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wooden spoon scooping chicken penne alla vodka in stainless skillet
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Chicken Penne Alla Vodka

Chicken Penne Alla Vodka recipe is a scrumptious, one-pot chicken pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach in a creamy vodka sauce. This easy penne alla vodka will save your busy weeknight…or date-night!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 1-cup servings
Calories 284kcal
Author Traci - TheKitchenGirl.com

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
  • pinch Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, and Paprika
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/4 cup Oil-Packed Sun-dried Tomatoes
  • 1/2 Red Onion diced
  • 2 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup Vodka
  • 1.5 cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 1.5 cups Milk
  • 2 cups Mini Penne Pasta or full-sized penne
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
  • 4 cups Fresh Spinach
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

For the chicken breast

  • Flatten chicken breast to 1/2” thickness using the flat side of a meat tenderizer.
    Lightly season both sides with SALT, PEPPER, and PAPRIKA.
    raw chicken breast being tenderized with a stainless mallet
  • Heat OLIVE OIL in an 11” skillet (or 3 qt pot) on medium-high heat
  • Sauté the CHICKEN BREAST on both sides (about 3-5 minutes each side) until it’s fully cooked (it should read 165° internal temperature of a meat thermometer.
    seared chicken breast frying in stainless skillet
  • Remove the cooked chicken breast and set aside. Allow it to rest a few minutes, then slice it into 1/2” thick pieces. You’ll add this back to the pasta in at the end.
    sliced chicken on wood cutting board

To make the penne alla vodka

  • In the same skillet on medium-high heat, sauté ONION, GARLIC, and SUN-DRIED TOMATOES about 3 minutes until onion is tender.
    sun-dried tomatoes and onions frying in a stainless skillet
  • Pour VODKA over the vegetables and allow to cook for a minute.
    The vegetables will easily release from the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing).
  • Stir in MILK, CHICKEN BROTH, PENNE, SALT, and CRUSHED RED PEPPER; adjust heat to HIGH and bring everything just to a boil.
    penne pasta cooking in broth in stainless skillet
  • Then, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook about 10 minutes until pasta becomes al dente. No need to stir.
    *Note: mini penne takes about 10 minutes and full-sized penne takes about 13 minutes to reach al dente texture.
  • Fold in SPINACH and COOKED CHICKEN to the pasta; cover, and continue heating until chicken is warmed through, stirring as needed.
    Note: Pasta will soften a little more during this process.
    sliced chicken laying on a bed of fresh spinach, cooked penne noodles, and sun-dried tomatoes in stainless skillet
  • Add PARMESAN CHEESE to the pasta and stir for a minute as the sauce thickens; serve warm.
    sliced chicken, fresh spinach, cooked penne noodles, and sun-dried tomatoes in stainless skillet

Pro tip: Just before serving, stir in a splash of chicken broth, milk, or heavy cream to the pasta. This is a restaurant trick that gives the pasta dish a lustrous appearance and texture.

    Notes

    Yield: 8 cups
    Serving size: 1 cup
    Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are estimates based on unbranded ingredients acquired from a nutrition database. For accurate calculations, please refer to brand packaging information and consult your nutritionist.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 422mg | Potassium: 617mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1563IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 1mg