This easy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Chicken is a flavorful and delicious weeknight dinner made with simple ingredients including roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and fresh basil.
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Pasta Sauce
There are so many ways to enjoy this delicious roasted red pepper pasta sauce. For today, I’m sharing it served with lean and healthy chicken breasts and linguine – a universal favorite at my house – but let your imagination run wild with this one. Keep it vegetarian and add a can of drained chickpeas, or keep it coastal with seared shrimp. Serve with your favorite cooked pasta, or keep it gluten-free and serve it with cooked rice. The ingredients are simple (lots of pantry essentials) with plenty of ways to make it your own.
How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Chicken
- Pound the chicken breasts to even thickness and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, in a large pan or Dutch oven, cook the chicken in olive oil until nearly cooked through. Remove the chicken to a clean plate and set aside.
- In the same pan set over medium heat, cook the shallots and garlic in butter until fragrant and softened. Add the roasted red peppers, chopped tomatoes with juice, cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper, fresh basil, crushed red pepper, dry basil, dry parsley, and fresh lemon juice. Mix well to combine.
- Simmer for approximately 5-10 minutes.
- Return the chicken back to the pan, nestling into the sauce. Allow the chicken to finish cooking for 3-5 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and grated parmesan and serve over your favorite pasta.
Recipe Notes
- For faster cooking chop the chicken breasts into small 1-inch chunks. Cook the chicken in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and/or butter until nearly cooked, then remove to a clean plate.
- I served this dish with linguine, but any pasta will taste fantastic.
- For a spicier sauce, add 1/4 teaspoon (or more) or cayenne powder.
- Feel free to keep the sauce chunky or blend part of (or all of) the sauce until smooth.
Optional Additions
This sauce is surprisingly versatile. Mix-in or top with anything salty or soaked in brine including,
- Capers
- Olives
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- or, artichoke hearts
For a cheesier sauce, I highly recommend topping the dish with a big block of feta cheese or burrata cheese. Cover the pan for 3-5 minutes, allowing the cheese to warm and soften before serving.
I hope you LOVE this roasted red pepper pasta with chicken! It’s:
Flavorful
Healthy
Easy
Delicious
Quick
Versatile
Great leftover
& full of protein!
Looking for more delicious pasta recipes? Try these reader favorites:
- Creamy Ham and Pea Pasta
- Creamy Penne Pasta Recipe
- Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Easy Pasta Primavera Recipe
- Penne Arrabbiata Recipe
- One-Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Easy Bacon Broccoli Pasta Recipe
- Ground Turkey Pasta Recipe
- Easy Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
Have you tried making this Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Recipe with Chicken?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts - mine were large, so I used 3
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 5 shallots - minced
- 8 cloves garlic - minced
- 12 oz fire roasted red peppers - one 12 ounce jar, in water, drained and roughly chopped
- 28 oz whole peeled tomatoes - one 28 ounce can, liquid reserved and roughly chopped
- salt + pepper - to taste
- 10 oz fresh cherry tomatoes - halved
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves - chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon dry basil
- ½ teaspoon dry parsley
- 1 lemon - juiced
- Fresh parsley - chopped (for garnish)
- Pasta of choice - I served mine with linguine
Instructions
- Cover each chicken breast with plastic wrap and pound each piece to an even thickness, about a 1/2-inch, to help the chicken cook more evenly. Remove the plastic (you do not want to cook that!) and sprinkle each side of the chicken breast with salt and pepper.
- Prepare the shallots, garlic, tomatoes and basil and set aside. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and cook your favorite pasta according to package instructions.
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken and pan-fry each side for several minutes until the chicken is nearly cooked and the chicken is golden brown on the outside. When the chicken is done, remove it from the skillet and set it aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the butter to the skillet. Stir in the shallots and garlic and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes. Add the roasted red peppers, chopped tomatoes with juice, cherry tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Stir well. Mix in the fresh basil, crushed red pepper, dry basil, dry parsley, and fresh lemon juice. Stir well. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and continue to cook the sauce until it reaches a chunky sauce-like mixture. Stir occasionally.
- Optional- For a smoother sauce, transfer half of the sauce mixture to a blender and pulse until smooth. Return to the pan and combine.
- Nestle the chicken breasts in the simmering sauce and allow them to finish cooking for 3-5 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers 165°F as measured by a digital meat thermometer.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve over cooked pasta.
Jessica's Notes
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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