After a much-needed break for time with my family and myself, I am back and ready to crank out some goodies! I certainly did my share of baking and eating just about every kind of Christmas cookie in existence, so I am going to kick off the new year with something savory. If you are looking for a quick and easy dish that is bursting with bold flavor, then you are going to love this Tuscan Chicken Pasta. It has very few ingredients yet packs a powerful punch. It’s a perfect dinner for any night of the week.

Pasta in a Flash

Pasta is definitely one of my favorites because you can make it in so many ways. You can make it on the stove, in a casserole, with meat or without. The pasta-bilities are endless. Couldn’t help myself. Anyway, I equally love a recipe that is loaded with flavor without being loaded with ingredients. This not only brings ease, but also makes for a budget friendly dinner. One way you can achieve this is by choosing a bold spice. For this pasta, we are definitely going bold. If you have never tried Tuscan spice, you should! It is very flavorful and really brings this dish together. It is also very easy to find. This spice, along with salt, pepper and a little crushed red pepper are all the spices you will need.

Choose Your Protein

Now let’s talk about protein. You most certainly could make this vegetarian if that is your thing. You could also use steak or shrimp, or both! The Tuscan spice would pair beautifully with beef, shrimp or chicken. I personally chose to use chicken, simply because it is less expensive. I can get more for less. It doesn’t matter if you use chicken tenders or chicken breast because the chicken is going to be chopped into bite sized pieces anyway. Simply trim off the nasty bits and cut the chicken into uniformly sized pieces (to ensure they cook evenly). Then place the chicken into a large bowl and pat dry with paper towels. Why, you ask? Because patting them dry will help you achieve a nice brown color when it cooks. It really does help!

Once your chicken is prepped, you can go ahead and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Salting the water is an important step, because it is the only chance you get to season the pasta itself. Just like the protein, the pasta you use for this dish is also customizable. I went with bowtie pasta because they are cute and about the same size as the bites of chicken. Linguine, penne, or even spaghetti noodles would be equally good in this Tuscan Chicken Pasta. Be sure to reserve about ¾ of a cup of the pasta water once it is done cooking. You will also need two lemons for this recipe: one for slicing and one for grating/juicing.

Tuscan Sauce

While your pasta is cooking, toss the chicken pieces with a large drizzle of olive oil, a tablespoon of Tuscan spice, salt, pepper, one teaspoon of minced garlic and ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper. That last one is totally optional, but I really love the subtle heat. Set your chicken aside for a minute and get your large pan ready for action. Heat a drizzle of olive oil and place the slices of one lemon, cut side down in the pan. They will only cook for about three to four minutes until they have nice char to them. Remove them and add a little more oil to that same pan. Now it’s time to cook the chicken. Add the seasoned chicken to the pan and cook for about four to six minutes until it is browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside to keep warm.

To the same pan (keeping the dirty dishes to a minimum!), add four tablespoons of butter and two teaspoons of minced garlic. The garlic will heat up quickly so stay with it. Once the butter has melted, stir in a tablespoon of the Tuscan spice, a drained can of diced tomato, salt and pepper. If you prefer to use fresh tomatoes, you could use a couple of Roma tomatoes here. I like to use canned tomatoes when tomatoes are not in season. And again, we are trying to keep it simple.

It’s All About the Creaminess!

Next, it is time to add just a touch of creaminess to this pasta. While I am a definite fan of all things rich and creamy, it is nice to change it up and have a little creaminess without all of the added fat. You will need about four ounces cream cheese for this pasta and two cups of shredded parmesan cheese. After your tomato mixture is heated through, stir in the cream cheese, half of the parmesan and a splash of the pasta water that you saved earlier. You will only want to add enough water to smooth out the sauce and help the cream cheese melt.

Once the sauce has simmered and is nice and creamy, toss back in the cooked chicken, pasta, lemon zest and extra pasta water if needed to help bring it all together. I like to serve it with a slice of the charred lemon, more of the reserved parmesan cheese and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice. Lemon juice helps to cut through the richness of cheesy recipes and just give it a really fresh flavor. Yum! I am telling you; this Tuscan Chicken Pasta will be a party in your mouth!! Serve it hot with some crusty garlic bread or salad and you are ready for dinner. Go ahead and get cooking!

Looking for more great recipe ideas? Check out:

Creamy Shrimp Pesto Pasta – The Art of Mom at Home

Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops – The Art of Mom at Home

Slow Cooker Chili – Recipes- The Art of Mom at Home

Crockpot Sausage and Couscous Stuffed Peppers (theartofmomathome.com)