Marry Me Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Large heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven with a lid, at least 12 inches
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 tablespoons oil from the sun-dried tomato jar or olive oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper divided
For the One-Pot Sauce
- 1/2 onion small diced, about 1 cup
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 8 ounces penne pasta uncooked
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
To Finish
- 1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach packed
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1/4 cup fresh basil torn, for serving
Instructions
Sear the Chicken
- Pat the chicken cubes completely dry and season with half the salt and half the pepper. Dry chicken browns; damp chicken steams.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the sun-dried tomato oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and leave it alone for 3 minutes, then flip and cook 3 minutes more until lightly golden. It does not need to be cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
Build the Base
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil, the onion, garlic and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook it for a full minute. It should darken slightly and start sticking to the pan. This step is small and it matters — raw tomato paste tastes tinny, cooked tomato paste tastes deep.
Cook the Pasta In the Pan
- Add the chicken broth, penne, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, the remaining salt and pepper, and the seared chicken with any juices from the plate. Stir to combine and make sure the pasta is submerged.
- Bring to a boil, then drop to a medium simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Keep the lid on — the trapped steam is doing the cooking.
- Lift the lid and stir well, scraping along the bottom so nothing catches. Re-cover and cook another 10 minutes, until the penne is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed.
Finish Off the Heat
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the room-temperature cream and the spinach, folding until the leaves wilt down into the sauce.
- Add the Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring until it melts in. Taste and adjust the salt — broth and parmesan both bring their own, so check before you add more.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. The sauce thickens noticeably as it rests. Scatter the torn basil over the top.
Notes
Use a heavy-bottomed pan on a similar-sized burner. Thin pans give you hot spots, and hot spots scorch pasta onto the base while the rest is still raw.
Bring the cream to room temperature before it goes in. Cold cream hitting a hot pan is the usual reason a sauce like this splits.
If the pan looks dry before the pasta is tender, add a splash of hot broth. If the pasta is done but the sauce is loose, simmer uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. The pasta keeps drinking the sauce as it sits, so reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth, cream or milk to bring it back.
Freezing: Possible for up to 3 months, but cream sauces tend to separate on thawing and the pasta softens. Fresh is much better.