Description
Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta is a flavorful and comforting dish featuring tender chicken breast pieces cooked in a creamy tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese, herbs, and spices, all tossed with perfectly cooked rotini pasta. This quick and easy skillet recipe is perfect for a satisfying weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 8 ounces rotini pasta uncooked
Chicken and Seasoning
- 1 pound chicken breast skinless and boneless, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste
Sauce and Extras
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 6 green onions chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- ½ cup low sodium or no sodium added chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Cook the rotini pasta according to package instructions until al dente, meaning it is cooked but still firm to the bite. Drain the pasta and set it aside for later.
- Melt Butter: In a large skillet, melt the unsalted butter over medium-high heat to prepare for cooking the chicken and vegetables.
- Cook Chicken: Add the bite-sized chicken pieces to the skillet. Sprinkle the chicken with chili powder, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink and fully cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Sauté Vegetables: Add chopped tomatoes, green onions, and parsley to the skillet with the chicken. Stir everything together and cook for an additional 2 minutes to soften the vegetables and blend flavors.
- Add Cream and Broth: Pour in the heavy cream or half and half along with the chicken broth. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil to allow the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the cooked rotini pasta to the skillet and stir until the pasta is fully coated with the creamy tomato chicken sauce.
- Add Cheese and Serve: Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top and optionally garnish with extra parsley. Serve the pasta warm for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- For a lighter dish, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.
- Feel free to add vegetables like spinach or mushrooms to enhance nutrition and flavor.
- For best taste, shred your own mozzarella cheese rather than using pre-shredded.
- Leftovers can absorb sauce; add a splash of broth or cream when reheating to restore creaminess.
- You can prepare the sauce ahead of time, then cook pasta freshly and mix together right before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 380 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
