Chicken Pasta With Coconut Milk

By: sarah schlichter

By: sarah schlichter

"Chicken pasta with coconut milk is a dreamy way to enjoy tasty, creamy pasta. Made with a handful of staple ingredients, it’s easy to make and comes together in no time in just one pot! We love this pasta dish because you can choose to cook it all in one pan so there's minimal cleanup, it's kid-friendly, an easy freezer meal, and is a nice mix up from your regular pasta night dish. You can use any pasta you like - I like using ziti, but any type you enjoy will work well. I will say that smaller pasta shapes are easier to coat in the creamy coconut milk sauce. If you're batch cooking this pasta dish, just let everything cool and then store in a large tupperware in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. If you'd like to freeze it, make sure the container is big enough that the pasta stays flat, or freeze in smaller, individual portions. A few recipe notes; - I like to mix a bit of the seasoning to put on the chicken strips when cooking, and save the rest for the coconut milk pasta sauce. - You can easily make this a one-pot dish. To do so, cook your chicken first and then remove it from the pot and set aside while pasta boils. Then, add the cooked chicken back in with the coconut sauce."

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Serves5 Servings

Preparation Time10 min

Cooking Time10 min

Ingredients

(1-pound) pasta
(1-pound) chicken breast cut into strips or cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup pasta water (reserved from cooking pasta)
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika

In a medium pot, boil water for the pasta. Once the water is boiling, cook your pasta according to directions, 8-10 minutes. I like to cook the pasta a little al dente, since we’ll add everything back in warm it all up.
While the pasta is cooking, cut your chicken intro strips and add olive oil to a medium pan. Cook in a over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. Spread chicken in single layer so it cooks evenly.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Once pasta is done cooking, drain it, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.
In a small to medium bowl, mix the other ingredients for the coconut milk pasta sauce.
Add the pasta back into the pot or pan you cooked with, and add in the sauce and cooked chicken. Reheat everything for a few minutes and add parmesan cheese.
Add spinach and cook for 1 minute, or until cheese melts.