This creamy chicken pasta is an easy 30-minute dinner made with ground chicken, penne, tomato sauce, heavy cream, and melted cheddar. Garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes add plenty of flavor to the creamy tomato sauce, making this a simple and comforting pasta dinner for busy weeknights. Looking for more inspiration? Explore all our easy pasta recipes for dinner.
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Ingredients list for the Creamy Chicken Pasta
- 8 ounces medium penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken (or turkey, or beef…)
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can marinara sauce (or any tomato sauce you like)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 1 1/2 cups
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Directions
1. To make the creamy chicken pasta recipe: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions, then drain well.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks. Set aside.
3. Add onion to the same skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and marinara sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
5. Stir in cooked pasta, ground chicken and heavy cream until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in shredded cheddar cheese until melted, about 2 minutes. Serve the creamy chicken pasta immediately, garnished with fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Tips for the creamy chicken pasta recipe
Ground chicken is tossed with penne in a creamy tomato and cheddar sauce for an easy weeknight dinner. Here are a few tips for making this creamy chicken pasta even better:
- To prevent cooked pasta from sticking together, wait until the water is at a full, rapid boil before adding the penne. Then stir the pasta as it cooks, aim for stirring every 2-3 minutes.
- Use good quality cheddar that will you grate yourself. Pre shredded cheese has starch added to it to prevent sticking in clumps in the bag, making it difficult to melt properly in the sauce.
- If you want to lighten up this creamy chicken pasta recipe, use half and half instead of heavy cream, in the same proportion
- You can replace ground chicken with ground turkey if you prefer.
What other types of pasta can we use?
Use any pasta shape that holds the sauce well. Farfalle and rotini would make great alternatives.
How and how long to store the creamy pasta leftovers?
This creamy chicken pasta recipe keeps well in the fridge for 2 or 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave, adding a tiny splash of water to loosen up the sauce if necessary.
More pasta recipes you’ll love
- Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- 20-Minute Sausage Pasta Skillet
- Tomato Spinach Sausage Pasta
- Creamy Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
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Creamy Chicken Pasta
This creamy chicken pasta with ground chicken, tomato, cream, and cheddar makes an easy and comforting 30-minute dinner.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken (or turkey, or beef...)
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can marinara sauce (or any tomato sauce you like)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, about 1 1/2 cups
Instructions
- To make the creamy chicken pasta recipe: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions, then drain well.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks. Set aside.
- Add onion to the same skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and marinara sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in cooked pasta, ground chicken and heavy cream until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in shredded cheddar cheese until melted, about 2 minutes. Serve the creamy chicken pasta immediately, garnished with fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information for this recipe.
Reviews
See what readers thought — or share how it turned out for you.
How did it turn out?
This is delicious. I did make a full pound of pasta as it’s a lot of sauce. I also swapped out the cheddar for mozzarella. Just personal taste. Thanks!
delicious. i didnt set aside my chicken like the directions say . just put everything in one pot. turned out great . make sure you season with salt
Very good, my husband and little boy liked it a lot. The recipe might need a little editing, as, it calls for crushed pepper flakes but doesn’t say when to put them in (don’t know if that’s at the end as a garnish or supposed to be mixed in with the flour and spice rue in the beginning), and in the tips it says if you don’t like canned diced tomatoes use Roma tomatoes instead, but nowhere in the recipe does it say anything about diced tomatoes. I guess the marinara was good enough haha.
My husband loved this and it was easy to make! I put the whole onion in instead of half, and used shredded Swiss instead, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Delicious
I loved this recipe! I added some cajun seasoning to give it some flavor. There is also a lot of sauce so you can for a whole box rather than the half the recipes calls for. Overall, great!
