Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta recipe, packed with flavor from spinach, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes, your family will gobble this easy dinner right up!
Love easy chicken dinners? This Buffalo Chicken Pasta ranks as one of our reader’s favorite recipes! And who can resist a plate of cheesy Chicken Tetrazzini??
Why this Recipe is best
Much like my Tuscan Garlic Chicken Pasta recipe, you’ll have tender chicken with a delicious, creamy tuscan sauce!
- Restaurant quality, made at home!
- Tender flavorful chicken
- Creamy sauce
- Made in a skillet for easy clean up!
Prep the Chicken
Place raw chicken breast into a bowl and pour milk and lemon juice over the top. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. You can also do this in the morning, so that it’s ready at dinner time!
PRO TIP: Did you know that soaking the chicken in milk and lemon helps it become more tender for cooking?
Step by Step Instructions
The crust.
When ready to cook, create your Italian chicken crust. In a pie plate, or shallow dish, combine flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and powdered sugar.
Drain chicken from milk marinade and dip into the flour, coating evenly.
Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium high heat. Place chicken strips in hot skillet for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove and place onto a foil lined baking sheet.
Bake the chicken.
Bake chicken in 350 degree oven for about 18-20 minutes.
PRO TIP: If you smash your chicken with a meat tenderizer before dipping in coating, this helps it become the same thickness throughout, resulting in more even cooking.
Make the pasta and sauce.
PRO TIP: Skip the additional olive oil and use the oil from the sun dried tomatoes instead. Adds a rich flavor to the sauce!
Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon cornstarch over the tomatoes, and mix thoroughly.
Add chicken broth, whisk until combined. Cook for about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix remaining cornstarch with milk and whisk. Add to the broth and continue whisking while adding in the cream, spinach, salt, and pepper.
Turn heat to low and simmer until sauce thickens and spinach wilts. Add in parmesan cheese.
Stir and heat on low until chicken and noodles are done.
Serve in a large bowl and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
This Garlic Bread is always a great side dish to pasta. Who doesn’t love a fluffy, flavorful bread? Dinner rolls are great for sopping up that extra sauce.
This Olive Garden Salad is loaded with fresh flavor and the homemade Italian Dressing is zesty and flavorful! The perfect pairing to your weeknight meal.
Looking for a fresh bowl of homemade applesauce for dinner tonight? This Instant Pot Applesauce recipe is super quick and easy!
Don’t forget to finish the evening with a fresh batch of Rice Krispie Treats!
More Pasta Recipes
You’ll love this tangy, Lemon Garlic Pasta as a side dish with your favorite chicken or fish! Or enjoy it as your main entree in under 30 minutes!
Cajun Sausage Pasta is a delicious 30 minute dinner recipe! Colorful, spicy, and easy to make, you’ll want to put this dish on your menu!
Whether you’re looking for an easy weeknight meal or a dish to share at a potluck, this Chicken Pesto Pasta is your delicious answer! Packed with flavor from the homemade walnut pesto, you’ll love how tasty this easy dish is to eat!
Whip up this easy Instant Pot Spaghetti recipe packed with flavor and meatballs. Ready in minutes!
More Chicken Recipes:
- Italian Chicken Casserole
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Orange Chicken
- Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
- Chicken and Dumplings
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Italian Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoon olive oil
For the sauce:
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes in oil drained and finely diced
- 3 Tablespoon cornstarch divided
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper don’t skimp on this
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 box linguine noodles 16oz
Instructions
- Place raw chicken breast into a bowl and pour milk and lemon juice over the top. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. You can also do this in the morning, so that it’s ready at dinner time!
- When ready to cook, create your chicken crust. In a pie plate, or shallow dish, combine flour, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and powdered sugar.
- Drain chicken from milk marinade and dip into the flour, coating evenly.
- Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium high heat. Place chicken strips in hot skillet for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove and place onto a foil lined baking sheet.
- Bake chicken in 350 degree oven for about 18-20 minutes.
- While the chicken bakes, cook your linguine (or favorite pasta) according to package.
- To make the sauce, using the same skillet as the chicken, add additional olive oil, scraping the bits from the pan. Over medium heat, add garlic and sun dried tomatoes to the pan, heat for several minutes.
- Sprinkle 1 Tbsp cornstarch over the tomatoes, and mix thoroughly.
- Add chicken broth, whisk until combined. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix remaining cornstarch with milk and whisk. Add to the broth and continue whisking while adding in the cream, spinach, salt, and pepper.
- Turn heat to low and simmer until sauce thickens and spinach wilts. Add in parmesan cheese.
- Stir and heat on low until chicken and noodles are done.
- Serve in a large bowl and enjoy.
Notes
- If you smash your chicken with a meat tenderizer before dipping in coating, this helps it become the same thickness throughout, resulting in more even cooking.
- Skip the additional olive oil and use the oil from the sun dried tomatoes instead. Adds a rich flavor to the sauce!
Video
Nutrition
Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta recipe, packed with flavor from spinach, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes, your family will gobble this easy dinner right up!
I have made this many times, always a winner!
Made this for dinner tonight. I didn’t bread the chicken. I pan sautéed it with seasonings mentioned and sliced it. I also added a minced shallot to the tomato and garlic. We made indecent noises while eating. It was that good. Making this again!!! Thank you!
It does take time to make but do worth the work! Best thing I’ve ever cooked and possibly best thing I’ve ever eaten.
This is the best thing I’ve ever cooked possible best thing I’ve ever eaten. It’s so good and so worth the work.
This one is added to my recipe collection! My husband said it was in the top 5 recipes that I have ever cooked!!! It was so good!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I was so thankful that i found your recipe and it was a savior on my husband party. As what you said everyone will not resist it and you are true. I had a lot of compliments. Thank you so much. I owe you big time.
Can this be made ahead by cooking the chicken, making the sauce and leaving it for a couple of hours? Then cook the pasta at the last minute and toss everything together at that point and serve.
This entire dish was amazing! My husband and I enjoyed the chicken . It was so yummy and moist! The pasta was delicious and flavorful! I will definitely make again!
Ummmm, okay. This was SO good. Well… actually it was so much better than good. It was delicious. Seriously, this was one of the BEST meals I’ve ever eaten. My whole family thought so too, and I’m making this again. Like tonight. So good.
Would this freeze and reheat ok? I’m wanting to make this frozen for a friend who just had a baby, so she can reheat it whenever she doesn’t want to make a big meal herself.
What would you suggest for the reheating instructions?
Thanks!!
I’m going to make it tomorrow for my husband and kids (daughter, boyfriend and granddaughter-Miss Special-3) who live around the corner. Cooking for me is a challenge and adventure! If you say 30 min, they say 2 hours, it will take me an unknown amount of time, but it will be “exact” and, hopefully, perfectly delicious! Without going into the “whys” about me and my reasons I am slow at cooking, etc..blah blah …
I did read all the reviews and I’m very excited to make, and share this fabulous dish! Maybe even make it for other folks on Father’s Day!! Scary…I just thought of fresh tomatoes cuz of the sodium in sundried? But, after reading, who cares?! Wish me luck!
Was wondering …. when is the chicken supposed to be cut up??
You can cut it anytime. We serve it whole and cut it as we eat it.
I made this and followed all of the instructions. I ended up not chopping up the spinach but still great. It all turned out delicious and everyone loved it! It definitely took me about 1 1/2 to do everything since it was my first time but now that I know what to do it’ll definitely be easier the second time around. Thanks!
Hi.
In italy we don’t make chicken pasta.
Stop calling it “Italian”.
Riccardo you’re a dick. Let people enjoy good food.
As chef and proprietor of a top Italian restaurant in Europe (La Crema)… this is most certainly a traditional Italian recipe, deeply rooted in the dairy-citrus soaked poultry culinary traditions of both Toscana AND Piemonte.
It does indeed originate from a traditional Italian recipe.
As a pro tip I suggest replacing the cornstarch in the sauce with some of the pasta water and some Parmesan (or Pecorino) for an extra silky and creamy texture… you can add lemon zest as well; it adds depth and enhances the citrusy flavour of the marinated chicken.
Calling someone a dick is not very nice Bretta..
Those are great suggestions. I will try Meyer lemon zest as a supplement, which I usually pair with truffle oil.
About Riccardo, we should not be name calling… but it is kind of tragic he doesn’t even seem to know his own country’s cuisine. Perhaps he is actually just Italian-American.
I made it tonight for Iftar absolutely amazing thx for the recipe I appreciate for taking your time
I made it tonight for Iftar absolutely amazing thx for the recipe I appreciate
I agree with the others that it is a little more work but REALLY worth it. Now that we are all stuck at home I am trying new recipies and this is a keeper. The best thing is that most of the ingredients are things you usually have on hand. This makes enough for a family of 4 and is a crowd pleaser! I followed the recipe as is but you could certainly substitute seafood or broccoli. This is the 1st recipe I’ve used from this site and I am definitely going to look through more recipes.
Can Oat, Almond, or coconut milk be used instead of regular milk?
Can I just use tomatoes? I understand the sun dried has a definite flavor but i’m stuck in the house and can’t get any right now!
Now is the time to use what you have 🙂
Is there something I can substitute the cream with? I dont have any cream and the store shelves are empty. Please any suggestions
Try yogurt. Different flavor but will do in a pinch.
You can make a heavy cream substitute by adding butter to regular milk.
I substituted broccoli for the spinach, since my little sister hates it. My mom and her loved it❤️ I’m 17 btw????