Creamy Chicken Pasta Sauce

Creamy chicken pasta sauce is another easy pasta recipe that's perfect for any night of the week. There's pure and simple comfort in every bite, with pieces of cajun spiced chicken that taste like bacon it's so delicious! Feel free to add parmesan cheese for taste and texture which will make it a little thick, but this was perfect.

Creamy Chicken Pasta

Chicken fillets sautéed in butter, oil and make sure you have a good seasoning. If you have a generously salted pot of water to cook the pasta, and you don't skip on the seasoning, you are in for a great meal!

This creamy chicken pasta recipe tastes as good, if not better, the next day, so don't be concerned about any leftovers, if any😉. Simply store it in the fridge in an airtight container once it's cooled down.  A little cream or any other liquid like chicken broth or water to give a splash to start heating it up. 

A simply delicious recipe that anyone can make. It's layered with depths of flavor from the chicken, tomato, al dente pasta, creamy sauce with white wine to deglaze. Honestly, I love cooking with white wine, but don't sweat it, it's just an extra. You can deglaze your pan with any liquid really. Cook the sauce on medium heat, combine with the pasta and chicken, and have dinner ready in 30 minutes, perfect for those busy weeknights.

We love this for easy dinners because it's doesnt only come together quickly, it's also so versatile. Add some sun-dried tomatoes into the cream for a completely different twist! Love that combination, more like a Tuscan dish. 

Why We Love This Creamy Chicken Pasta Sauce

This is what I like to call, a golden sauce because the flavors are off the charts delicious!

1. Very Easy - The prep time is chopping a shallot and mincing some garlic. That's it! 
2. Satisfyingly Delicious - This is comfort food at its best, a flavorful homecooked meal that delivers restaurant quality taste!
3. Perfect Family Meal - Everybody loves pasta right? Add chicken with cream and you know where I'm going with this 🙂

How To Cut Chicken Breasts Into Cutlets

1. Prep the Chicken: Ensure your boneless, skinless chicken breast is trimmed of any excess fat.
2. Flatten the Chicken: Place the chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet, gently pound the chicken breast until it reaches a uniform thickness of about ¼ inch.

3. Slice the Chicken: Now that the chicken is evenly flattened, hold it flat on a cutting board. Carefully slice the chicken breast horizontally in half, parallel to the cutting board. This ensures both halves will have a similar thickness for even cooking. You'll end up with two thin and even chicken cutlets, perhaps not perfect, but cutlets none the less!

Ingredients

Pasta:  I used 200 grams of pasta for 4 people and although it's normally 100 grams per person serving (that's how we've always weighed it) the 200 grams still served 4 people. Penne pasta, fusilli, rigatoni they all work! Here I'm using eliche pasta which is a cork screw shape or as they say, a propeller of an aeroplane,  Point is, a bite sized pasta is your best choice. 

Chicken: Boneless-skinless chicken breasts, is what I use when making this recipe and either cut them into cubes or,  like I did here, sautéed the chicken breasts after cutting them into cutlets. 

Butter:  I know the butter and cream is not in the ingredient image above, but, there's no denying they went it, it's so creamy.

Olive oil: This is our go to olive oil this extra virgin olive oil. 

Tomatoes: Canned, chopped good quality tomatoes, you can't go wrong. Homemade or store-bought both work. 

Seasoning:  Salt and fresh black pepper. 

Water: This is the water added into the empty tomato can. At least ¼ cup of water. 

Shallots: I used one medium sized shallot. If they are small use two. Use an onion with a mild taste is my suggestion. Less cooking time and doesnt dominate the taste. 

Garlic: I always say we love garlic but it's more a case  of I love garlic really so adjust it to suit yourself. Feel free to use garlic powder too if that's what you prefer.

Cream: Thick cream, pouring cream that's up to you. However, when I make this recipe on repeat, in an effort to minimize the dairy that we're consuming I use half cream and half coconut milk. 

Chicken stock:  Go for low sodim stock whenever you buy it, it helps control the amount of salt in the food. 

Parsley:  I use fresh chopped parsley for a pop of color and flavor. 

Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated parmesan cheese

How To Make Creamy Chicken Pasta

It's pretty simple. Here are the steps;

• Boil the water and cook the pasta
• Season and sear the chicken
• Make a quick tomato sauce with aromatics, add some goodies in the sauce and then pull everything together.  

30 Minutes later, a superb dinner is ready!

Step 1.  Cook The Pasta

Bring a large pot of pasta, with water, salted, to a boil. Please, salt, generously! Pasta needs salty water to flavor the entire meal, it all carries through to the final dish. Cook the pasta according to package directions with a minute or 2 less than stated. 

Once the pasta is cooked to the bite, which means al dente, reserve a cup or 2 of pasta water, drain it and leave it in the colander till later. 

Step 2.  Chicken Prep

Take the chicken out of the fridge 15 minutes before you start cooking. (Hopefully this is done by the time you cook the pasta). Dry the chicken with kitchen paper towel. 

Season:  Generously sprinkle salt, pepper, cajun spice and chicken spice all around the chicken, both sides. 

Step 3.  Cook the chicken

Heat a large skillet or non stick pan on medium-high heat and add the oil . As it heats up, add the butter to melt. Place the chicken by the tip, into the pan "away from you" as Gordon Ramsay says, because when you lay the "meat away from you, the oil doesnt splash back at you, and possibly burn you! And then, "let the pan do the work"

As the chicken touches the pan, you should hear a sizzle, if not, wait for the oil to heat up.  

Timing:  Once the chicken is in the pan, cooking, don't try to move it. It will sear to a nice golden brown, turn it over and cook the opposite side. Place the juicy chicken breast aside on a plate. Incase you're wondering how long to cook it each side, remember that when it's ready to turn, it will release itself from the pan, making it easier for you to lift and turn.

Step 4.  Make The Sauce

In the same skillet, add the shallots to cook for just a minute and then add the garlic, stir it into the shallots and cook for a few seconds. Deglaze with white wine or chicken stock. Then you add the chopped tomatoes, mix everything together. At this point you can add a little Italian or herb seasoning, something like oregano is good here. Dont forget to season with salt and pepper. Add the cream or coconut cream, and cook for around 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 5.  Assemble The Sauce, Chicken And Pasta

You are going to bring the cooked pasta now into the dish, but before you do!  

My suggestion is to first see if the sauce is the consistency you want. Add small amounts of water (like a quarter cup at a time), to the sauce while the pan is on medium to high heat and stir. Add the pasta, mix and if you need a little more pasta water, add, stir. Remember the pasta still have a good 1 to 2 minutes to cook till perfectly al dente. 

Step 5.  Slice The Chicken

For some added texture, I like to chop one chicken breast into bite sized pieces and add it into the sauce. The remaining chicken breasts, slice and serve over the pasta.  Serve with fresh black pepper, chopped fresh parsley and a side of roasted vegetables or a salad or even some cheesy herb bread. 

Recipe Notes

Chicken:  You can use chicken breast or boneless-skinless chicken thighs, both work well in this recipe. 

Cream:  You can use coconut cream or coconut milk.  Thick cream or double thick  cream will obviously give you a rich delicious result. 

Want to Add Veggies? You can add baby spinach which works wonderful, just add it after the cream and all the other liquids have cooked out. To add veggies like bell peppers, cut them small and add them into the aromatics to get a head start. 

Dairy and Gluten Free:  You can make this dairy free by leaving the cheese out (if you were adding) and swop the cream for coconut cream. You could even make it gluten-free, use a gluten free pasta. 

Cheese:  Add parmesan cheese into the sauce (optional) for a parmesan cheese sauce with more grated cheese when serving. 

Leftovers and Reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days and reheat on the stove-top with a splash of water or cream. 

Make Ahead

Make just the cream sauce and let it cool down completely before storing in the refrigerator in an airtight container. When you are ready, boil the pasta until a minute or so before it's done and then add it to the sauce which you will heat in a large skillet. 

What to Serve with Chicken Pasta Sauce

• Easy No Knead Bread Recipe
• Crusty Bread Rolls
• Mediterranean Salad
• Garlic, Cheese and Herb Toast

Until next time, enjoy and find the full recipe in the recipe card below. 

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