You cannot go wrong with this Sun Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta in the Ninja Foodi! It's bursting with flavor, takes under 30 minutes to make, and is so vibrant and colorful; it's simply perfect for an everyday meal or a special occasion. 

Does the name Sun Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta do this recipe justice?

Probably not! It is so much more than the name suggests. It's quick, flavorful, tasty, and semi-healthy!

I had such a hard time naming this recipe because none of the names I came up with even begin to do it justice. This is the dinner of all dinners. It's just a tad fancy with all its vibrant colors and bold flavors; yet, it's so quick to make, you can serve it up for dinner on a busy night. Plus, it's so easy to switch up ingredients based on what you like. It truly is the dinner of all dinners.

What should we call it? Chicken Farfalle with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Spinach? Kind of wordy. Bowtie Pasta with Chicken? Too Boring. Tuscsan Chicken? That is so 2018. Well... whatever we call it, it's what's for dinner... and lunch... possibly dessert.

Okay, I went too far. I get it. Not for dessert, I understand. Hey, how about this for dessert? Ninja Foodi Chocolate Cake Bites. Or breakfast. What? It's allowed. If we can eat donuts for breakfast, we can eat these decadent little beauties as well.

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How can I customize this Sun Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta Recipe?

You can easily customize this recipe to your personal preferences by:

Replacing the white wine with an extra cup of chicken stock.

Omitting the olives, artichokes, or even the sun dried tomatoes if you aren't a fan.

You can replace the chicken with shrimp - just thaw the raw shrimp in cold water for about 15 minutes and then add them in when you add the spinach and let the residual heat from the sauce cook the shrimp.

Can I use a different kind of pasta?

Of course. There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing the pasta. Certain pastas pair better with a creamy sauce - like the one in this recipe - because their shape allows the pasta to hold onto more sauce. I chose farfalle pasta because it will hold the sauce, and I love the way it looks in this dish. The other reason I chose farfalle pasta is because it takes a little longer to cook and has less chance of being overcooked. If you want to read a little more on choosing the right pasta, here is an article that I found interesting: Choosing Pasta

Penne pasta would be a good substitute because the hollow tube will hold the sauce and the noodle itself won't overcook with 4 minutes of pressure cooking.

Rotini pasta would be another good choices for the same reasons as penne.

If you use a thin pasta like spaghetti noodles, you would want to cook the chicken a little longer and decrease the time to 2 minutes of pressure cooking.

I would not recommend using a small pasta like ditalina pasta because it will get overcooked and just disappear under the larger size ingredients in this dish.

Can I freeze the Sun Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta?

Yep! I did, and it turns out fine. Here is how you freeze it and the best way to re-heat it in the Ninja Foodi.

To freeze the Sun Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta

Place the Sun Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta into a quart size freezer bag and add 1 cup of chicken broth. Squeeze all the air out of the bag and close, this will prevent freezer burn and distribute the chicken broth evenly through the bag. Lay flat in the freezer so it is uniform when you go to reheat it.

How to re-heat in the Ninja Foodi

When ready to use, remove frozen Sun Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta from the bag. Sometimes I cut the bag to get it out. Place the frozen pasta in a 8" round cake pan like this one from Fat Daddio's and cover with foil.

Put 1-2 cups of water in the bottom of the Ninja Foodi's inner pot. Place the cake pan on the rack in either position. Set the Ninja Foodi to steam and make sure the valve is in the vent position. Set the time for 25 minutes.

When the time is up, check the pasta and if it still needs to be warmed more, put the foil back on and set the steam for 5-10 more minutes.

I found that this worked perfectly and did not cause the pasta to overcook.

Now, let's get to making it!

How to Make Sun Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta in the Ninja Foodi

This recipe couldn't be easier, I promise. It's pretty much a dump and cook recipe that is ready in under 30 minutes. If you want to watch me make this recipe, you can watch the full video on YouTube: Sun Dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta in the Ninja Foodi. You can also find the video below the recipe.

Make up the seasoning blend. Slice your thawed chicken breast into ¼" slices. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Drain your olives and artichokes. That is all the prep work required. How easy is that? Easy!

Turn the Ninja Foodi on and set it to high sauté. Then add in butter and allow to melt. Once melted, add in onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.

While the butter is melting and the onions are cooking, season your chicken slices with ½ of the seasoning blend. Add the chicken to the inner pot and cook on high sauté for about 1 minute per side. We don't want to cook the chicken all the way because we will be putting it under pressure for a couple of minutes.

Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of white wine (if using) and stir to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 30 seconds and add in chicken broth. If you aren't using white wine, just add in 4 cups of chicken broth (instead of 3) to deglaze the pan.

Now, all we have to do is layer the ingredients and set the pressure cooking time. Layer in this order and do not stir. 

Add the Farfalle Pasta and press down to get as much of the pasta into the liquid as possible. Not all will be covered and that is fine.

Add the sun dried tomatoes, remaining seasoning blend, and the fire roasted tomatoes. I  used sun dried tomato halves by Bella Sun Luci, but if you can't find those you can use the kind in oil. You will want to drain the tomatoes from the oil before adding. Don't discard the oil, use it as a spread for this delicious Homemade Bread (made in the Ninja Foodi) recipe.

Then, put the whole block of cream cheese on top and add in black olives and artichokes if you are using them.

Put on the pressure lid and set the Ninja Foodi to high pressure for 4 minutes. It will take a while for the Ninja Foodi to come up to pressure because this is a pretty full pot, so don't be alarmed if it takes 10 minutes or so. I also noticed that once the red button popped up, the countdown didn't start for 3-4 minutes after that. You can always decrease your cook time by a minute or so if you are worried about over cooking your noodles.

After the 4 minutes of pressure cooking, allow a natural release of pressure for 2 minutes. This gives the pot some time to settle down before opening the lid. After 2 minutes, manually release the remaining pressure. This will take a few minutes.

Stir to incorporate the cream cheese, which will thicken the pasta sauce. Then add in feta cheese and spinach, about a cup at a time and stir after each cup to distribute the spinach throughout the pasta. Close the TenderCrisp lid and let sit 5-10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

You can top the pasta with grated Parmesan if you like. Serve and Enjoy!

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Are you looking for more easy meal ideas like this one? Take a look at these!

  

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