Chicken Caprese Pasta
When you want dinner to feel obvious, not like a project.
This is the dinner to make when you’re tired, hungry, and staring into the fridge hoping it will decide for you. Chicken Caprese Pasta gives you a familiar, crowd-pleasing answer: pasta, juicy chicken, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella, all tied together with a simple garlicky sauce. It’s bright enough to feel lighter than cream pasta, but still comforting and filling. You’ll need about 40 minutes start to finish, and most of that is hands-off simmering and tossing. It’s not fancy, but it solves the question fast and uses ingredients that are easy to find or already sitting around.
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne or rotini pasta
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast — cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 3 unit garlic cloves — minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes — halved
- 0.5 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 0.5 cup grated parmesan
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella — torn or cubed
- 0.25 cup fresh basil — thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp balsamic glaze — for finishing
Method
- 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- 2 While the pasta cooks, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then cook the chicken until browned and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- 3 Add the garlic and cherry tomatoes to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes start to soften and release juices.
- 4 Pour in the chicken broth and half-and-half. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the parmesan until the sauce looks smooth.
- 5 Add the drained pasta and cooked chicken back to the skillet. Toss with the mozzarella and a splash of reserved pasta water if needed until everything is glossy and lightly creamy.
- 6 Turn off the heat. Fold in the basil, drizzle with balsamic glaze, and serve right away.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Skip the chicken and use 2 cups of cannellini beans or sautéed zucchini instead.
- Faster swap — Use rotisserie chicken and cut the skillet time to about 10 minutes.
- Substitutions — Use linguine, farfalle, or fusilli instead of penne; swap half-and-half for whole milk plus 1 tbsp butter if needed.
Notes
If your tomatoes are very acidic, add an extra pinch of salt before serving. Keep the heat gentle after adding the half-and-half so the sauce stays smooth. This is best served soon after cooking, while the mozzarella is soft and stretchy.
Equipment that helps
- Large pot — It gives the pasta room to cook evenly without sticking together.
- Large skillet — The wide surface helps the sauce come together quickly and lets the chicken brown instead of steam.
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