutes.
- Place the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic back into the skillet, then sprinkle in both the mozzarella and the parmesan cheese. Mix until the cheese is somewhat melted, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the half & half and stir. Cook until the cheese is completely melted through, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the drained pasta and stir. Once everything is combined, turn off the heat and let the skillet sit for about 5 minutes. This allows for the sauce to thicken.
- Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and red pepper flakes, if desired.
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