Meal Prep
Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
There are pastas, and then there are PASTAS . This Cheesy Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta doesn’t just show up to the meal prep game- it drops in like a flavor nuke. We’re talking juicy seared chicken, sun-dried tomatoes bursting with umami, and a thick, creamy mozzarella sauce that coats every bite of pasta like a warm hug from Nonna. Except Nonna lifts and cares deeply about protein-to-carb ratios.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
High protein
Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
73.9g protein973 calories per serving
- Prep Time
- 30 mins
- Cook Time
- 25 mins
- Total Time
- 55 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
Ingredient links open Walmart products from our grocery planner. Links marked “Walmart search” need your product choice. Confirm package details and local availability at Walmart.
For the Chicken:
For the Sauce:
For the Pasta:
Instructions
Dice the chicken into ½-inch cubes. Season with salt, paprika, and black pepper.
2 lb raw boneless skinless chicken breast, ½ tsp salt, ½ tbsp paprika, 1 tsp black pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some pasta water, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
8 oz penne pasta
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Sear the chicken cubes for 2- 3 minutes per side until cooked through. Avoid crowding the skillet- work in batches if necessary, adding more olive oil as needed.
2 tbsp olive oil
Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet to a plate & cover the mixture.
Mince the garlic and finely chop the basil. Cover the dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes with hot water for about 10 minutes until softened, then drain and chop any large pieces.
In the same skillet that you cooked the chicken in, add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for 1- 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
1 tbsp olive oil, 6 cloves garlic, 3 oz sun-dried tomatoes
Remove garlic & sun dried tomatoes from skillet to a plate & cover the mixture.
In the now-empty skillet, add the heavy cream and shredded mozzarella. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring constantly until the cheese is fully melted and the sauce is creamy.
1 cup heavy cream, 2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Stir in fresh basil, red pepper flakes (optional), and additional salt and pepper to taste. Take this as an opportunity to express your creativity & make a banger pasta sauce that fits your specific tastes.
1 tbsp fresh basil, ½ tbsp red pepper flakes, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
Return the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and cooked chicken to the skillet with the sauce. Stir to combine.
Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss everything together until well coated. If the sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
¼ cup Reserved pasta water
Divide the pasta into meal prep containers or serve immediately. Enjoy your creamy, protein-packed pasta masterpiece!
Notes
Use plain dry-packed tomatoes without oil. Weigh 3 oz before soaking, then drain the soaking water before cooking. Nutrition uses the dry weight.
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Calories
- 973 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 62 g
- Protein
- 73.9 g
- Fat
- 47.8 g
- Saturated Fat
- 21.62 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4.03 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 16.8 g
- Trans Fat
- 1.06 g
- Cholesterol
- 261 mg
- Sodium
- 1,021 mg
- Potassium
- 1,790 mg
- Fiber
- 5.3 g
- Sugar
- 12.4 g
- Added Sugar
- 0 g
- Vitamin A
- 420 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 9.77 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.12 mcg
- Calcium
- 412 mg
- Iron
- 5.28 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$3.43 per serving · $13.74 for this batch
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- raw boneless skinless chicken breast: $5.14
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Variable-weight pack priced per pound, raw boneless skinless breast.
Walmart: Freshness Guaranteed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- paprika: $0.05
3.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 6.8 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Paprika · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.10
2.3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.36
27 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.18
13.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic: $0.32
18 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
3 clove = 9 g; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Spice World Fresh Peeled Garlic, 6 oz, Pouch · Price checked 2026-09-21
- sun-dried tomatoes: $3.48
85 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Bella Sun Luci Premium California Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Julienne Cut, Ready-to-Use Pouch, 3 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- heavy cream: $1.50
238 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (fluid) = 238 g; phase=fluid Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Heavy Whipping Cream, 16 oz Carton · Price checked 2026-09-21
- shredded mozzarella cheese: $1.49
172 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 86 g Part-skim reference; not used for explicitly reduced-fat products.
Walmart: Great Value Part-Skim Shredded Mozzarella · Price checked 2026-09-21
- fresh basil: $0.36
2.7 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
2 tbsp (chopped) = 5.3 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Basil, 0.5 oz Clamshell · Price checked 2026-09-21
- red pepper flakes: $0.08
2.7 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 5.3 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Crushed Red Pepper, 1.75 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- penne pasta: $0.62
226.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Penne Pasta, 16 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
Not included in this estimate:
- Reserved pasta water: Already part of the cooking process, not a separate grocery purchase.
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein73.9g30%
- Carbs62g26%
- Fat47.8g44%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
Use one 3 oz bag of plain dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, without oil. Soften them in hot water, drain, and chop any large pieces before sautéing with the garlic. Weigh the tomatoes dry for the nutrition estimate.
This is a rich option in the Italian-inspired recipe collection, and the pasta water is especially useful for controlling its texture. Save some before draining, then add it gradually when tossing the chicken and penne with the sauce. Keep the chicken off to the side while you make the sauce so it does not spend that entire stage cooking again. Fold everything together before portioning. Drain the penne with a little bite left in it. It will keep taking up moisture from this sauce in the fridge, and you want pasta with structure when lunch comes around.
The cheese sauce will firm as it chills. A small splash of water or milk before heating can help it loosen without adding more cream. For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Stir all the way through the center, where a dense pasta serving can stay cooler. If you have extra fresh basil, add a little after heating for a fresh finish. This is one of the higher-calorie meals in the collection, so divide the finished batch deliberately rather than judging a serving by how full the container looks. Our pasta meal preps offer other sauces to rotate alongside this one, and the chicken archive can help you use the rest of the same grocery haul.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
★★★★★
I built this one to feel like restaurant pasta without blowing up your week. It earned its spot in the rotation.
★★★★★
This was an explosion of flavor, and one I would love to cook again!