This dish cooks in a single wide pot. You sear chicken thighs first, then build the sauce in the same fat. The starch from the pasta thickens the cream without flour.
Weigh the pasta dry and the cream by grams. Volume measures drift by ten percent or more, and this sauce has little margin. Use a 12-inch (30 cm) pot with a tight lid.
Total time is 50 minutes from cold pan to plated food. Most of it is hands-off simmering. Read the whole method once before you start.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
About the Ingredients
700 g (about 4 medium) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Thighs stay juicy through the simmer; breast meat dries out. Buy thighs of even thickness, or pound them to 2 cm (3/4 inch) yourself.
12 g (1 tbsp) fine sea salt, divided
Fine sea salt dissolves faster than flake salt in the sauce. If using kosher salt, use 15 g (1 tbsp) and taste before the final seasoning.
3 g (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
Pre-ground pepper loses aroma fast. Grind it at the moment you season the chicken.
30 g (2 tbsp) olive oil
Regular olive oil handles this heat better than extra virgin. Reserve extra virgin for finishing the pot off the heat.
250 g (1 3/4 cups) diced yellow onion
Yellow onion gives sweetness without sharpness. Leek, white parts only, works as a milder substitute.
12 g (4 cloves) garlic, minced
Fresh garlic, not paste. Add it after the onion so it does not scorch and turn bitter.
80 g (1/2 cup) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
Buy oil-packed, not dry. The packing oil is flavorful; drain it and add 1 tbsp of it to the pot for depth.
350 g (12 oz) penne rigate or rigatoni
Short ridged shapes hold the cream sauce. Fusilli works; long pasta crowds this pot and cooks unevenly.
900 ml (3 3/4 cups) hot low-sodium chicken broth
Hot broth keeps the pot at temperature and shortens the simmer. Vegetable broth makes it a full vegetarian dish.
240 g (1 cup) heavy cream, 36% fat
Lower-fat cream curdles when it meets hot acid from the tomatoes. Half-and-half is not a safe swap here.
60 g (2/3 cup) finely grated parmesan, plus more to serve
Grate it yourself from a wedge; pre-shredded cheese contains starch and clumps. Pecorino is a sharper swap, so use 45 g.
120 g (4 packed cups) baby spinach
Baby spinach wilts in under two minutes. Mature spinach needs stemmed leaves and one extra minute.
Tips & Tricks
Do not boil the cream
keep the pot at a bare simmer, 90-95°C (195-205°F), after the cream goes in. A rolling boil splits the fat and leaves a grainy sauce.
Stir the bottom every four minutes
pasta releases starch that settles and scorches. A flat-edged spoon scraped along the base prevents a burnt layer.
Season in stages
salt the chicken, then the onion, then taste at the end. Parmesan is salty, so final seasoning depends on your cheese.
Rest before serving
two minutes off the heat lets the sauce thicken onto the pasta. Serve immediately after, as it tightens further as it cools.
Pro Tips
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Dry and season the chicken
Pat the thighs dry with paper towels and season both sides with 8 g (2 tsp) of the salt and all the pepper. Dry meat browns rather than steams, which builds the flavor base for the sauce.
2. Sear the chicken
Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) pot over medium-high heat to 190°C (375°F). Sear the thighs 5 minutes per side until deep golden brown and the internal temperature reads 70°C (158°F).
3. Rest and cube the chicken
Move the chicken to a plate and rest 5 minutes, then cut into 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) pieces. Resting stops the juices from running into the pot and thinning the sauce.
4. Soften the onion
Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion in the same pot for 5 minutes, stirring, until translucent and soft at the edges. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook 60 seconds until fragrant.
5. Toast the pasta
Add the penne and stir for 2 minutes until the grains look glossy and smell nutty. Toasting coats the starch and keeps the pasta from sticking during the simmer.
6. Simmer the pasta
Pour in the hot broth and the remaining 4 g (1 tsp) salt. Bring to a boil at 100°C (212°F), cover, and simmer 11 minutes, stirring twice, until the pasta is just shy of al dente with a firm center.
7. Build the cream sauce
Lower the heat to low, stir in the cream and 40 g of the parmesan, and simmer 4 minutes at 90-95°C (195-205°F) until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.
8. Wilt the spinach and finish
Fold in the spinach in two handfuls and cook 2 minutes until fully wilted and dark green. Return the chicken and its juices, then stir in the last 20 g of parmesan off the heat.
9. Rest and serve
Rest the pot 2 minutes, taste for salt, and serve in warm bowls with extra parmesan and cracked pepper. The sauce should cling to the pasta, not pool at the bottom.
Delicious Variations
Smoky sausage version
swap the chicken for 500 g (17.6 oz) sliced smoked sausage and brown it 6 minutes; skip the 70°C check.
Vegetarian version
replace the chicken with 400 g (14 oz) sliced cremini mushrooms and use vegetable broth; brown the mushrooms 6 minutes before the onion.
Spicy tomato version
add 5 g (1 tsp) red pepper flakes with the garlic and 30 g (2 tbsp) tomato paste; cook the paste 90 seconds to remove its raw edge.
How to Store One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Refrigerator
Store in a sealed container up to 3 days at 4°C (39°F). The pasta absorbs sauce, so keep 60 ml (1/4 cup) broth to loosen it.
Freezer
Freeze in portions up to 2 months. Cream sauces can separate on thaw, so thaw overnight in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a covered pot over low heat at 70-80°C (158-176°F) with 2 tbsp broth, stirring until loose. Do not microwave on high, as the cream will split.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I make this Tuscan chicken pasta with chicken breast instead of thighs?
Yes, but reduce the sear to 4 minutes per side and pull the breasts at 74°C (165°F). Slice them after resting 5 minutes and add them at the end so they do not overcook in the sauce.
Q: Why did my cream sauce curdle?
The pot boiled after the cream went in, which splits the fat. Keep the heat at low so the surface only shimmers, around 90-95°C (195-205°F), and add cream to a pot that is no longer at a hard boil.
Q: How much liquid do I need for one-pot pasta?
Use about 2.5 times the pasta weight in broth, so 900 ml for 350 g of penne. Too little liquid leaves the pasta raw in the center; too much leaves a thin sauce that needs reducing.
Q: Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
No, milk curdles with the sun-dried tomatoes and will not thicken. If you must avoid cream, use 200 g (3/4 cup) full-fat cream cheese stirred in off the heat.
Q: Is this dish gluten-free?
Only if you swap the penne for a gluten-free short pasta and check the broth label. Gluten-free pasta absorbs liquid faster, so reduce the first simmer to 8 minutes and check doneness.
Weigh the chicken and the pasta, watch the pot temperature, and taste before serving. Cook it once as written, then adjust the salt and pepper to your table. Weigh, watch, repeat.
One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
One-Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta delivers golden seared chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in a silky parmesan sauce with just one pan to wash.
🧂 Ingredients
- 700 g (about 4 medium) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 12 g (1 tbsp) fine sea salt, divided
- 3 g (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
- 30 g (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 250 g (1 3/4 cups) diced yellow onion
- 12 g (4 cloves) garlic, minced
- 80 g (1/2 cup) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
- 350 g (12 oz) penne rigate or rigatoni
- 900 ml (3 3/4 cups) hot low-sodium chicken broth
- 240 g (1 cup) heavy cream, 36% fat
- 60 g (2/3 cup) finely grated parmesan, plus more to serve
- 120 g (4 packed cups) baby spinach
📋 Instructions
- 1Dry and season the chicken — Pat the thighs dry with paper towels and season both sides with 8 g (2 tsp) of the salt and all the pepper. Dry meat browns rather than steams, which builds the flavor base for the sauce.
- 2Sear the chicken — Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch (30 cm) pot over medium-high heat to 190°C (375°F). Sear the thighs 5 minutes per side until deep golden brown and the internal temperature reads 70°C (158°F).
- 3Rest and cube the chicken — Move the chicken to a plate and rest 5 minutes, then cut into 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) pieces. Resting stops the juices from running into the pot and thinning the sauce.
- 4Soften the onion — Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion in the same pot for 5 minutes, stirring, until translucent and soft at the edges. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook 60 seconds until fragrant.
- 5Toast the pasta — Add the penne and stir for 2 minutes until the grains look glossy and smell nutty. Toasting coats the starch and keeps the pasta from sticking during the simmer.
- 6Simmer the pasta — Pour in the hot broth and the remaining 4 g (1 tsp) salt. Bring to a boil at 100°C (212°F), cover, and simmer 11 minutes, stirring twice, until the pasta is just shy of al dente with a firm center.
- 7Build the cream sauce — Lower the heat to low, stir in the cream and 40 g of the parmesan, and simmer 4 minutes at 90-95°C (195-205°F) until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.
- 8Wilt the spinach and finish — Fold in the spinach in two handfuls and cook 2 minutes until fully wilted and dark green. Return the chicken and its juices, then stir in the last 20 g of parmesan off the heat.
- 9Rest and serve — Rest the pot 2 minutes, taste for salt, and serve in warm bowls with extra parmesan and cracked pepper. The sauce should cling to the pasta, not pool at the bottom.
Tomasz writes precise, method-first recipes for breads, ferments, and slow braises, drawing on Polish and Central European home cooking. He cares about weights, temperatures, and timing, and explains the reason behind each step so cooks can repeat results. His angle is turning fussy techniques into clear, checkable instructions.
