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Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Calories: 610kcal
Servings: 5 People
Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 800 g Chicken Breast Diced
  • 15 ml Olive Oil
  • 4 g Garlic Powder
  • Salt & Pepper To Taste

Roasted Pepper Sauce Base

  • 2 Red Bell Peppers (Capsicum) Chopped
  • 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Chopped
  • 1 Bulb Garlic Top Trimmed
  • 200 g Cherry Tomatoes
  • 15 ml Olive Oil
  • Salt & Pepper To Taste

Pasta

  • 350 g Penne Pasta

Sauce Finish

  • 150 ml Thickened Cream
  • 60 g Light Cream Cheese Room Temperature
  • 40 g Parmesan Cheese Grated
  • 120 ml Chicken Stock

Greens

  • 120 g Baby Spinach Washed

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Add the capsicum, onion, whole garlic bulb and cherry tomatoes to a tray. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and toss well. Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning once halfway, until very soft, caramelised and slightly charred.
  • Cook the penne in heavily salted boiling water for 1 minute less than packet instructions. Drain and reserve a small splash of pasta water.
  • Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins and add to a blender with the roasted capsicum, onion and tomatoes. Blend until completely smooth and glossy.
  • Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and chicken breast pieces. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden but still slightly undercooked in the centre.
  • Pour the blended sauce into the pan. Add the chicken stock, thickened cream, cream cheese and parmesan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked, reaching an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F), and the sauce thickens slightly.
  • Add the cooked penne and baby spinach. Fold together until the spinach wilts and the pasta is evenly coated. Loosen with reserved pasta water if needed. Divide into five containers and cool before sealing.
Chef's Tips
Roast the vegetables until they're genuinely soft and slightly charred, not just softened — this caramelisation is what gives the blended sauce its deep, sweet flavour rather than tasting like plain roasted vegetables.
Don't fully cook the chicken in step 4 — searing it until just lightly golden and finishing it in the sauce keeps it tender rather than overcooked by the time everything's combined.
Squeeze the roasted garlic straight from its skins into the blender — roasting mellows its sharpness into something sweet and nutty, and it blends into the sauce far more smoothly than raw garlic would.
Storage & Reheating
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Not recommended for freezing — the cream sauce will split and turn grainy once thawed. Microwave until hot, stirring halfway, adding a small splash of water before reheating to loosen the sauce.
Serving 400gCalories 610kcalCarbohydrates 65.9gProtein 49gFat 17gSaturated Fat 5.5gPolyunsaturated Fat 1.86gMonounsaturated Fat 5.8gTrans Fat 0.1gCholesterol 124mgSodium 160.1mgPotassium 1027.2mgFiber 5.6gSugar 7.3gVitamin A 417.33IUVitamin C 76.17mgCalcium 73.5mgIron 3.8mg