Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta with fresh basil is positively packed with rustic flavor and is ready in under 40 minutes for a delicious weeknight meal! This easy to prepare comfort food is easy enough to make any night of the week but fancy enough for a special occasion.
This gluten-free dairy-free creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta is my latest obsession!
Lusciously creamy and tangy sun-dried tomato sauce swaddles the chicken pasta in the most glorious rustic vibes.
It is bright and tangy, rich and decadent with an herb booster and a tiny kick of heat for the most well-rounded palate-pleasing experience. One of those pasta dishes the whole family will love!
In addition to being quick and easy to prepare, this healthy chicken pasta recipe leaves you feeling energized (and full) without putting you into a pasta coma. Flavorful chicken in a delicious cream sauce for busy weeknights? What could be better?
This simple pasta recipe requires few ingredients yet has such a big bold flavor, you’d never guess it!
Here are its glowing characteristics.
Recipe Highlights:
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Ready in 40 minutes
- Few ingredients
- Easy prep for weeknight meals
- Rich and decadent
Let’s discuss the simple ingredient list for this tasty meal! Everything can be found at any grocery store.
Ingredients for Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta:
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce: Onion, plenty of garlic, full-fat canned coconut milk, sundried tomatoes, tomato sauce, sea salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper.
This combination of ingredients for the creamy sauce results in such a flavorful sauce that is rich and creamy and full to the brim with sun-dried tomato flavor.
If you aren’t dairy-free you can replace the canned coconut milk with 2 cups of heavy cream. You can also use half & half but would then need to thicken the sauce using flour or tapioca flour.
Whole Chicken Breasts: Boneless skinless chicken breasts get chopped into bite sized pieces to bring filling lean protein to the pasta. Chicken cutlets, chicken filets and chicken tenders also work. Use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken for the quickest method.
You can easily use boneless chicken thighs if you prefer them over breasts or even swap it for ground turkey or ground beef.
Pasta: Use your favorite shape and brand of pasta noodles. I use Gluten-Free Brown Rice Penne Pasta, but any type of pasta will work.
You can also use grain-free pasta noodles made with cassava flour or chickpea pasta if you eat a grain-free diet or regular pasta noodles if you aren’t gluten-free.
Fresh Basil: A little fresh basil brings a bright sweetness to the pasta to offset the otherwise tangy flavor. It adds a well-rounded balance to the meal, giving it a fresh lightness.
Optional Additions:
- Add 2 to 5 ounces of fresh spinach to the pasta for additional greens.
- Stir in fresh mozzarella balls for chicken mozzarella pasta.
- For herby flavor, add 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning or dried herbs of choice to the sauce.
- Add 1/4 cup of dry white wine to the sun dried tomato pasta for more depth of flavor.
- Now that we’ve covered the ingredients list, let’s make sun-dried tomato pasta!
How to Make Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta:
Cook the Noodles:
Prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the package. My gluten-free penne noodles require 12 minutes of cooking, leaving plenty of time to multi-task and prepare the rest of the recipe.
I typically cook my pasta for a couple of minutes less time than the package indicates for al dente noodles. Once the noodles have finished cooking, strain them into a colander, immediately rinse them with cool water and set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the Sauce:
While the noodles are cooking, prepare the sauce.
Heat the avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally until the onion begins turning golden-brown. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant.
Add all of the ingredients for the sun-dried tomato sauce (including the sauteed onion and garlic) to a blender. Note: If you’d like to reserve 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes for serving the pasta for some texture, feel free to do so! This is what I do.
Blend until the sauce is completely smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
If you don’t care about the sauce being ultra creamy, you can skip the blending process and simply add all of the sauce ingredients to the skillet to heat up.
Cook the Chicken:
Chop the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces on a cutting board.
Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil or avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped chicken and allow it to cook untouched for 3 minutes. Stir the chicken and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, until much of the liquid has leached out and the chicken is cooked through.
Stir in the sun-dried tomato sauce and bring the mixture to a full but controlled boil. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until everything is piping hot and the sauce is fragrant. The sauce will want to spatter so be sure the heat isn’t too high that the sauce is splashing out of the skillet.
Stir the cooked pasta noodles into the skillet and continue cooking until everything is hot and well combined.
Just before serving the pasta, stir in the fresh basil.
Serve creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta in big bowls and enjoy! If you do cheese, shower the pasta in freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This delicious pasta recipe is even better the next day! If you’re able to make it ahead of time, the pasta becomes even more flavorful as it sits.
And that’s it! The most comforting creamy pasta recipe that comes together lightning quick! Whip it up any night of the week or for serving guests for any occasion.
This sun-dried tomato chicken pasta recipe comes together in a flash on any given day for a healthy dinner.
If you love pasta, also check out these reader favorites!
More Healthy Pasta Recipes:
- 30-Minute Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chicken Pasta
- Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Hamburger Helper
- Pumpkin Feta Penne Pasta
- Easy Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Rigatoni Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
- Chicken Sausage Pesto Pasta
Make this gluten-free dairy-free pasta as a meal prep recipe to enjoy throughout the week or on a whim any time the pasta craving strikes!
I hope you love this creamy chicken pasta recipe as much as I do!
Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (15-oz) can full-fat coconut milk*
- 1 cup tomato sauce**
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes drained
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional
Chicken Pasta:
- 12 ounces gluten-free pasta noodles***
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
Cook the Noodles:
- Prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Once the noodles have finished cooking, strain them into a colander, immediately rinse them with cool water and set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the Sauce:
- Heat the avocado oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally until the onion begins turning golden-brown. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add all of the ingredients for the sun-dried tomato sauce (including the sauteed onion and garlic) to a blender. Note: If you’d like to reserve 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes for serving the pasta for some texture, feel free to do so! This is what I do. Blend until the sauce is completely smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
- Note: Skip the blending process if you don't care about the sauce being ultra creamy.
Cook the Chicken:
- Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil or avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped chicken and allow it to cook untouched for 3 minutes. Stir the chicken and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes, until much of the liquid has leached out and the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in the sun-dried tomato sauce and bring the mixture to a full but controlled boil. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until everything is piping hot and the sauce is fragrant. The sauce will want to spatter so be sure the heat isn’t too high that the sauce is splashing out of the skillet.
- Stir the cooked pasta noodles into the skillet and continue cooking until everything is hot and well combined.
- Just before serving the pasta, stir in the fresh basil. Serve creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta in big bowls and enjoy! If you do cheese, shower the pasta in freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
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