Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta is an easy and delicious weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy! Farfalle pasta is tossed with seasoned chicken tenders, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon in a creamy sauce. Make this for dinner tonight!

I’m always on the hunt for homemade dinner ideas that don’t take hours of prep. I was browsing Pinterest the other day for dinner ideas when I came across this incredible-looking recipe at Julia’s Album. It looked so good, but I wanted to customize it with a few ingredients I had in my pantry.

This chicken pasta recipe comes together in just one pan (plus the pot you use to cook the pasta). This means I didn’t have a ton of dishes to do after dinner, which is always a plus for a recipe! 

The tangy sun-dried tomatoes, seasoned chicken and creamy cheesy mozzarella sauce make this just about the perfect weeknight pasta recipe. The smoky crispy pieces of bacon just made it that much tastier. After all, everything’s better with bacon!

Ingredients for Creamy Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

Here’s what you need for this easy pasta dish:

• Minced garlic
• Sun-dried tomatoes (I use the kind in oil, as you’ll use some of it!)
• a little olive oil, if necessary
• Chicken tenders
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Paprika
• Half and half
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Farfalle pasta (make sure to save some of the pasta water!)
• Dried basil
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Bacon

You can find the detailed ingredient list and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

How to Make This Easy Chicken Pasta Recipe

1. Chop a 4-ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces and sauté them in a large skillet with garlic and the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. 
2. Season the chicken tenders with salt, pepper and paprika then cook them in the pan for a minute on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cut each tender into bite-sized pieces. 
3. Add the chicken back to the pan along with the sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in the half and half and sprinkle in the mozzarella cheese. Stir everything together until the cheese melts completely and forms a thick sauce. The chicken will continue to cook as it simmers in the sauce.
4. Meanwhile, cook a pot of farfalle pasta according to the package directions. Set aside about one cup of the pasta water before you add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce. 
5. Add in a little of the pasta water to the sauce at a time, just to thin it out. The starch from the water helps make this sauce amazingly creamy. Be careful not to add too much water at once! Remember you can always add more if the sauce is still too thick for your liking, but you can never remove it if you’ve poured in too much.
6. Add red pepper flakes and basil, then crumbled strips of bacon. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Variations

• I think the sun-dried tomatoes really make this dish special, but you can omit them if you like. Some people like asparagus or red bell peppers instead.
• You can use fresh basil leaves instead of dried. 1 tablespoon of fresh equals 1 teaspoon of dried basil.
• Feel free to substitute different pasta shapes in this recipe. Penne pasta works really well!
• If you’re short on time, use some shredded rotisserie chicken in the recipe instead of chicken tenders. Just add the chicken pieces to the sauce in step 3 above.

How many people will this serve?

This recipe will generously serve 4 people.

How do I store leftover Chicken Mozzarella Pasta?

Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in a skillet or in the microwave.

Can I freeze this pasta dish?

You can freeze it, but know sometimes creamy sauces like this one separate and the texture changes a bit. Try adding some fresh cream when reheating to help with this.

If you choose to freeze this meal, store it in an airtight container or tightly wrap a pan with aluminum foil. Freeze for one month. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then add it to a skillet over medium heat and reheat, stirring occasionally.

More Chicken Pasta Meals

Chicken and pasta have recurring roles in my dinner rotation! Here are some other pasta recipes I think you’ll enjoy:

• Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Spinach Alfredo
• Chicken Alfredo Casserole
• Chicken Parmesan Spinach Pasta Bake
• Chicken Noodle Casserole

Which one sounds the best to you?

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Created by: Lynne Feifer

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

Course Dinners

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

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4 servings

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta is an easy and delicious weeknight dinner the whole family will enjoy – bow tie pasta tossed with seasoned chicken tenders, sun-dried tomatoes, and bacon in a creamy sauce.

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained with oil reserved
• ▢ small amount of olive oil if necessary for cooking chicken
• ▢ 1 pound chicken tenders
• ▢ salt and freshly ground black pepper to season chicken
• ▢ 1 tablespoon paprika
• ▢ 1 cup half and half
• ▢ 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 8 ounces Farfalle pasta
• ▢ 1 tablespoon basil if using dry basil, if using fresh basil you can add more
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes at least, add more to taste
• ▢ ½ cup reserved cooked pasta water or more
• ▢ salt to taste finished dish before serving
• ▢ 6 slices cooked bacon crumbled

Instructions

• Drain the sun-dried tomatoes from the oil and reserve 2 tablespoons of the oil for sautéing.
• Chop the sun-dried tomatoes into smaller pieces.
• In a large skillet over high heat, sauté the minced garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in the 2 tablespoons of reserved oil for about a minute.
• With a slotted spoon, remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the pan.
• Season both sides of the chicken tenders with some salt and pepper, and evenly distribute the tablespoon of paprika among them.
• At this point, it may be necessary to add a small amount of olive oil to the skillet. Add the chicken to the pan and with the heat on high, cook on each side for one minute. . Remove from heat and cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
• Cook farfalle according to manufacturer’s directions. Remove 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
• Return the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken to the skillet. Gently pour in the 1 cup of half and half and add the mozzarella. Bring to a slow steady boil. Reduce heat immediately to a simmer and stir constantly until cheese melts forming the sauce.
• Add the cooked pasta to the pan and mix until thoroughly combined.
• Add the basil, and red pepper flakes (more if you like an extra kick!).
• Slowly pour in approximately a 1/2 cup of the pasta water to thin the cheese sauce, making it creamier. Be mindful to not add all the water all at once, use your judgement as to how thick or thin you want your sauce. You don’t want it to be too watery.
• Add the crumbled bacon and mix to combine.
• Season with salt to taste.
• Allow the contents of the skillet to simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Garnish with additional basil and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 629kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 628mg | Potassium: 1207mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1732IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 249mg | Iron: 3mg

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This post was originally published September 26, 2015. It has been updated in format and with pictures on January 7, 2025.