This creamy chicken pasta skillet is packed with tender chicken, shell pasta, spinach, tomatoes, and plenty of Parmesan cheese in a rich garlic cream sauce. It’s fast, cozy, and exactly the kind of dinner that keeps a random drive-thru cheeseburger from becoming your entire personality at 7 pm.
Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let it get hot enough to shimmer.
Season the chicken with garlic salt and black pepper. Add it to the pan and cook for 4–5 minutes, until lightly browned. It doesn’t have to be fully cooked yet, just getting some color and confidence.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don’t let it burn or it’ll ruin the mood.
Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream, then stir in the pasta. Bring everything to a gentle simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice so nothing sticks or forms alliances at the bottom of the pan.
Add the spinach and 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes. Stir, cover again, and cook another 5–7 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the chicken is cooked through. The tomatoes will soften and get a little jammy without turning the whole thing watery.
Remove the pan from the heat. This is your Alfredo moment.
Stir in the Parmesan cheese a handful at a time until the sauce is smooth and creamy. If it looks a little thick, add a splash of hot broth or water to loosen it up.
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Scatter fresh basil over the top right before serving, like you casually grow herbs on your windowsill and make your own bread (which, let’s be honest… you do).
Serve immediately while it’s hot, creamy, and making people rethink their life choices.
Notes
Storage:Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The pasta will soak up some of the sauce overnight because apparently noodles can’t respect boundaries.To reheat, warm it slowly on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of milk, cream, or chicken stock stirred in to loosen the sauce back up. I don’t love freezing this one because cream sauces can separate and get weirdly grainy.Tips:
Keep the heat at a gentle simmer while the pasta cooks. Boiling too hard can make the cream sauce separate and turn moody.
Cut the chicken into evenly sized pieces so it cooks at the same rate instead of giving you a mix of “perfect” and “chewy regret.”
Toss the spinach in at the very end. It wilts fast and doesn’t need a dramatic life story