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!
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)
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.
More tasty recipes to try:
- Tomato Spinach White Wine Chicken
- Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken
- Spicy Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Chicken Feta Spinach Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta
- Creamy Tomato Chicken
Will you give this chicken spinach tomato pasta try? Questions about this recipe? Give me a shout in the comments below!
Tomato Chicken Spinach Pasta
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.
Abbie says
Hi, just wondering the approx serving size? For example how many grams for each serve 😊
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.
Iliana says
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 🙂
Natasha says
That's wonderful!! I'm so happy you all enjoyed it, Illiana!
Lina Kessaissia says
Ahhh in love. My mouth was watering at the sight of this dish. Thank you🙏🙏
Natasha says
You're welcome!
Emma says
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!!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! I'm so happy it was enjoyed, Emma!! 😀
Jane says
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
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?
Chris Holen says
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
Natasha says
Sounds good to me, Chris!!
Todd says
Delicious. We also added mushrooms to ours for an earthy tone. Loved it.
Natasha says
Wonderful!! So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Kiley Baile says
This dish is AMAZING! My kids ask for it at least once a week. Delicious!
Natasha says
That's great to hear!! Thanks for letting me know!
Molly Shackelford in Va says
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!
Natasha says
That's great!! I love that idea. 🙂
Emily says
delicious!!! Such an easy and exquisite recipe! My whole family loved it 🙂
Natasha says
Fantastic! Thank you!!
Simran Rao says
So excited to try something like this with so much flavour! Mouth watering just looking at the recipe! ❤️
Natasha says
Enjoy!! 🙂
Dina says
Great flavor, I loved this meal, I added extra spinach. I could eat this every night!
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.
Allie Smith says
This turned out SO delicious. Perfect cozy Sunday night meal. Will be making this again!
Natasha says
Great! Thank you! 😀
Kristin Oliveri says
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 !
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that!! 😀
Roberta Forney says
I made this for the first time and it was quite simple and tasty.
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that, Roberta! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Anna says
For a short cut, could I use jarred marinara sauce like Rao’s tomato basil pasta sauce?
Natasha says
Sure!