This easy penne alla vodka with chicken recipe is one the whole family will enjoy. Made in less than 30 minutes this homemade creamy vodka sauce is topped with perfectly cooked chicken and parmesan cheese.
Vodka sauce is an Italian-American sauce made with just a few simple ingredients. The vodka flavors the creamy tomato sauce and pairs perfectly with the tomatoes and pasta.
This chicken penne in creamy tomato vodka sauce is made from scratch and is perfect for Sunday dinner or an easy recipe for a busy weeknight.
This chicken penne alla vodka recipe would be a great recipe served with cheesy garlic bread, olive oil cake or tiramisu cups.
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🍅 Ingredient notes
- Pasta - I love using penne pasta for this sauce, but really, any type of pasta could be used. Rigatoni, fussili, gnocchi or even spaghetti would be excellent substitutions.
- Chicken - I typically buy regular chicken breasts and slice them thinly into chicken cutlets. They are then pounded out thinly so they cook quickly. To save time, you can buy chicken breasts that are already cut thin. You can also top the pasta with crispy chicken cutlets instead.
- Vodka - The vodka adds a bit of a sharp bite to the flavor of the sauce, but doesn't make it boozy. The alcohol cooks out of the sauce, just leaving a slightly sharp flavor that cuts the sweetness of the tomatoes and richness of the cream.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Spicy - To spice this up even more, increase the crushed red pepper flakes to ½ teaspoon.
- Veggies - Stir in peas, chopped roasted asparagus or spinach at the end for more added vegetables.
- Meat - Instead of chicken, meatballs, shrimp or even italian sausage could be used.
- Dairy Free - Switch out the heavy cream for a plant based substitute or coconut cream. The parmesan cheese can be omitted or replace with a dairy free substitute.
- Gluten Free - Use your favorite gluten free pasta, making sure to follow the package directions for cooking.
- Vegetarian - The chicken can be omitted from this pasta recipe to make a vegetarian penne vodka pasta.
🔪 Step by step instructions
First, cook the penne in a large pot of salted water on the stovetop until al dente. While the pasta cooks, pound the chicken breasts out thinly and season kosher salt and black pepper.
In a large saucepan or large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through and then remove off of the heat.
When the pasta is done cooking, reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain the remaining liquid.
Add the skillet back to the heat and add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for 30-60 seconds.
Deglaze the pan with the vodka by slowly pouring it into the skillet and scraping the bottom of the pan to release any stuck on bits.
Reduce to medium-low heat, add in the crushed tomatoes and reserved pasta water and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and and stir to combine.
Toss the cooked pasta with the vodka cream sauce. Serve the chicken on top of the creamy pasta, topped with parmesan cheese.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that I mention, be sure to look it up in the Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- Always cook pasta until just al dente so it doesn't become mushy.
- Make sure to pound the chicken out thinly so that it cooks quickly and evenly.
- Be careful when pouring the vodka into the pan. If you have a gas stove, the vodka could catch on fire if it comes in contact with the flame. This is ok, it will just cook off the alcohol. Just be careful not to burn yourself.
🥡 Storage suggestions
Leftovers of this penne alla vodka will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Reheat it over low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave. A little bit of broth or cream can be added if it becomes too dry.
🍝 More pasta dinner recipes...
If you loved this penne vodka with chicken, check out these other pasta dinner recipes I know you will love too!
📖 Recipe
Penne alla Vodka with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 ¼ pound chicken breast thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup vodka
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Start cooking the penne pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water.
- While the pasta is cooking, pound the chicken breasts out thinly and then season them with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop.
- Working in batches, cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate to rest, tented with foil, and remove the skillet off of the heat.
- When the pasta is done cooking, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
- Return the skillet to the heat and add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pan with the vodka, making sure to scrape the bottom to realease any stuck on bits.
- Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the reserved pasta water along with the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream to the sauce and stir until well combined.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce and serve with the chicken on top, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- Always cook pasta until just al dente so it doesn't become mushy.
- Make sure to pound the chicken out thinly so that it cooks quickly and evenly.
- If you have a gas stove, the vodka could catch on fire if it comes in contact with the flame. Be careful not to get burned.
Substitutions and Variations
- Pasta - Any pasta can be substituted, just follow package directions for cooking.
- Spicy - Increase the crushed red pepper flakes to ½ teaspoon.
- Veggies - Stir in peas, chopped roasted asparagus or spinach at the end.
- Meat - Replace chicken with meatballs, shrimp or Italian sausage.
- Dairy Free - Substitute heavy cream for a plant based option or coconut cream. The parmesan cheese can be omitted or replace with a dairy free substitute.
- Gluten Free - Use gluten free pasta, following package directions for cooking.
- Vegetarian - Omit the chicken for a vegetarian penne vodka pasta.
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