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rigatoni with cooked skinless chicken thigh pieces, split red cherry tomatoes, white beans and wilted spinach in a light tomato-broth coating
Andre Lewis

Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Burst cherry tomatoes and a few white beans give this skillet a brothy sauce with enough body to cling to rigatoni, while spinach added at the end keeps its green color and soft folds around the chicken. Cook the tomatoes until their skins split so their juices become part of the sauce, then finish with a small amount of Parmesan and enough pasta water to coat the tubes without turning the tomato-and-bean base into another cream sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz dry rigatoni
  • 1 tbsp fine salt for pasta water
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3/4 tsp fine salt for chicken and sauce
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup canned cannellini beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary finely crushed
  • 3 oz baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

Method
 

  1. Cook rigatoni in water with the tablespoon salt until 1 minute short of the package time. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
  2. Meanwhile, season chicken with its salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken for 7 to 8 minutes until browned and at least 165°F; transfer to a plate.
  3. Cook garlic in the skillet for 30 seconds, add tomatoes and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until they split, pressing a few gently with a spoon. Add beans, broth and rosemary and simmer for 3 minutes.
  4. Return chicken and add rigatoni, spinach and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water. Toss over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach wilts and the pasta is tender.
  5. Stir in Parmesan off the heat and loosen with more pasta water if needed so the tomato juices coat the tubes. Serve promptly.