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.
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.
Tuscan Chicken with Penne Pasta

Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 238Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 532mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 14g
Don’t miss these additional delicious Pasta Recipes here at When Is Dinner:
MonaG (@Kulmona)
Wednesday 15th of June 2016
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 :)
Richard Hicks
Wednesday 15th of June 2016
What a great looking dish. May give this a try one weekend.
amweeks
Wednesday 15th of June 2016
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
Sunday 12th of June 2016
This looks like such a nice and savory dish. I worked at Olive Garden, and this IS better.
Don Dyer
Sunday 12th of June 2016
I think this is a new pasta recipe that I would love to try and my kids would loved.