Creamy Tomato-Chicken Pasta

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

A creamy blend of tomatoes, chicken thighs, spinach, and basil is simmered together and served atop penne pasta in this easy weeknight dish.

Ingredients

1 pound Chicken, broilers or fryers, thigh, meat only, raw
1 pinch chili powder, or to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 (8 ounce) package fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or to taste
1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta

Directions

1 Pat chicken dry and season with chili powder, salt, and pepper.
2 Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear chicken in the hot oil until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a clean plate.
3 Place garlic in the leftover juices in the pan and saute over medium heat until aromatic, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and heavy cream; reduce heat to low. Add spinach and basil and cook and stir until spinach wilts. Add chicken to the sauce and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the centers.
4 While chicken mixture cooks, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
5 Serve chicken mixture on top of pasta.