Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken Pasta (Print View)

Silky tomato-basil sauce and juicy chicken combined with pasta for a simple, crowd-pleasing Italian meal.

# Components:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 ounces penne or fettuccine
02 - Salt, for boiling water

→ Chicken

03 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
04 - 1 teaspoon salt
05 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
06 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
07 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Sauce

08 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
09 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
10 - 14 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
11 - 2/3 cup heavy cream
12 - 1/4 cup chicken broth
13 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
14 - 1/2 ounce fresh basil leaves, chopped
15 - 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
16 - Salt and pepper, to taste

# Method:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain pasta and set aside.
02 - Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season evenly on both sides with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden and fully cooked through. Remove from skillet, let rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.
04 - Reduce skillet heat to medium. Add butter; once melted, sauté minced garlic for about 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth to the skillet. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, allowing flavors to meld.
06 - Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Simmer for another 3 to 4 minutes until sauce slightly thickens. Add sugar if needed to balance acidity. Fold in chopped basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
07 - Add drained pasta to the skillet, tossing thoroughly to coat. If the sauce appears too thick, add a little reserved pasta water to reach desired consistency.
08 - Top pasta with sliced chicken. Toss gently to combine and warm through. Serve immediately, garnished with additional fresh basil and Parmesan if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce clings so smoothly to each piece of pasta you’ll think you ordered out from a trattoria secret menu.
  • It makes weeknights taste like a low-maintenance Italian celebration—without mountains of washing up afterward.
02 -
  • Once, I drained all of the pasta water before remembering how transformative a splash or two is for a silky sauce—never make that mistake if you want restaurant-level results.
  • Adding basil at the end instead of at the beginning keeps its color and bright flavor intact; I learned this after watching my leaves wilt to nothing by rushing the process.
03 -
  • Start tasting the sauce before adding salt at the end—Parmesan can make things saltier than you’d expect, and rescuing an over-seasoned sauce is never fun.
  • The right pan makes a difference; a wider skillet helps the sauce reduce and cling to pasta evenly, so everything cooks faster and tastes better.
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