Spicy Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Pasta in Italian cuisine is always the best. To prepare the spicy Tuscan chicken pasta, they used some special ingredients that make the pasta unique. Tuscan chicken pasta adds bold flavors with tender chicken and crunchy vegetables.

After reading this article, you will learn to make this unique kind of chicken pasta at home. Additionally, we will provide you with a healthy dairy-free, and gluten-free version of this pasta recipe.

We have come up with an easy recipe with useful tips and tricks. After many experiments, our experts suggest some side dishes to serve with spicy chicken pasta at the end of this article. So, read the article from beginning to end carefully.

Spicy Creamy Chicken Pasta Ingredients

You need some luxurious ingredients to prepare the creamy Tuscan pasta recipe. Let me tell you about all the required ingredients for this recipe.

1. Chicken Breasts – 2 boneless & skinless pieces 
2. Olive Oil – 3 tablespoon 
3. Fettuccine Pasta – 8 oz. [ You can use any pasta of your choice]
4. Minced Garlic – 4 cloves
5. Chopped Onion – 1 small size
6. Chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes – ½ cup
7. Chicken Broth (low-sodium recommended) – ½ cup
8. Heavy Cream – 1 cup
9. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese – ½ cup
10. Roughly Chopped Spinach – 1 cup
11. Dried Basil – 1 teaspoon 
12. Dried Thyme – ½ teaspoon
13. Red Pepper Flakes (adjust to your spice preference) – 1 teaspoon
14. Cayenne Pepper (optional for extra heat) – ½ teaspoon
15. Salt and black pepper to taste
16. Fresh basil or parsley (for garnishing)
17. Extra Parmesan Cheese (for garnishing)

How to Make Spicy Tuscan Chicken Pasta at Home: 7 Simple Steps

The process of an easy spicy Italian pasta recipe includes simple 7 simple steps. Let us describe all the steps in this section.

Step 1: Boiling the Pasta

At the beginning of the making process, you need to boil the pasta.

• Take a large pot.
• Pour water into the pot.
• Add some salt and bring to a boil.
• Add the pasta. Make sure the pasta is completely immersed in water. 
• Cook the pasta for 10 – 12 minutes until the pasta becomes nicely cooked.
• After that, drain the pasta.
• Keep the pasta aside in a bowl.
• Reserve ½ cup of pasta water in a cup.

Tips: You can add ½ teaspoon of olive oil during boiling the pasta, it will reduce the stickiness of the pasta. 

Step 2: Cooking the Chicken

After boiling the pasta, it’s time to cook the chicken.

• Marinate the breast pieces with salt and pepper.
• Keep in rest for 10 minutes.
• Take a saucepan and heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
• Add the chicken breast into the saucepan and cook for 5 – 7 minutes on each side.
• Then, remove the chicken from the saucepan and rest it for a few minutes at room temperature.
• Lastly, slice the pieces into thin strips.

Tips: Marinate helps to make the chicken flavorful from the inside. If you don’t have enough time on your hands you can marinate the chicken while boiling the pasta, or you can skip marinating time.

Step 3: Making the Pasta Sauce

Making the pasta sauce is the most crucial step. The flavors of the pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and chicken depend on this step.

• Take the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same saucepan.
• Heat the olive oil.
• Add chopped onion and fry for 2 – 3 minutes until fragrant.
• When the onion becomes soft, add minced garlic and cook for 1 – 2 minutes until fragrant.
• Now, add chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the fried onion and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes until the flavors meld nicely.
• Stir continuously throughout the frying process. 
•  When the tomatoes get an almost paste-like texture, pour the chicken broth into the mixture.
• Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
• Then reduce the heat to low.
• Now, add heavy cream to the sauce.
• Stir and simmer for 3 – 4 minutes.
• Lastly, add parmesan cheese to the parmesan cream sauce pasta.
• Heavy cream and cheese will make the texture of the sauce very smooth and velvety.

Tips: If the sauce becomes thick, you can add a few tablespoons of pasta water to the spicy chicken Alfredo Tuscan-style paste. On the contrary, if the consistency is very thin, you should simmer for a few minutes. 

Step 4: Combine the Pasta with the Pasta Sauce 

It’s time to combine the boiled pasta and cooked chicken with the pasta sauce.

• Add pasta to the saucepan.
• Toss them in the pasta sauce.
• If the pasta becomes too thick, add some pasta water.
• Stir them properly.

Step 5: Adding Spinach and Chicken 

• Now, add roughly chopped spinach to the chicken and spinach pasta.
• Stir the spinach and let it become soft and cover with the sauce.
• Lastly, add the strips of chicken.
• Mix the chicken, spinach, pasta, and sauce nicely.

Step 6: Seasoning the Pasta

The Tuscan-inspired pasta dish is almost ready. Now, you can season the pasta with seasoning ingredients according to your preferences.

• Add dried basil, dried thyme, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to season the Italian chicken and spinach pasta.
• Give a nice mixture for an even taste. 

Tips: If you don’t want extra spicy, you can avoid the cayenne pepper. 

Step 7: Garnish & Serve the Pasta

 The Italian-inspired dinner recipe is ready.

• Pour the pasta into a bowl.
• Garnish with fresh basil or parsley.
• You can spread some parmesan cheese if you want.
• Lastly, serve the hot pasta and enjoy your dinner with family or friends.

Tips to Make the Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Spicy Tuscan Chicken Pasta 

The making process of dairy-free and gluten-free spicy chicken pasta is similar to the recipe we have discussed above. You just need alternative ingredients for gluten-rich pasta, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese.

Our experts bring the best alternative ingredients that will taste similar to the traditional Tuscan chicken pasta. Let me tell you about the alternatives.

• Gluten-Free Pasta

To prepare the gluten-free version, you have to avoid gluten-rich pasta. Though most of the pasta is gluten-rich, you can find some pasta that doesn’t contain gluten. These pasta are made from chickpeas, rice flour, or millet flour. Here are some gluten-free pasta suggestions;

1. DeLallo
2. Nocca
3. Lotus Foods
4. Banza Elbows
5. Le Veneziane 

• Coconut Cream or Cashew Paste

To prepare a dairy-free version of a creamy Tuscan pasta recipe, you can use coconut cream or cashew cream instead of heavy cream. This vegan cream also makes the pasta very tasty and velvety. 

• Dairy-Free Cheese or Yeast

Nowadays dairy-free cheese is familiar to us. If you want a vegan version of spicy chicken pasta, you can go with the vegan cheese. Here are some suggestions for dairy-free cheese.

1. Bio Cheese
2. Sheese
3. Nut Culture
4. Violife

Tips: You can also use yeast. Yeast gives a cheese-like flavor and texture to the pasta.

Best 3 Side Dishes to Serve with Spicy Tuscan Chicken Pasta

After many experiments, our chiefs identify 3 best side dishes to serve with the Spicy Tuscan creamy chicken pasta.

1. Garlic Bread

Garlic bread is a traditional Italian cuisine side dish. You can dip the bread into the pasta sauce and enjoy the garlic bread with creamy garlic chicken pasta.

2. Bruschetta

Bruschetta is prepared with toasted bread with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and basil as toppings. It is a good side dish as a light appetizer before the pasta.  

3. Roasted Vegetables

Vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus, or mushrooms are good options for roasted vegetables as a side dish with the Tuscan-inspired pasta dish.

Conclusion

The spicy Tuscan chicken pasta is a versatile dish with bold flavors. You can make the vegan version of this pasta using mushrooms instead of chicken, by using coconut cream instead of heavy cream, and by using vegan cheese instead of real cheese.

Give it a try in your version. Then paired with your favorite side dish to satisfy your family members with your cooking. Enjoy your spicy pasta and follow us for more.

FAQs

What Ingredients Make Tuscan Chicken Pasta Unique?

Few luxurious ingredients help to make Tuscan chicken pasta unique. They are;

• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Fresh Spinach
• Dried basil
• Dried thyme
• Heavy cream
• Parmesan cheese

These ingredients make the pasta unique in taste and smell compared to other types of pasta.

Note: To know about all the required ingredients, you can read the whole article on Spicy Tuscan Chicken Pasta 

Can You Make This Recipe Dairy-free or Gluten-free?

Yes, you can make this recipe dairy-free or gluten-free.

• To make the gluten-free pasta, you can use these pasta instead of gluten-rich pasta;

1. Corn pasta
2. Chickpea pasta
3. Millet Pasta
4. Rice 

• To prepare dairy-free pasta,

You can use coconut cream or cashew paste instead of heavy cream and vegan cheese instead of real cheese. 

How to Adjust the Spice Level in Tuscan Chicken Pasta? 

You can adjust the spice level according to your preferences adding less or more spicing ingredients.

• Add more pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper to increase the spice level.
• You can add fresh chilies if you want to make the pasta extra spicy.
• If you want to reduce the spicy level, you can add extra cream or extra cheese.
• Additionally, you can add 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar or honey.
• That’s how you can easily adjust the spice level in the Tuscan Chicken Pasta.