Creamy tomato basil chicken pasta (Printable Version)

Tender chicken and penne tossed in tomato-basil cream sauce, finished with parmesan for a comforting Italian dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne pasta

→ Chicken

02 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
03 - 1/2 tsp salt
04 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
05 - 1 tbsp olive oil

→ Sauce

06 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
07 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
08 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
09 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
10 - 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
11 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
12 - 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
13 - 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
14 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then set pasta aside.
02 - While pasta cooks, season chicken breasts evenly with salt and black pepper.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly.
04 - Reduce skillet heat to medium. Add butter and chopped onion, sautéing for 3 to 4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Stir in crushed tomatoes and let simmer for 5 minutes to develop flavor.
06 - Lower heat and stir in heavy cream. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until sauce slightly thickens.
07 - Mix in parmesan and half of the basil leaves, stirring until cheese melts. Season sauce with salt and black pepper to taste.
08 - Add sliced chicken and drained pasta to the sauce. Toss thoroughly to coat, adding reserved pasta water gradually to achieve a smooth consistency.
09 - Immediately plate the dish, garnishing with remaining basil and additional parmesan as desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than ordering takeout, and tastes like you spent hours on it.
  • The sauce is silky and forgiving—it actually gets better if you adjust the cream as you go.
  • There's flexibility built in, so you can swap proteins or vegetables without breaking the whole thing.
02 -
  • The pasta water is not an afterthought—it's the thing that transforms a thick sauce into something luxurious that actually coats the noodles.
  • Cream can break if the heat is too high, so once you pour it in, keep the burner at medium and stay gentle with your stirring.
  • Taste as you season because the sauce concentrates as it simmers, and what seems bland at first might be perfect by the time pasta hits the pan.
03 -
  • Don't skip pounding the chicken to even thickness; it's the difference between some pieces dry and some pieces done versus everything finishing perfectly at once.
  • The reserved pasta water is your safety net—use it to dial in exactly the sauce consistency you want rather than feeling stuck with whatever you made.
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