Creamy Chicken Pasta
A lighter yoghurt sauce, tender chicken and wholewheat pasta with spinach and tomatoes. Comfort food with a practical protein boost.
Nutrition per serving · Estimated
Why you’ll like it
Ingredients
Quantities update with servings. Nutrition remains per serving. Tick ingredients as you go.
1 garlic clove, black pepper and a small pinch of salt. Keep a mug of pasta water for the sauce. Seasonings are not included in the estimates.
Let’s make it
- 1
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Cook the pasta following the pack, keeping a mug of the cooking water before draining.
- 2
Cut the chicken into even bite-size pieces. Warm the olive oil in a large pan and cook the chicken for 8–10 minutes, turning regularly. Check it reaches 75°C for 30 seconds, or 70°C for 2 minutes.
- 3
Add minced garlic and halved tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the spinach until wilted.
- 4
Take the pan off the heat. Mix yoghurt, parmesan and 2–3 tablespoons of warm pasta water in a bowl. Stir the drained pasta into the chicken, then fold in the yoghurt mixture.
- 5
Loosen with a little more pasta water if needed. Season to taste and serve immediately. Avoid boiling the yoghurt sauce, which can split.
Simple substitutions
- Turkey breast works in place of chicken.
- Use regular pasta if you prefer; fibre and nutrition values will change.
- Frozen chopped spinach works well if fully cooked and excess water is squeezed out.
Storage & meal prep
Cool and refrigerate within 1–2 hours, in a covered container. Eat within 48 hours. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout, adding a splash of water. The yoghurt sauce may separate slightly; it is best freshly made. Freezing can make the sauce grainy.
Food-safety reference: Food Standards Agency guidance.
Nutrition, at a glance
Estimated per serving for the base ingredients. Product labels, cooking changes and optional seasonings can affect the totals. Changing servings scales ingredient quantities, not these per-serving values.
| Per serving | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Energy | 509 kcal |
| Protein | 52 g |
| Carbohydrate | 44 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Fibre | 7.1 g |
Allergens: Milk and wheat (gluten).
How these estimates were calculated
Each ingredient weight is multiplied by a representative per-100-g value, then divided by the base serving count. The values below are disclosed assumptions, not a claim of laboratory testing or exact values from a specific brand. Energy may not equal rounded macros because of fibre, source conventions and rounding.
| Ingredient | kcal / 100 g | P / C / F (g) |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, raw | 110 | 23 / 0 / 1.5 |
| Wholewheat pasta, dry | 350 | 13 / 64 / 2.5 |
| Plain 0% Greek yoghurt | 59 | 10.3 / 3.6 / 0.4 |
| Spinach | 23 | 2.9 / 1.4 / 0.4 |
| Cherry tomatoes | 18 | 0.9 / 2.7 / 0.2 |
| Olive oil | 900 | 0 / 0 / 100 |
| Parmesan, grated | 400 | 33 / 0 / 29 |
A few useful questions
Why did my sauce split?
Yoghurt can separate over high heat. Remove the pan from the hob and loosen the yoghurt with warm pasta water before adding it.
Can I leave out parmesan?
Yes. The sauce will be milder and less thick, and the nutrition estimates will change.
Recipe development note
This is an original example recipe and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Times are a guide; check doneness and follow product instructions. Read our recipe standards.
