Tomato Chicken Pasta
This Tomato Chicken Pasta has a super creamy tomato sauce with seasoned chicken, herbs, and Parmesan cheese! This is a gourmet-style meal that’s easy to make at home.
Be sure to try my Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken and Beefaroni recipes next!
Tomato Chicken Pasta
This Tomato Chicken Pasta is a gourmet meal if I’ve ever seen one! It’s got delicious bites of seasoned and seared chicken and savory pasta tossed in the most flavorful creamy tomato sauce with delicious seasonings and flavor enhancers.
Don’t be thrown by the addition of hot sauce. I promise, it won’t make it spicy, it just enhancers the other flavors in the sauce, as does the mustard powder. You also can’t detect that there’s a smidge of honey in this sauce, but it adds a perfect offset to the acidity of the tomatoes.
Trust me– these flavors are what make the flavor profile perfectly balanced.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices. Season each side and dredge it in flour. Sear in olive oil. Set aside and let it rest for 10 minutes, then cut into strips.
Add white wine, butter, and garlic to the same skillet. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the pan and let the liquid bubble gently and reduce by half.
Add tomato paste, followed by chicken broth, half and half, honey, hot sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low while you cook the pasta.
Gradually stir Parmesan cheese into the sauce just before adding the pasta.
Add the drained pasta along with the cooked chicken and toss to combine and heat through. Serve!
Pro Tips
- Wine: Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine to use in this recipe, followed by Chardonnay, and then Pinot Grigio. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- Cheese: I use Belgioioso Parmesan for this recipe.
- Grate the cheese from a block if possible as it will melt much better than packaged grated cheese.
- Make sure the base isn’t too hot when you add the cheese, otherwise the dairy can separate and create a grainy consistency.
- Hot Sauce, Mustard Powder, and Honey are flavor enhancers in this sauce that you can’t taste outright. I use Frank’s hot sauce and it won’t make it spicy.
- Optional additions include: Diced tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, and spinach!
- Any kind of pasta can be used in this recipe, (I used linguine).
- Pairing Suggestions: Garlic Bread with Cheese, Roasted Asparagus, Roasted Green Beans, Roasted Broccoli
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does reheat well.
- Reheating this pasta in a makeshift double boiler on the stove top is the best way to restore it to its original form.
- Another reheating tip: I like to reserve and store some of the pasta water (about 1/2 cup), and add small splashes of it to the pasta while it reheats, it helps “loosen” up the noodles/sauce and restores it back to its original consistency. You don’t have to use the entire reserved amount.
Tools For This Recipe
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- 3-Quart Stainless Steel Sauté Pan– The same size as pictured in this recipe.
- Cheese Grater– Always shred your cheese from a block for soups and sauces, it melts and tastes much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Belgioioso parmesan.
- Kitchen Tongs– Makes it easy to handle the chicken when searing.
- Pasta Strainer– I have this one and love it.
- Large Measuring Cup with a Spout
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Pinch Bowls– for measuring out seasonings ahead of time.
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Tomato Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 ¼ cup half and half
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon each: dried oregano, basil, mustard powder
Chicken/Pasta
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Salt/Pepper
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup dry white wine, see notes
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ lb. linguine
Instructions
- Combine sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
- Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 to 3 thinner slices. Cover with saran wrap and use the textured side of a meat mallet to pound it to ½ inch thick. Pat it dry. Season each side with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Sprinkle with flour and rub it over the surface of each side.
- Heat olive oil in a deep 12-inchskillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear in batches for 4 to 5minutes per side, until a golden crust forms. Set aside and let it rest for 10 minutes, then cut into strips.
- Heat a pot of salted pasta water while you begin to prepare the sauce as outlined below.
- Add the wine, butter, and garlic to the same skillet that you used to cook the chicken and set the heat to medium. Let it reduce by half, about 4 minutes. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pan while it simmers, this will add flavor to the sauce.
- Stir in the tomato paste until incorporated.
- Add the sauce mixture (from step 1), in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low and let it simmer while you cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain once cooked.
- Gradually sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, stirring continuously. (The sauce will thicken more once the pasta and chicken are added.)
- Add the drained pasta and cooked chicken to the sauce and toss to coat and heat through. Taste and season with salt if desired. Serve!
Notes
- Wine: Sauvignon Blanc is the best wine to use in this recipe, followed by Chardonnay, and then Pinot Grigio. Chicken broth can be used if you don’t cook with wine.
- Hot Sauce, Mustard Powder, and Honey are flavor enhancers in this sauce that you can't taste outright. I use Frank's hot sauce and it won't make it spicy.
- Grate the cheese from a block if possible as it will melt much better than packaged grated cheese.
- Make sure the base isn't too hot when you add the cheese, otherwise the dairy can separate and create a grainy consistency.
- Tomato Paste: I use tomato paste tubes to measure smaller amounts, you can store the tubes in the fridge for zero waste!
- Optional additions include: Diced tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, and spinach!
- Any kind of pasta can be used in this recipe, (I used linguine).
- Pairing Suggestions: Garlic Bread with Cheese, Roasted Asparagus, Roasted Green Beans, Roasted Broccoli
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. This does reheat well.
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.
Whole family loved this (all NINE of us!) Thank you 🙂
I’m THRILLED to hear that this was a hit with your NINE family members!! Amazing! Thank you so much Beckee!! 🙂
This is one of my all time favorite recipes! It is absolutely delicious!
I’m so happy to hear that Nicole! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
Tried this recipe and turned out pretty easy to make and very delicious. Will definitely make this again. Was a hit!
I’m so happy it was such a hit Nicole! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
If I could give this 10 stars, I would. I have an EXTREMELY picky eater and he gobbled this down. No chunks of veggies to throw him off, and the chicken is tender and flavorful. Recipe goes into the regular rotation! (For any gluten free folks, I did double the sauce because the GF noodles always suck up so much moisture – next time I’ll do 1.5x the sauce)
Nice work Maren, I’m so happy it was such a success! I love that the picky eater approved, and thanks for sharing the GF tips!