Tuscan Chicken with Pasta

My Tuscan chicken with pasta is the perfect meal for a busy weeknight dinner or your next date night. You’re going to love the tender boneless chicken tenders in a flavorful sauce, perfectly seasoned and served over linguine.

In my restaurant days, Tuscan Chicken over pasta was one of the more popular dishes with the patrons I happily served. It was a versatile dish that I could easily add other ingredients to.

It’s all about cooking with ingredients you and your family enjoy eating. You can always add or detract ingredients to make a dish your whole family will!

I promise your family won’t say chicken again when you serve my Tuscan chicken with pasta. It’s more likely you’ll hear them shout winner-winner chicken dinner!!

If you love chicken and pasta dishes, make sure to try my Chicken Pepperoni and Chicken Cacciatore. They are ah-mazingly delicious.

Ingredients to make Tuscan Chicken with Pasta

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Tuscan Chicken with Pasta recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Can I add other ingredients to this dish?

Absolutely. In my restaurant days, I made a version of this dish that included shrimp. It was a delicious combination and a splurge for people while keeping the costs reasonable.
You could also add hot or sweet Italian sausage for a meatier dish. If you’d like to add additional vegetables, fresh baby spinach, zucchini, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli are good options.

If you prefer a creamy sauce, add half a cup of heavy cream to make this a creamy Tuscan chicken pasta recipe. You could also add mascarpone or cream cheese to the sauce.

If you aren’t a fan of heat, you can leave out the peppercini. If you’d like a little more heat, add a little red pepper flakes to the dish. For a spicier dish, you can also add your favorite Italian seasoning to the sauce.

I used linguine, but spaghetti or your favorite pasta shape can be used. Penne pasta, ziti, and rigatoni pasta are good choices.

I used chicken tenders for the dish, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs to make the recipe.

The goal is to make a dish your whole family loves, so cook with ingredients you like to eat, and you’ll make a delicious dinner every time.

How to make Tuscan Chicken with Pasta

• Add a pinch of salt to a large pot with water over high heat to cook the pasta.
• When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook pasta per directions on the box for pasta al dente. When draining the pasta, reserve half a cup of the starchy pasta water to add to the sauce if needed.

• Add the all-purpose flour, salt, and black pepper to a shallow bowl. Whisk to combine.
• Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, getting a good coating on the tenders.
• Add one tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat, and when the oil is hot, add the floured chicken to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Turn the chicken over and add the sliced mushrooms and bell pepper to the pan. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms and peppers have softened.

Add more oil as needed, and if the chicken starts to get too brown, lay it on top of the mushrooms and peppers as they finish cooking.

• Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Don’t let the garlic burn!
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the peppercini (Tuscan peppers), garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper to the pan. Stir to combine.
  If you’d like to add a splash of white wine, this is the time. It will deglaze the pan. Dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio would be good choices.
• Add the chicken broth to the pan, using a large spoon to scrape all of the tasty brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
  *Use a large spoon or metal spatula to cut the chicken up into smaller pieces.
• Return the pan to the stovetop over medium heat and let the sauce reduce for 2 minutes.
  *You want to time this so the Tuscan chicken is just about done when the pasta has finished cooking. If the pasta is not ready, move the pan off the heat.
• Roll one tablespoon of butter in the seasoned flour and add it to the pan. This is a beurre manie and will help thicken the sauce. Continue cooking until the sauce has thickened.
• Sprinkle the grated Romano cheese (or parmesan cheese) and chopped Italian parsley into the pan and stir to combine.

If the sauce is too thick or there isn’t enough sauce, add as much of the reserved pasta water needed for the desired consistency.

Drain the pasta, then split the linguine between two bowls or plates and spoon the Tuscan chicken over the bowl of pasta. Garnish with more grated Romano cheese and chopped parsley.

Save any leftover Tuscan chicken refrigerated in an airtight container for three days. To reheat, Place the leftovers in a skillet over medium heat. Add a little chicken broth or water to a pan and cover to reheat. Stir as needed.

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