Penne alla Vodka with Chicken

Penne alla Vodka is a creamy and delicious recipe made with vodka and a bit of heavy cream to add color and richness to the sauce. This classic Italian pasta dish gets added protein with diced chicken breast. Here I use crushed tomatoes instead of tomato paste for chunkier sauce with extra flavor and texture.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Penne alla Vodka

Prep Time 25

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 507kcal

Author Angela Allison

Equipment

large skillet or dutch oven

Ingredients

16 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespooons olive oil, divided
1 ½ pounds chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (about two breasts)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (about two teaspoons)
½ cup vodka
64 ounces San Marzano tomatoes, crushed (two 28 ounce cans)
¾ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook penne until very al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
In a very large skillet or dutch oven, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the diced chicken and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is browned and cooked through; about 6 minutes. Use a spoon to remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
To the same pan, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the onions and garlic and cook until they begin to soften, about three minutes. Pour in the vodka and deglaze by scraping off any bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook for about two minutes.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low boil and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the shredded parmesan and the cooked chicken and simmer for another minute.
Add in the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately with more parmesan sprinkled on top.

Notes

Be sure to cook your pasta until it's about a minute short of al dente. The pasta will continue to cook and absorb sauce when combined with the vodka sauce.
You can make this with precooked chicken (like rotisserie chicken). Just cut into chunks and add to the sauce at the end.
Some recipes add the heavy cream near the end of cooking. I prefer to cook the cream with the sauce. Either way works.
You can make this ahead by cooking the sauce and storing it separately from the pasta.

Nutrition