Ready in under 30 minutes, this delicious Tuscan Chicken with Penne Pasta is flavorful and easy to make. Perfect dish for a busy weeknight meal!
Tuscan Chicken with Penne Pasta
I was thrilled to get a Dutch Oven for Christmas, I’ve wanted one for so long! We try to have at least one new dish each week in our home, to help stay out of the rut that’s easy to fall into, where we eat the same things over and over, especially on busy weeknights! I’ve been trying to test out recipes using just one or two pots, so there is less to clean up, and find things that are ready in 30 minutes or less. This works out great after sports practice, because the kids can go shower while I prepare dinner, then we can all eat together when it’s done.
My boys are tween/teenagers and I think they are ALL going through growth spurts right now, because they are eating everything in sight. I need meals that are hearty and filling, with plenty of leftovers for them to devour the next afternoon when they get home from school. They are close in age, and I feel like the “Growth Spurt” phase is never ending, so the recipes that workout well for us get added to the Meal Plan Rotation quite frequently.
To begin, gather all ingredients, and take a couple of minutes to dice, chop, and mince, so everything is ready to be added when it’s time. Honestly, I do this on my grocery shopping day, and store in reusable containers in the refrigerator, to save time on busy nights. To save additional time and money, I’ll often freeze leftover broth when I make chicken in 1/2 cup portion sizes, as well as diced or shred the extra chicken to freeze for recipes too. Otherwise, I’ll pick up some boxed Chicken Broth and a Rotisserie Chicken at the Supermarket.
Look how delicious! Sorry the lighting over the stove-top isn’t the greatest 🙂
Place Olive Oil & Butter in 5.5 Qt Dutch Oven (or large Pot) with minced garlic, diced onion, and Spinach. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until onions are cooked through and clear. Stir to make sure garlic doesn’t burn while cooking. Boil Pasta according to package directions. I used Barilla Gluten Free Penne Pasta, but any variety would work fine. Add Basil, Italian Seasoning, Oregano, Salt & Pepper, Thyme, Diced Tomatoes, and Chicken Broth to the Dutch Oven. Once it reaches a boil, add in the shredded or diced chicken. Reduce to Medium Low heat, and allow to simmer. Mix Flour with Half & Half in a small bowl to make sure it isn’t lumpy, then add to the Dutch Oven. Simmer about 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Drain Pasta once it is Al Dente, then add to the Dutch Oven. Simmer until ready to serve. Once plated, top with Shredded Parmesan Cheese. Garnish with additional diced tomatoes, basil, or parsley if desired.
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cups spinach (I used frozen)
- 1 tsp Basil
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Salt (I used Sea Salt)
- 1/2 tsp Thyme
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes (I used Hunt’s with Basil, Garlic & Oregano)
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Diced or Shredded Cooked Chicken (I used a Rotisserie Chicken)
- 1/2 Cup Half & Half (I used Fat Free because it’s what I had on hand)
- 4 tbsp Flour
- 1 Box Penne Pasta (I used a 12 oz box of Barilla Gluten Free Pasta)
- 1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Place Olive Oil & Butter in 5.5 Qt Dutch Oven (or large Pot) with minced garlic, diced onion, and Spinach. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until onions are cooked through and clear. Stir to make sure garlic doesn’t burn while cooking.
- Boil Pasta according to package directions.
- Add Basil, Italian Seasoning, Oregano, Salt & Pepper, Thyme, Diced Tomatoes, and Chicken Broth to the Dutch Oven. Once it reaches a boil, add in the shredded or diced chicken.
- Reduce to Medium Low heat, and allow to simmer.
- Mix Flour with Half & Half in a small bowl to make sure it isn’t lumpy, then add to the Dutch Oven.
- Simmer about 10 minutes or until pasta is done.
- Drain Pasta once it is Al Dente, then add to the Dutch Oven.
- Simmer until ready to serve.
- Once plated, top with Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- Garnish with additional diced tomatoes, basil, or parsley if desired.
Richard Hicks says
What a great looking dish. May give this a try one weekend.
MonaG (@Kulmona) says
We eat a LOT of chicken and this recipe sounds really good for dinner. It would be delicious as leftovers too. I love one-pot meals. The less clean-up, the better.
Thanks 🙂
amweeks says
With picky eaters in my house, I’m always looking for new recipes using pasta and/or chicken! This one looks yummy! Thanks!
Jerry Marquardt says
This looks like such a nice and savory dish. I worked at Olive Garden, and this IS better.
Don Dyer says
I think this is a new pasta recipe that I would love to try and my kids would loved.
jalapenomamamn says
I am often looking for new recipes with chicken.
We would all love this.
Thanks for the recipe!
Barbara Montag
slehan says
I like all the ingredients in this recipe. Good to prep things ahead of time.
slehan at juno dot com
Kaycee says
This looks awesome! Wish it could be made dairy free! Thanks for sharing!
Laura says
This looks very tasty. I enjoy making pasta dishes.
Nicole Carter (Weasley) says
This does look amazing and so simple to do! I will have to give it a try!
Elizabeth Tarlow says
Love your recipe! Using Rotisserie Chicken is such a time saver…I was thinking Pasta for dinner, and this will be it!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
sheila ressel says
Yum! I’m hungry just looking at this!
Amy Orvin says
This looks very good and not too hard to make. Thanks for sharing.
Cynthia C says
I love recipes that use rotisserie chicken. This one looks delicious!
Deb P says
I love noodles, this meal looks wonderful.
ladymagnolia99 says
This really looks delicious. I love pastas!! I will have to print and make this for supper this week!!!
Judy Cox
Lisa Coomer Queen says
This looks and sounds delicious! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Margie says
This sounds like a delicious recipe. I put it in my bookmarks so I can try it later. Thanks!
Tamra Phelps says
I’ve been craving a good pasta dish, trying to decide whether to do a pasta salad or a warm dish. This looks like a good candidate!
mcushing7 says
Looks delicious! I will have to try this for myself as I love pasta dishes 🙂 Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe.
ov099 says
That looks good! 😀
Rochelle Haynes says
Looking good love to try this
tisonlyme143 says
What a great looking pasta meal, I love that it doesn’t take up too much time to make and I use those noodles a lot in my cooking.
Cheryl says
This looks so, so good. I love the ingredients.
Jackie says
That looks delicious!
Karen Puleski says
Thank you 🙂