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Tomato Spinach Chicken Pasta

Published: / Updated: / 61 Comments

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This tomato spinach chicken pasta recipe is delicious with tender pan-fried chicken nestled in a creamy tomato spinach sauce. It's quick and easy for busy weeknights!

creamy tomato spinach chicken pasta in a white bowl

This dish is perfect for when you want something delicious and comforting but also fairly healthy. 

I use both tomato paste and tomato sauce in this recipe so the creamy tomato sauce shines and the tomato flavor really pops!

How to make chicken spinach tomato pasta (overview):

For this recipe, you start by pan-frying the chicken in a skillet. Cook it for about 5-6 minutes/side or until it's cooked through and golden. You then take it out of the pan and make the sauce. While the sauce is simmering, you cut the chicken into strips. The dish is then finished by adding some fresh spinach and the chicken to the sauce, letting it warm through, and tossing it with the pasta. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)

skillet with seared chicken breast

Recipe notes & tips:

  • It can sometimes be hard to tell when chicken is done, and in a recipe like this, chicken can go from underdone to overdone very quickly. I use an instant read thermometer to easily tell when chicken is done. Chicken is safe to eat at 165F (keep in mind that the temperature will rise for a bit even after you stop cooking it). 
  • Can I sub the cream for something else? There's a good chance that the acidity of the tomatoes will curdle the sauce if you use something with a lower fat content than heavy cream, so I recommend sticking with it if you do give this recipe a try.
  • Use whatever shape of pasta you prefer/you've got on hand. 

skillet with chicken tomato spinach pasta sauce

More tasty recipes to try:

tomato spinach chicken pasta in a pot with cooked penne (ready to be tossed with pasta)

Will you give this chicken spinach tomato pasta try? Questions about this recipe? Give me a shout in the comments below! 

creamy tomato spinach chicken pasta in a white bowl

Tomato Chicken Spinach Pasta

This tomato spinach chicken pasta recipe is delicious with tender pan-fried chicken nestled in a creamy tomato spinach sauce. It's quick and easy for busy weeknights!
5 from 21 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 589 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 8 ounces uncooked pasta
  • 2 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (14 fluid ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Boil a large, salted pot of water for your pasta and cook it al dente according to package instructions.
  • Meanwhile, cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you've got 4 thinner pieces. Season both sides of each piece with the garlic powder and salt & pepper.
  • Add the butter and olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes, then cook the chicken for about 5 minutes/side or until it's cooked through, then transfer the chicken to a plate.
  • Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, cream, and Italian seasoning. Stir until it's nice and smooth. Reduce the heat to medium. Let the sauce cook for about 3-5 minutes (let it gently bubble and it will thicken up a bit).
  • Meanwhile, cut the chicken up into strips.
  • Season the sauce with some salt & pepper, then add in the chicken and spinach and let it warm through for a minute or two.
  • If the sauce gets too thick, add in a splash of the hot pasta water prior to draining it. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce (I add the pasta back to the pot it was cooked in and then pour the skillet contents into the pot). Serve immediately with parmesan cheese over top.

Notes

  • I don't recommend subbing the cream for something else like half-and-half because the tomatoes are likely to curdle the sauce.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 589kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 35gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 772mgPotassium: 1083mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2736IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 3mg
Keyword chicken spinach tomato pasta, tomato chicken spinach pasta
Author Natasha Bull
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  1. Cecily Rouser says

    5 stars
    Literally the best pasta sauce I have ever made. Thank you.

    I added grape tomatoes broiled with a little olive oil and himalyan salt. It was perfect.

    Reply

  2. Bethany says

    I substituted evaporated milk for the cream since it's all I had on hand, and this still turned out thick and delicious! I was careful to not get the sauce too hot so it did not curdle 😊 Can't wait to try it again with cream to see how rich it is!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Not that I've tested - sorry. Some readers have luck using Silk brand dairy-free whipping cream, but I have not personally tried it.

      Reply

  5. Zau says

    5 stars
    My daughter made sounds while eating (lol) so I knew it would be a keeper. I doubled the recipe and added some pepper flakes. Thanks for sharing Natasha!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! You could probably leave it out and it'll have a slightly less thick sauce and less concentrated tomato flavor. You could possibly use a can of crushed tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce if you're leaving out the tomato paste.

      Reply

  9. Rini says

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious and really easy to make. My family were impressed and really enjoyed it. Thank you

    Reply

    • Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says

      Hi Cat! Tomato sauce is similar to what's called passata internationally. It's a kind of puréed and strained tomato sauce that normally comes in a can and is fairly thick. Chopped tomatoes don't have a saucy consistency and may be watery. Enjoy the recipe 🙂

      Reply

      • Rini says

        I personally used chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and it was still delicous and not too watery as the cream thickened it as well. Next time i will specifically get the sauce and try it.

        Reply

  13. Lori St.Onge says

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was really delicious. Just a couple of changes. I added some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat and Parmesan cheese. I will definitely
    Make it again. Very quick and easy but very delicious.

    Reply

  14. Louise says

    Absolutely delicious recipe. I personally added a full 1tsp of Italian seasoning and 1/2 tsp of mild chilli powder. This will be a recurrent recipe at home!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Abbie! Honestly, I have no idea - sorry! I include nutrition info as a courtesy (it's just an estimate generated by a calculator that pulls from a database to give readers a general idea). I am not a trained nutritionist (nor great at math lol), and I would not feel comfortable guessing as it'll be off anyway since ingredients vary so much by brand, size of chicken breasts you happen to purchase, etc. If you need precise info for health reasons, you may want to weigh each ingredient out and enter it into something like My Fitness Pal.

      Reply

  16. Iliana says

    5 stars
    Just made this for my husband and two year old son and they both LOVED it! Hubby said it was even better than a restaurant's so thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it will be my go-to sauce for pasta now!
    I did it without chicken since I'm pregnant and its one of the aversions I've had the last few months but still with only the spinach and cheese it was pitch perfect! 10/10 🙂

    Reply

  18. Emma says

    5 stars
    I also added 4 or 5 thin sliced mushrooms, half a small onion thinly sliced and a little extra spinach. Other wise I followed this recipe to a T and my family ADORED it. Extremely customizable veggie wise. Super easy and super good!!

    Reply

  19. Jane says

    5 stars
    I love this recipe, it was easy to make and the taste was delicious. I love it so much that I would like to make this as a side dish for a party , probably about three pounds can I make this ahead of time and reheat tithe day of the party any ideas?????? Thank you so much for an excellent recipe

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Jane!! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm a little concerned the sauce won't be as nice reheated (creamy sauces are notoriously finicky and can separate when reheating), but if you still want to try, I would probably wait until the very end (like just before serving) to add the spinach in so it doesn't go an unappealing color/very limp texture. I'd keep the chicken and the sauce separate and reheat both SLOWLY on a low heat so the chicken doesn't get overcooked and the sauce doesn't separate. Perhaps warm the chicken in the oven covered by foil?

      Reply

  20. Chris Holen says

    5 stars
    Delicious inspiration!
    I substituted fire-roasted tomatoes instead of sauce and doubled up on the tomato paste.
    Also added burnt butter to pasta so l could top it with the chicken and sauce (for aesthetics)
    Thank you

    Reply

  23. Molly Shackelford in Va says

    5 stars
    I had a single, lonely yellow squash in my fridge that I couldn’t decide what I wanted to use it in...guess what? Deslish! Your recipe is amazing and allows for little tweaks and I love that so much! I sautéed the squash with the garlic and it was incredible! Thanks so much for this recipe!

    Reply

  25. Simran Rao says

    5 stars
    So excited to try something like this with so much flavour! Mouth watering just looking at the recipe! ❤️

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      So happy to hear that! 🙂 I'm big on extra spinach myself... just had half a box of it in my lunch today haha.

      Reply

  28. Kristin Oliveri says

    5 stars
    Such an amazing dish ! Really full of flavor and so easy to make . I highly recommend trying it and you’ll see for yourself how delicious it was ! Felt like restaurant quality flavors . Will be my new go to dish for sure !

    Reply