Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake

Sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and a garlic cream sauce over pasta, baked until the top browns. The dish people request for their birthday.

Ingredients

• 1 lb penne or rigatoni
• 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1½ tsp kosher salt, divided
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ⅔ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, divided
• 5 oz baby spinach
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• Fresh basil

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
2. Cook the pasta 2 minutes short of the package's al dente time. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain. It will finish cooking in the oven, and pasta cooked fully now turns to mush later.
3. Season the chicken with 1 tsp salt, the pepper, and Italian seasoning. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high. Cook the chicken 6–7 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked to 165°F. Transfer to a plate.
4. Reduce heat to medium. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook 1 minute.
5. Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pan. Simmer 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
6. Add the cream and remaining ½ tsp salt. Simmer 4–5 minutes until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. Stir in ¾ cup of the Parmesan until smooth, then the spinach until wilted.
7. Return the chicken, add the drained pasta, and fold everything together. Loosen with pasta water if it looks tight — it should be slightly saucier than you think it needs, since the oven will absorb some.
8. Top with the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Bake 15–18 minutes until bubbling, then broil 2 minutes for a browned top.
9. Rest 5 minutes before serving. It will be molten.

Substitutions

• Chicken breast: works; cut smaller and watch it closely, since it dries faster than thigh.
• Half-and-half instead of cream: usable, but add 1 tbsp flour with the garlic to help it thicken and don't let it boil hard.
• No sun-dried tomatoes: roasted red peppers, drained and sliced, give a different but good result.
• Vegetarian: skip the chicken, add 1 lb sliced mushrooms browned hard in step 3.
• Gluten-free pasta: works, but undercook it by 3 minutes rather than 2 — GF pasta softens faster.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat covered at 350°F for 20 minutes with a splash of milk or broth stirred in — cream sauces tighten dramatically when chilled. Assemble ahead through step 7, refrigerate up to 24 hours, and add 10 minutes to the bake. Freezing is possible but the cream sauce can separate; stir well on reheating.

Serving suggestions

Garlic bread and a sharply dressed arugula salad. The salad isn't optional here — this is a rich dish and it needs something acidic across from it.