Description
The most delicious, creamiest chicken penne pasta recipe with tomatoes cooks in under 30 minutes in one pot! This easy tomato chicken pasta recipe uses chicken breast, penne pasta, tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs and spices, salt, and pepper. You will make this simple dish over and over again! Chicken pasta is a simple dish for lunch or dinner that comes together quickly on the stovetop in a pan/skillet. The best part is that this pasta recipe doesn’t require cheese to taste great.
Ingredients
- 1 box Penne Pasta (16 oz dry pasta)
- 2 chicken breasts (cut into cubes)
- ½ – 1 cup heavy cream
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
- 1 onion bulb or 1 cup chopped onions (I used yellow onions)
- 3 – 4 garlic cloves (grated or diced)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (I used one TBS when boiling the pasta)
- 1 teaspoon Knorr Chicken Bouillon seasoning or 1 small Maggi cube.
- 1 – 2 teaspoons salt (always add salt to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 – 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose Chile blend (optional; I used the one from Spice Tribe)
Instructions
- Gather the Ingredients. Though this pasta recipe requires mostly pantry ingredients, I suggest you gather all your ingredients before starting. It makes it easier.
- Cut/chop the vegetables. Wash and cut/chop/dice the garlic, onions and fresh tomatoes. Then, set aside.
- Clean/wash/cut the Chicken Breasts. I personally like to wash my chicken; if you don’t wash your chicken, skip this part. If you do wash your chicken, pat it dry with a paper towel. Cut the chicken into cubes; this works better for me. You can also slice your chicken breasts or cut them any way you prefer.
- Make the Chicken Tomato Sauce. Place a clean pan on the stove and add some oil. And as soon as the oil heats up, add the clean chicken and spread it out. Cook the chicken breast on high for at least 3 minutes and turn them. Season the chicken while they cook on the other side with salt, black pepper, and fresh rosemary (or thyme) and stir to combine. Stir in chopped onions, garlic, and other herbs and spices you wish to use; mix well. Add the fresh tomatoes and the Knorr Bouillon or Maggi, cook for a few minutes, and then add the tomato paste. Reduce heat as the tomatoes may quickly burn while cooking, stirring as needed for about 6 – 8 minutes and then adding the heavy cream. Gently mix this sauce to combine very well and allow to simmer before adding the pasta.
- Boil Your Penne Pasta. While making your sauce, place water in a clean pan to boil your penne pasta. Boil it according to the manufacturer’s directions on the packet. I typically add salt and a tablespoon of oil to the water when it boils before adding my pasta to cook.
- Add Boiled Pasta to the Tomato Chicken Sauce. This is the best part! Use a strainer ladle to scoop the pasta into the sauce; work in batches until you add all the pasta. Add some pasta water if needed. Gently work the pasta into the sauce until every penne is covered in glorious tomato sauce! Taste and adjust flavors.
- Serve and Enjoy. Serve immediately while warm, garnish with parsley or basil. Add small grated parmesan if desired!
Notes
Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
You can use any other kind of pasta in your pantry; I am using penne pasta because that’s what I have in my pantry.
I cubed my chicken but cut yours differently; slicing them would work in this recipe.
You can use any other part of the chicken if you don’t want to use chicken breast!
Instead of cooking the chicken breast with the sauce as I did in this recipe, you can cook your chicken separately from the sauce and then add the cooked chicken to the sauce. Personally, I wanted this to be an authentic tomato chicken sauce cooked in one pot!
Add pasta water to loosen your pasta when combining the boiled pasta in the sauce.
See the in post “How to” for step-by-step photos.