🍝🍅 Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta
A rich, silky pasta dish with tender chicken in a creamy tomato sauce—basically comfort food that tastes like a restaurant meal but comes together in one pan.
🛒 Ingredients:
- 10–12 oz pasta (penne, fettuccine, or rigatoni)
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
- 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (for deeper flavor)
- 1 cup heavy cream (or cooking cream)
- ½ cup chicken broth (as needed)
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
👩🍳 Instructions:
1. Cook pasta
Boil pasta in salted water until al dente.
Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.
2. Cook chicken
Heat oil in a large pan.
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Cook until golden and fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
3. Build flavor base
In the same pan, sauté onion until soft.
Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Make tomato cream sauce
Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add tomato sauce and mix well.
Pour in cream and stir until smooth.
Add Italian seasoning and simmer for 3–5 minutes.
If too thick, add a splash of broth or pasta water.
5. Combine everything
Add cooked chicken back into the sauce.
Toss in pasta and mix until fully coated.
6. Finish
Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted and creamy.
Adjust seasoning if needed.
🍽️ Serve with:
- Garlic bread
- Green salad
- Extra Parmesan on top
🔥 Flavor profile:
- 🍅 Rich, slightly tangy tomato base
- 🧄 Garlic-infused creaminess
- 🍗 Juicy, seasoned chicken
- 🧀 Savory Parmesan finish
- 🍝 Silky, restaurant-style sauce
🔄 Variations:
- 🌶️ Spicy version with chili flakes or cayenne
- 🥦 Add spinach, broccoli, or mushrooms
- 🧀 Extra cheesy baked casserole version
- 🍋 Lemon cream tomato twist for brightness
- 🥓 Add crispy bacon for smoky depth
💡 Tips:
- Don’t boil the cream—keep it at a gentle simmer
- Use freshly grated Parmesan for smooth melting
- Save pasta water to adjust sauce consistency
- Let sauce thicken slightly before adding pasta
If you want, I can also turn this into a one-pot version, baked pasta casserole, or a 15-minute quick weeknight version.