Chef Ally
Beef Bourguignon
Humble beef transformed by good red wine, patience, and the kind of slow cooking that fills a house with warmth and brings everyone to the table asking when dinner will be ready.
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Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Created by
Tender chicken and al dente pasta draped in a silky parmesan cream, punctuated by sweet sun-dried tomatoes and wilted spinach that still holds its color and life.
Main Dishes
Italian
Weeknight
Quick Meal
10 min
Active Time
20 min cook•30 min total
Yield4 servings
Start with the chicken. A good bird, raised with room to move and fed something other than industrial feed, will taste like itself. Season it simply. Sear it properly. Then slice it thin and let the creamy sauce do its work.
This is Italian-American cooking at its most honest. Nothing fancy. No restaurant tricks. You build a sauce in one pan while the pasta cooks in another, then bring everything together in the final minutes. The sun-dried tomatoes carry the memory of summer. The spinach wilts but keeps its aliveness if you add it at the end. The parmesan melts into the cream and thickens everything into something that clings to the pasta and makes you want another bowl.
Every meal is a meaningful choice. When you buy chicken from a farmer who raises it well, you support that farm. When you choose real parmesan, aged properly, you taste centuries of tradition. These things matter, and your dinner is better for it.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Quantity
1 pound
kosher salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
black pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground
extra-virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons, divided
garlic
Quantity
4 cloves
thinly sliced
sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed)
Quantity
1/2 cup
drained and sliced
low-sodium chicken stock
Quantity
1 cup
heavy cream
Quantity
1 cup
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
3/4 cup, plus more for serving
freshly grated
baby spinach
Quantity
4 cups (about 4 ounces)
penne or rigatoni
Quantity
12 ounces
fresh basil leaves (optional)
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| boneless, skinless chicken breasts | 1 pound |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | 1/2 teaspoon |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 3 tablespoons, divided |
| garlicthinly sliced | 4 cloves |
| sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed)drained and sliced | 1/2 cup |
| low-sodium chicken stock | 1 cup |
| heavy cream | 1 cup |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 3/4 cup, plus more for serving |
| baby spinach | 4 cups (about 4 ounces) |
| penne or rigatoni | 12 ounces |
| fresh basil leaves (optional) | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Large skillet (12-inch)
- •Large pot for pasta
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Start the pasta water
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. It should taste like the sea. This is the only chance you have to season the pasta from the inside.
- 2
Prepare the chicken
Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Dry chicken sears. Wet chicken steams. The difference between a golden crust and a pale, flabby piece of meat starts here.
If your chicken breasts are thick and uneven, pound them gently to an even thickness so they cook uniformly. - 3
Sear the chicken
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken and cook without moving it for five to six minutes until deeply golden underneath. Flip and cook another four to five minutes until cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 165°F. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest while you build the sauce.
- 4
Cook the pasta
Drop the pasta into the boiling water. Set a timer for one minute less than the package directions. You want it slightly underdone because it will finish in the sauce.
- 5
Build the sauce
Reduce the skillet heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Scatter in the sliced garlic and cook for thirty seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not brown. Burned garlic is bitter garlic. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir for another minute to warm them through and release their sweetness.
- 6
Add cream and stock
Pour in the chicken stock, scraping up any golden bits from the bottom of the pan. Those bits are flavor. Let it bubble for two minutes until slightly reduced. Add the cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for three to four minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.
- 7
Finish with cheese and spinach
Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the grated parmesan in two additions, letting each melt before adding more. The residual heat is enough. Direct flame will make the cheese grainy and stringy. Add the spinach in handfuls, stirring until it wilts but still holds its bright green color. This takes only a minute.
Adding cheese off heat prevents it from seizing. Patience here gives you a silky sauce rather than a clumpy one. - 8
Bring it together
Slice the rested chicken against the grain into thin strips. Reserve half a cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat, adding splashes of pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. The starchy water helps everything cling together. Nestle the sliced chicken on top.
- 9
Serve immediately
Taste and adjust salt as needed. Divide among warm bowls. Scatter fresh basil leaves over each portion and pass extra parmesan at the table. This dish waits for no one. The sauce will thicken as it sits, and the spinach will lose its color. Eat while everything still feels alive.
Chef Tips
- •Look for sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil rather than the dry, leathery kind sold in bags. They are more tender and their oil is already infused with tomato flavor.
- •Real Parmigiano-Reggiano, the kind with the stamp on the rind, costs more but melts into cream like nothing else. Pre-grated cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent smooth melting.
- •If you cannot find good chicken, use boneless thighs instead. They are more forgiving and often come from better-raised birds than cheap breasts.
- •This dish is best in winter and early spring when you are craving richness. In summer, skip the cream and toss the pasta with fresh tomatoes, basil, and good olive oil instead.
Advance Preparation
- •The chicken can be seared up to one day ahead and refrigerated. Slice it cold and add it to the warm pasta at the end to gently reheat.
- •Grate the parmesan and slice the garlic and tomatoes ahead of time. Once cooking starts, things move quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 410g)
Calories
920 calories
Total Fat
45 g
Saturated Fat
20 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
23 g
Cholesterol
130 mg
Sodium
1015 mg
Total Carbohydrates
71 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
57 g
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