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Who doesn’t love to sit down to a big plate of pasta? This Garlic Oil Cream Cheese Tomato Chicken Pasta will be a new favourite comfort food!
This pasta has everything you need to warm you up and please your tastebuds! This tomato sauce is loaded with tomatoes, using both canned tomatoes and tomato puree. We’ve got a juicy simply seasoned chicken breast that really gets its flavour from the homemade garlic-infused oil we’ll be cooking it with. Actually, our sauce will be cooked with the garlic oil too! The sauce is creamy and has a tiny bit of heat from red chilli flakes. Finally, we coat all that luscious sauce in fusilli. I find that’s the perfect shape to make the dish filling and have the sauce hold onto it!
We’re well into 2023 and sometimes we just have a lot going on. If you want to put your feet up with a plate with this comforting (almost) one-pot pasta dish, then be sure to make this as part of your Live to Cook one-month cooking challenge to get you motivated to cook more at home! You can get started on your journey by signing up to my newsletter!
Follow along with the video to see how easy this tasty chicken tomato pasta recipe comes together! If you’re not already, I’d appreciate it if you subscribe to my YouTube channel! Don’t forget to hit the bell button so you receive all of the notifications when a new video recipe goes live! I love to share the video recipes to give you all the tools you need for success! Let’s get cooking!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Cream Cheese Tomato Chicken Pasta
- Quick: A fast recipe is always a winner in my books, especially for those busy nights! Our Cream Cheese Tomato Chicken Pasta can get ready on the table in 30 minutes or less!
- Simple recipe: The steps to follow to create our awesome pasta dish is really simple to follow! Actually, the only parts of the dish we’re actually cooking is the chicken and the pasta, and we’ll just need to bring our sauce to a simmer!
- Balanced meal: We have so much goodness going on in this pasta dish. Protein, carbs, veggies, and good fats. This pasta dish will taste wonderful and it will keep you satisfied!
- Customizable: I’ll give ideas on how to use the base idea of our Cream Cheese Tomato Chicken Pasta to transform the pasta to switch things up so you can make little changes to explore new possibilities every single time you make this!
- Make-ahead friendly: While I wouldn’t exactly consider this a perfect pasta dish for meal prep, you can cook up an extra portion or two and have it ready for an easy grab-and-go meal the next day if you’re short on time!
Can I Use Frozen Spinach In This Cream Cheese Tomato Chicken Pasta?▼
Just make sure to fully defrost the spinach and remove any excess moisture from it. Once these steps have been taken, you can add the spinach in as directed in the recipe.
Can I Make this Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta with Philadelphia Begetarian?▼
Of course you can! The animal-based protein we have here is chicken. Additionally, I’ve recently learned that Parmesan cheese technically isn’t vegetarian, either. This is because Parmesan, among other hard cheeses such as Grano Padano and Gorgonzola, are made with an enzyme called animal rennet, which is used to set the cheese. If you want a truly vegetarian cheese, then try to find a Parmesan cheese that uses vegetable rennet as the enzyme.
As for the vegetarian substitute for chicken, you can always use tofu or plant-based minced meat or sausages. Make sure any plant-based minced meat or sausage is fully broken down while cooking.
Can I Make This Cream Cheese Tomato Chicken Pasta Gluten-Free?▼
Of course you can, and I actually did here! The only ingredient that contains gluten is the pasta itself. I chose a corn pasta because I like the fact that it has a similar cook time to regular white wheat pasta and I don’t notice a difference in taste. However, other gluten-free varieties include lentil, chickpea, or quinoa pasta.The other varieties do have a higher protein content, so those are suitable options for vegetarians who are looking to maintain the high amount of protein from the chicken.
Is this Chicken Pasta with Cream Cheese HealthY?▼
Yes it definitely is! We’re using cream cheese instead of heavy cream to make our sauce creamy. Cream cheese has less fat and saturated fat than heavy cream.
Additionally, we’ve got a good balance of healthy fats from our garlic oil because I’ve made it with extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the best olive oil to use because it’s not heat treated nor is it treated with chemicals. The oil retains its iconic olive flavour and is loaded with heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fats and antioxidants. Extra virgin olive oil helps to lower the bad HDL cholesterol and raise the good LDL cholesterol. These good fats from the olive oil help keep you satisfied.
Finally, the protein from the chicken not only will also satiate you, but chicken is a great source of vitamin B12.
What If I don’t Have Garlic Oil?▼
That’s no problem at all! When I first made this pasta dish, I actually didn’t have garlic oil either. All you need to do is simply add regular olive oil to your pan and then mince garlic coves when the pan gets hot. You’ve probably seen me do this with every single pasta dish I’ve cooked on the blog!
Equipment for Cream Cheese Chicken Pasta
Ingredients for Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta
The FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD with all ingredient quantities and the full recipe instructions is at the bottom of this post. The recipe card can also allow you to scale the recipe based on how many portions you want to make, and all measurements will automatically be adjusted. No need for you to calculate!
- Chicken breast: Boneless, skinless chicken breast is the way to go for the easiest prep. You can try substituting with chicken thighs, but you’ll have to cook them for longer and the overall taste of the dish will differ.
- Pasta: Fusilli pasta will be used here as the sauce will nicely coat the spirals of the pasta.
- Chilli flakes: I love adding chilli flakes to my pasta sauces for some extra heat! You can omit them if you are sensitive to spice, and adjust the amount accordingly based on your preference.
- Spinach: I’m using baby spinach that will be added to the pasta and sauce at the end of the process.
- Cream cheese: I recommend you use regular full fat cream cheese for a thick and hearty sauce. You can use a lighter variety if you want, but keep in mind the taste and texture will differ.
- Passata: These are strained tomatoes. You can also puree some fresh tomatoes if you don’t have passata.
- Canned diced tomatoes: The combination of chopped tomatoes with pureed tomatoes really give the sauce a nice balance of smoothness and body. I’ll use an entire can of the diced tomatoes and add the pureed tomatoes to make the sauce more liquidy but still thick. Again, if you don’t have canned diced tomatoes, you can chop fresh ones. However, keep in mind you’ll need more pureed tomatoes.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: The sun-dried tomatoes add a nice warm flavour to the pasta.
- Parmesan cheese: Get a block and grate it yourself for the freshest and most delicious pasta. I always avoid the packaged Parmesan cheese.
- Garlic-Infused Olive Oil: We’ll use our homemade garlic olive oil to cook the chicken breast and the pasta sauce. If you don’t have homemade garlic oil on hand or don’t want to make it yourself, you can simply use store-bought garlic olive oil.
- Salt and pepper: Both of these to taste. We need salt to both cook the pasta water and to season the chicken. Salt and pepper are the only seasonings we’ll need to the chicken.
How to Make Tomato Pasta with Chicken
Bring a pot of water up to a rolling boil for your pasta and once boiling, season the water with salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.
Season the top side of the chicken breast with salt and pepper and heat a pan on medium to medium-high heat. Once warm, add 1 Tbsp of garlic infused olive oil and then add the chicken, face side down.
Season the other side with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until you see a good sear. Flip the chicken, lower the heat and cook until the underside has a similar sear. At this stage, the chicken only needs to be cooked 80-90% of the way. Set the chicken aside.
Then, add the rest of the oil and add the sun-dried tomatoes and chilli flakes. Stir well and cook until fragrant. Add the canned diced tomatoes. Stir well and season with salt. Cook gently until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add passata if you are looking for a richer, tomatoey sauce. After 10 minutes, add the cream cheese and gently incorporate with the tomatoes. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Cut the chicken to a dice and add to the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Add the pasta and mix well. Add spinach, mix until the leaves have wilted and then turn off the heat.
Then add the finely grated parmesan cheese. Mix well and add more as needed. The parmesan will combine with the sauce to thicken it.
Serve right away!
Serving Suggestions
You can definitely enjoy this Cream Cheese Tomato Chicken Pasta as a hearty and satisfying meal on its own! However, if you’re making this for a treat night in and want to start off with appetizers, then definitely go for it! Here are some excellent ideas you may enjoy to pair with the pasta:
- Fried Mozzarella Balls
- Air Fryer Pigs in a Blanket
- Buffalo Popcorn Chicken Nachos
- Air Fryer Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings
- Leftover Mashed Potato Samosas
For some more greens to pair with your meal, check out my Chicken Caesar Salad recipe, making it a side portion. If you’re craving some simple veggies on the side, then I think you’ll love my Quick Sautéed Garlic Butter Broccoli!
There will most likely be leftover creamy tomato sauce on your plate and in the pan. Don’t let that go to waste! Scoop it up with your favourite bread, such as Baguette or ciabatta or a soft and fluffy dinner roll to mop it all up!
Variations for Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta
- Pasta shape: If you don’t have fusilli on hand then you can try other small pasta shapes. You can do elbow macaroni, bowties, penne, small shells, rotini, ziti, rigatoni, or even wheels! As I mention in my top 5 tips to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, you really should be using what you have before going out to the store to get new ingredients. If those pasta shapes have been sitting in your pantry for far too long, I encourage you to use those to make this dish before getting fusilli - unless you REALLY want to follow the recipe to a tee!
- Protein: I’m showing how to cook the simply seasoned chicken breast with the garlic oil. However, if you’ve got some leftover plain chicken or even rotisserie chicken, then you can add cubes of that chicken into your pasta dish! It’s a great way to clean out the fridge!
- Greens: Don’t have spinach on hand or not a fan of it? No problem! Kale would also be great, or you could even just add basil to the pasta!
- Creaminess: If you don’t have cream cheese, then the perfect substitution is heavy cream.
Storing Leftover Tomato Chicken and Cream Cheese Pasta
I don’t think you should make this pasta recipe with the intention of prepping it for the week. While it will be delicious as leftovers and can be reheated decently well, it will be the tastiest and most aesthetically pleasing when you serve this pasta fresh. If you do want to make a bigger batch to have some extras for the next day, then that’s fine though! All you need to do is store your leftover Garlic Oil Tomato Chicken Pasta in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Reheating Cream Cheese Tomato Chicken Pasta
The microwave is the easiest way to reheat our Cream Cheese Tomato Chicken Pasta. Simply ensure that your pasta is a microwave-safe bowl, plate or container, and place it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring at 30 second intervals to ensure that the pasta is evenly and completely warmed through.
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