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    Fitsian Food Life » Pasta Without Pounds

    Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe

    Published: Mar 28, 2023 · Modified: Apr 14, 2023 by Clara · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This healthy Tuscan chicken pasta recipe is a delicious and nutritious take on a classic favorite. With a few simple substitutions, it's easy to create a dish that's satisfying at a fraction of the calories.

    A plate of tuscan chicken pasta with a fork twirled around the pasta.
    Jump to:
    • ✅ Why This Recipe Works
    • 🍎 Calories and Nutrition – How to Make It Healthy 
    • 📋 Ingredient Notes
    • 📖 Substitutions and Variations
    • 🔪 Step by Step Instructions 
    • 💭 Recipe FAQs
    • 💡 Expert Tips
    • 🍽 Related Recipes
    • 🍳 Recipe

    ✅ Why This Recipe Works

    Easy to make – No hours of prep needed. This dish will easily come together in under 30 minutes.

    Flavorful and well-balanced – By utilizing expert recipe techniques to create the Tuscan chicken, you can make a restaurant-quality Tuscan chicken pasta with fresh ingredients from the comfort of your home

    Low in calories and macro-optimized – This healthy pasta recipe was specially developed by yours truly to be low-calorie and macro-friendly, so you can satisfy your Tuscan chicken cravings while still staying in shape. Pair it with the spicy chipotle chicken pasta for a delicious pasta dinner.

    Close up view of the fork lifting up the pasta noodles.

    🍎 Calories and Nutrition – How to Make It Healthy 

    Tuscan chicken pasta can usually be on the heavier side given the large amount of carbs and fats in the dish. Heavy cream, sun-dried tomatoes, and pasta can add up to a lot of excess calories from fat and carbs.

    While none of these ingredients are necessarily bad, they are quite calorie–dense and can easily create a pasta dish containing upwards of 1,000 calories if not portioned correctly.

    In this recipe, I adjusted this Tuscan chicken pasta to be 416 calories with 34 grams of protein, 18 grams of fat, and 50 grams of carbs.

    Here’s what I did to make it healthier:

    • Used chicken as my protein base – To optimize for protein content, I opted for a lean protein source.
    • Portioned 1 serving of pasta – This only adds 190 calories
    • Substituted Heavy cream for low-fat milk and cornstarch – To cut down on fats from the heavy cream, I substituted it with low-fat milk with a small amount of cornstarch to thicken the sauce and prevent the milk from curdling
    • Swapped out sun-dried tomatoes for roasted cherry tomatoes – While sun-dried tomatoes are undeniably delicious, they are often stored in a jar of oil and are consequently, very high in fats. For a similar flavor profile, I substituted them with roasted cherry tomatoes. 
    • Omitted usage of butter and oil – Instead, I opted for olive oil cooking spray, saving a couple of hundred calories from fats

    For a detailed breakdown of each ingredient, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this healthy Tuscan chicken pasta recipe, you may refer to the table below:

    Ingredients for the recipe with the calorie and macro breakdown.

    📋 Ingredient Notes

    Ingredients for the recipe laid out on the table.

    To make a healthy Tuscan chicken pasta, you will need these key healthy ingredients.

    Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken thighs for lean protein with optimal juiciness. You can also use chicken breast if you prefer. 

    Spice Mix – To season the chicken. I used a mix of paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.

    Cherry Tomatoes – These will provide a delicious umami flavor to the dish similar to that of sun-dried tomatoes.

    Pasta – In this recipe, I used malfadine, but any longer shape would work. I recommend using a longer pasta so that it can twirl the sauce more easily. I prefer bronze-cut pasta as they tend to hold the pasta sauce better.

    Low Fat Milk – I used 1% milk in this recipe. You can also opt to use 2%, skim milk, or normal milk. 

    See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

    📖 Substitutions and Variations

    Milk substitutions – Unsweetened almond milk, low-fat milk, half and half, plain greek yogurt. Coconut milk if you don't want dairy

    Use dry sun-dried tomatoes – These dried sun-dried tomatoes are a great healthy alternative to the ones stored in oil.

    Tuscan chicken without pasta – Omit the pasta and enjoy the dish as an entree with some healthy vegetable sides.

    Make dairy-free – Replace the dairy milk with plant-based milk (unsweetened variations of almond milk or soy milk would work), and use a plant-based cheese or omit the cheese altogether

    🔪 Step by Step Instructions 

    Roast the tomatoes – Slice the cherry tomatoes into halves, spray with cooking spray, and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes either by air frying (10 minutes) or adding to the oven for 400 degrees (20 minutes). 

    Marinade the chicken – Add the salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano into a mixing bowl and mix. Cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces, trimming off the excess fat. Mix the chicken pieces thoroughly with the spice mix so that each piece is coated with the mixture.

    Cook the pasta – Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Be sure to boil in salted water and save some of the pasta water.

    Prepare the vegetables – Mince the onions and garlic and watch the spinach thoroughly.

    Cook the chicken – Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add the chicken pieces in a single layer, cooking for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked.

    Cooking the chicken in a stainless steel pan.

    Sauté the aromatics – Add the onions, garlic, tomato paste, and Calabrian chili if using into the pan and sauté for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden. 

    Add the spinach and milk – Lower the heat down to medium-low and add in the milk and cornstarch along with the spinach. Mix everything thoroughly, adding pasta water as needed to achieve the desired sauce consistency. 

    Cooking the spinach and mixing with the sauce in the stainless steel pan.

    Mix in the pasta – Mix in the pasta along with 2 teaspoon of parmesan cheese and continue to use pasta water to achieve the desired sauce consistency. 

    Mixing in the pasta with the sauce in the pan.

    Garnish and serve – Plate the pasta, garnishing with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired. 

    💭 Recipe FAQs

    Is Tuscan chicken healthy?

    Tuscan chicken is typically not healthy given the high amount of fats in the cream-based sauce and the sun-dried tomatoes. However, by substituting these ingredients with lower-calorie alternatives, you can make this healthy tuscan chicken pasta with a fraction of the calories.

    What does Tuscan chicken go with?

    The Tuscan chicken pasta would go well with a side of vegetables like my Thai chili brussels sprouts, or another pasta dish, like my carbone spicy rigatoni recipe.

    How do I store this recipe?

    You can store the healthy Tuscan chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

    💡 Expert Tips

    Roast the tomatoes – To roast tomatoes, you have a couple of options. I sprayed mine with cooking spray and air-fried mine at 400F for 10 minutes. You can also roast it in the oven at the same temperature for 20-25 minutes.

    Close up shot of the roasted tomatoes.

    Prevent milk from curdling – To prevent milk from curdling, turn down the heat to low and add a small amount of starch to prevent it from reacting with the acid from the tomatoes. Learn more about how to prevent milk from curdling. 

    Tips for cooking pasta – Be sure not to forget to heavily salt the water to season the pasta before cooking and to save some pasta water for perfecting the sauce consistency.

    🍽 Related Recipes

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      Carbone Spicy Rigatoni Copycat Recipe
    • Shrimp scampi pasta on a white plate with a fork twirling the pasta.
      Healthy Shrimp Scampi Recipe
    • Casserole dish with the recipe scooped with a wooden spoon.
      Easy Deconstructed Lasagna Recipe
    • Spicy chipotle chicken pasta on a white plate with a fork.
      Spicy Chipotle Chicken Pasta (Healthy Copycat)

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like this recipe, consider a review further down the page. Thank you!

    🍳 Recipe

    Healthy Tuscan Chicken Pasta Recipe

    Developed by Clara
    This healthy Tuscan chicken pasta recipe is a delicious and nutritious take on a classic favorite. With a few simple substitutions, it's easy to create a dish that's satisfying at a fraction of the calories.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 1
    Calories 416 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Sauce

    • 1 clove Garlic
    • ¼ Yellow Onion
    • ½ teaspoon Calabrian Chili (Optional: Use for some spice)
    • 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
    • ⅓ cup Low Fat Milk
    • ⅛ teaspoon Cornstarch
    • 2 teaspoon Parmesan Cheese

    Pasta and Chicken

    • 52 grams Pasta
    • 4 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh
    • 1 teaspoon Oregano
    • 1 teaspoon Paprika
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Pepper
    • ½ cup Spinach
    • 6 Cherry Tomatoes
    • 2 sprigs Parsley
    • 1 teaspoon Parmesan Cheese
    • ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

    Instructions
     

    • Roast the tomatoes – Slice the cherry tomatoes into halves, spray with cooking spray, and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes either by air frying (10 minutes) or adding to the oven for 400 degrees (20 minutes). 
    • Marinade the chicken – Add the salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano into a mixing bowl and mix. Cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces, trimming off the excess fat. Mix the chicken pieces thoroughly with the spice mix so that each piece is coated with the mixture.
    • Cook the pasta – Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Be sure to boil in salted water and save some of the pasta water.
    • Prepare the vegetables – Mince the onions and garlic and watch the spinach thoroughly.
    • Cook the chicken – Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add the chicken pieces in a single layer, cooking for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked.
    • Sauté the aromatics – Add the onions, garlic, tomato paste, and Calabrian chili if using into the pan and sauté for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden. 
    • Add the spinach and milk – Lower the heat down to medium-low and add in the milk and cornstarch along with the spinach. Mix everything thoroughly, adding pasta water as needed to achieve the desired sauce consistency. 
    • Mix in the pasta – Mix in the pasta along with 2 teaspoon of parmesan cheese and continue to use pasta water to achieve the desired sauce consistency. 
    • Garnish and serve – Plate the pasta, garnishing with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 416kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 34gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 3046mgPotassium: 1118mgFiber: 4gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 3855IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 249mgIron: 4mg

    Notes

    Substitutions and Variations
    Milk substitutions – Unsweetened almond milk, low-fat milk, half and half, plain greek yogurt. You can also use coconut milk if you don't want dairy.
    Tuscan chicken without pasta – Omit the pasta and enjoy the dish as an entree with some healthy vegetable sides.
     
    Expert Tips
    Roast the tomatoes – To roast tomatoes, you have a couple of options. I sprayed mine with cooking spray and air-fried mine at 400F for 10 minutes. You can also roast it in the oven at the same temperature for 20-25 minutes.
    Prevent milk from curdling – To prevent milk from curdling, turn down the heat to low and add a small amount of starch to prevent it from reacting with the acid from the tomatoes.
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @fitsianfoodlife or tag #fitsianfoodlife!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jane

      April 25, 2023 at 5:33 am

      I think you may have forgotten to add the pasta to the recipe card. How much do you use? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Clara

        April 27, 2023 at 11:02 pm

        I just added! I typically use 1 serving (about 52 grams which is ~200 calories)

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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