My name is Sarah, I am Pakistani, and I love Pasta. Like many many Pakistanis out there. A friend of mine and I were chatting today about stereotypes - about how ethnic advertising usually features ethnic minorities being... ethnic. Eating biryani, drinking chai, wearing kurtas etc etc. But desi people chugging cappuccinos after having a delicious meal of Sun-dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta while wearing jeans? Gasp. (insert eye roll)
To be or not to be Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Names are important aren't they? When I first tested this recipe I thought of it as Tuscan Chicken Pasta and then when I sat to type it up I realized I was so wrong. Firstly this Sun-dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta has like half the cream of most Tuscan Chicken Pasta recipes. Now this is not because I am healthy, but because I find I don't like the heaviness that follows a surfeit of heavy cream although man does that stuff taste good sometimes! Secondly my kids don't like random chewy things in their pasta. That's how they described the glorious tangy sun-dried tomatoes the first time I made it. Random Chewy Things.
So this Mama adapted as all mamas do and blitzed the sauce. I was so happy with the overall flavour and the kids ate it as well. Win-Win folks, Win-Win.
As always if you make this pasta please rate it, am adding lots of notes with the questions I've gotten about it in the past. Also do share your creation with me on Instagram where you can find me @flourandspiceblog
Sun-dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz Pasta (one box - I used Penne)
Chicken
- ¾ lb Boneless Chicken cut into bite sized pieces
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
Pasta Sauce
- ½ cup minced onion
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes (or less)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 ½ cup cream
- ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes (jarred kind, drained of oil)
- 2 cups spinach (chopped)
- 1 cup mozzarella or monterey jack
Finishing Touches (optional, but recommended)
- 2-3 tbsp Chopped Basil
- Parmesan Cheese (grated)
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
Chicken
- Mix the chicken with the seasonings and olive oil and set aside. I usually do this on the chopping board I used for the chicken.
Pasta
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil, then add the pasta and boil as per package directions. You can start the sauce while this happens
- Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining
Sauce
- Heat a saute pan on medium high heat and add the chicken pieces in one even layer, cook for two minutes on each side and remove from the pan
- Without wiping the pan add a little olive oil (if needed) and saute the onions, garlic, and red chilli flakes on medium heat until the onions are translucent.
- Take care not to burn the garlic. Turn the heat down if it starts to darken too quickly.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes to the pan and cook for a minute.
- For a smooth sauce remove most of the sauce ingredients from the pan and blitz them in a mini blender with one cup chicken stock
- Pour the mix back into the pan, add the chicken and bring to a simmer
- Turn the heat off and add one cup of the cream, the spinach, and the cheese
- Mix with your cooked pasta and adjust the consistency with the remaining half cup cream and the pasta water
- Now taste and adjust seasoning per taste.
- Top with Basil and Parmesan and enjoy with warm garlic bread and a side salad.
Notes
- I have used both Mozzarella and Monterey Jack in this recipe to good effect. If you have neither available you can use Parmesan and a little Cream Cheese to delicious effect. Just reserve a little extra pasta water to thin the sauce out
- The kind of pasta you use will affect the sauce so I do not recommend large pasta shells
Want to save the recipe for later? Pin the image below!
Sanam Saleh says
If it was 2019 and you were invited to my house for a dawat, odds are you had this delicious crowd pleaser recipe of Sarah’s. It’s perfect for hosting, tastes absolutely distinctive and delicious. I find it tastes best if you pre cook the chicken and sauce but boil the pasta just as your guests arrive. Assembling is super quick and this tastes so good fresh off the stovetop.
Sarah Mir says
Sanam Saleh you made my day with this! THANK YOU so very much for the comment and the tips!
Zainab Hameed says
I made this a couple of weeks ago for friends and they loved it so much that they requested I make it again for them! Needless to say this recipe was a HIT and it's now my go-to (especially when I want to avoid bottle pasta sauce). Thank you so much for sharing!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Yay Zainab! That is AWESOME to hear! Thank you for taking the time to share that!
Nadia says
This has been on our weekly dinner rotation for a while now!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Nadia I am SO happy to hear that - thank you!!!
Fatima says
Hi Sarah! This turned out really yummy and is going to be my go-to comfort food recipe. Thank you!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
That's awesome! Thanks for sharing Fatima!!!!
Saira says
Was a great hit with friends and family!!!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
That's fantastic!!!! Thank You!
An Introverted blogger says
This was an absolute hit at our place! Kids approved and requested it again!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Wonderful! So happy to hear that and thank you for sharing your review!
Reema Batool says
Hey Sarah! The pasta turned out delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
I used 1 200g package of Milkpak thick cream coz that’s what was on hand.
This recipe is definitely a keeper. 👍🏼
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
Absolutely thrilled to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!