One Pan Creamy Chicken & Spinach Star Pasta

Tender chicken and baby spinach folded through creamy star pasta with ricotta and pecorino, finished with fresh lemon zest and black pepper. A generous one pan dinner with a soft, almost risotto-like texture, made for spooning into bowls and serving with warm crusty bread.

Creamy chicken and spinach star pasta with lemon zest and black pepper.

A big bowl of creamy pasta has a way of making an ordinary evening feel a little more settled. Here, the little stars cook slowly in chicken stock until soft and silky, while ricotta and pecorino melt through the pasta to make it beautifully creamy without needing a heavy sauce. Baby spinach brings freshness through every spoonful, while lemon zest at the end cuts through the richness and wakes everything up. One chicken breast is plenty when it is sliced into small pieces and carried through a generous pan of pasta, making this an easy family dinner that stretches simple ingredients well.

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 25 min · Serves: 4 · Cuisine: Italian · Category: Dinner

Ingredients

One Pan Creamy Chicken & Spinach Star Pasta

Method

  1. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan over medium-high heat, then cook the chicken for 3–4 minutes until lightly golden. It does not need to be completely cooked through at this stage. Transfer to a plate.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion to the same pan and cook for 4–5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
  3. Add the star pasta and stir through the onion mixture for about 1 minute.
  4. Pour in approximately 850ml of the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring regularly, until the pasta begins to soften and the stock is absorbed. Add the remaining stock gradually as needed to keep the pasta loose and creamy.
  5. When the star pasta is almost tender, return the chicken and any resting juices to the pan. Continue cooking for another 3–4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the pasta is tender.
  6. Add the baby spinach and stir until just wilted.
  7. Reduce the heat to low. Stir through the cooking cream, 100g of the ricotta and the pecorino until creamy and combined. Add a splash more stock if the pasta feels too thick.
  8. Taste and season with additional salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
  9. Spoon into bowls and finish with the remaining 50g ricotta, extra finely grated pecorino, lemon zest and a final crack of black pepper.

Serving Suggestion

A big pan like this is generous on its own, though a fresh green side keeps everything feeling light. Garlic Green Beans with Olive Oil & Lemon or a crisp Green Goddess Cabbage Salad sits beautifully alongside, and a few slices of warm Simple Rosemary Focaccia are lovely for catching the last of the creamy sauce.

Notes

Star pasta keeps absorbing liquid after cooking, so take the pan off the heat while it is still slightly looser than you ultimately want it.

Cutting the chicken into smaller pieces lets a single breast carry through the entire dish and gives you chicken in almost every serving.

Pecorino is naturally salty, so taste the finished pasta before adding any extra salt.

The Grace Table Tip

Add the lemon zest only after the pasta has been taken off the heat. The fresh citrus oils stay brighter that way and give the creamy ricotta and pecorino a lovely lift without turning the dish distinctly lemony.

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The star pasta thickens considerably once chilled, so loosen gently with a splash of stock, milk or cream over low heat when reheating.