This chicken pasta with tomato cream sauce is one of those cozy, one pot meals that’s easy to make in any size kitchen. The entire dish can be prepared and served in one pan (a large saucepan, deep skillet, braiser, or Dutch oven) and includes plenty of wiggle room to swap in one ingredient for another based on what you have and what you like.
It’s the kind of meal that requires very little effort but delivers big on comfort: tender pieces of chicken, silky noodles, crisp green veggies, and a rich, velvety tomato cream sauce that clings to every bite.
But the thing I love the most about this dish is how flexible it is.
Thick, fat homemade fettuccini noodles are my first choice, but it’s honestly just as delicious with any kind of pasta you like.
Swap out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs or go rogue and use sausage, pork tenderloin, or fish.
Crisp-tender spears of asparagus add fresh flavor and texture to this dish, but it’s just as good with broccoli, green beans, Brussels, tender green peas, or pretty much any kind of veggies you like, fresh or frozen.
Make it dairy free by using coconut milk or cashew cream.
Make it vegan by using coconut milk and tofu in place of the chicken.
Make it gluten free by using gluten free pasta.
Speaking of pasta…
My preference is always for homemade fresh pasta. If you’ve never tried your hand at pasta making, perhaps this recipe will give you the excuse to give it a go.
To easily fit pasta making into a busy week I usually make the dough on the weekend, when I’m doing other meal prep stuff for the week. Then I wrap it up and keep it in the fridge until I’m ready to use it. The night before I want to cook the pasta, I use my pasta machine to roll out the dough, cut it into noodles, and hang them on a pasta drying rack. The pasta is now ready to cook whenever I am.
Having said that, I meant what I said earlier about using any kind of pasta you like and a box of dried pasta makes this the perfect weeknight meal.
Recipe Notes
Add just enough water to the pot to cover the pasta and give the noodles some room to move. This will ensure that plenty of starch from the pasta makes it into the reserved pasta water. The starch in pasta water helps thicken the sauce.
It’s important to add enough salt to the water that will cook the pasta to make the water taste salty, like seawater. Most of the salt will stay in the water, but adding enough salt will ensure that pasta is properly seasoned. Because you’ll be using some of the pasta water in the sauce, go easy on the salt when cooking the rest of the dish. Taste the sauce at the end and add more salt if you wish.
If you’d like to try your hand at homemade pasta, this recipe will walk you through the process with step-by-step photos and instructions: How To Make Homemade Pasta
More creamy, saucy, comforting pasta recipes
Mushroom Ravioli in Garlic Butter Cream Sauce: Homemade mushroom ravioli blanketed in creamy garlic butter sauce is a labor of love in the truest sense - You'll love the process of making ravioli and, most importantly, you'll love the delicious, impressive result.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta: Love is the way I feel about this plate full of creamy, cheesy, saucy, perfectly cooked pasta and roasted mushrooms topped with plenty of cracked pepper and fresh herbs.
Brown Butter Sauce Pasta with Crispy Bread Crumbs: Brown butter sauce pasta with parmesan cheese and crispy bread crumbs is one of the most deliciously unapologetic meals I know how to make. (And I am not in the habit of apologizing for anything I cook or eat.) It's the kind of meal you allow yourself to really truly need on those days when pasta and butter sauce might actually be the answer.
Pasta Bolognese: Meaty, rich, and slow simmered bolognese sauce is one of the world's all-time greatest comfort foods. This recipe is a bit untraditional in that it includes bacon and red wine. But try it and you just might find a new favorite.
Welcome to Let’s Get Lost! I’m Rebecca, a recipe developer, food photographer, passionate people watcher, and chaser of new experiences. You might know me from my recipe websites, Of Batter and Dough and A Little and A Lot.
My husband and I are nomads without a home base but with many modes of transportation, namely an RV, a motorcycle, and a sailboat. I write recipes and stories for curious people who believe experiences are more important than things and who want more adventure. Find out more.
Wow, this looks amaaaaaazing! Totally the kind of dish that could become a staple at our house. Noodles are just so versatile. How do you come up with so many ideas, Rebecca?!
YUM.
I wonder if there's a use for the asparagus halves you chuck out. Obviously the woody sections are a no-go, but I've found the natural breaking point leaves a lot of excellent asparagus still on the stalk.