Miss Raven's Kitchen

Busy weeknights call for one-pot dinners, and this hits the spot! Not only is it easy, but it’s so flavorful and fresh. This One-Pot Burst Tomato and Zucchini Pasta with Chicken Thighs is exactly that kind of meal: simple, rustic, and packed with flavor. It’s the kind of recipe you’ll come back to when you want big flavor without the pile of dishes.

Table of Contents

1. Table of Contents
2. Why You’ll Love This Recipe
3. Ingredients for One-Pot Burst Tomato and Zucchini Pasta with Chicken Thighs
4. Tips & FAQs
5. Recipe
6. Check out these other great recipes!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

What better way than to pair tomatoes with zucchini? Add pasta into the mix, and it’s the perfect dinner for a weeknight. I had originally made this recipe in the wintertime, but it just didn’t feel right. So, of course, I had to update it and revamp the entire thing, 4 1/2 years later. I’m so happy I decided to redo this recipe because it came out SO MUCH BETTER. The burst tomatoes lent freshness to the sauce, the zucchini was cut differently so it didn’t get lost in the sauce, and I added some tomato paste and heavy cream for a richer-tasting sauce. The spaghetti needed to go, so I used a shorter cut of pasta.

I kept eating out of the storage container after I packed it up to refrigerate! My husband told me to stop eating. I looked him dead in the face and told him to never tell a woman to stop eating. I honestly couldn’t help it. This meal was so delicious, and I could easily eat it all before I could save any leftovers. The chicken was seared to perfection and left behind those flavorful browned bits, which were deglazed by white wine and became one with the sauce. One-pot pastas are about packing flavor without all of the pots and pans. You boil the noodles in broth, add your seasonings, and boom, you have a deliciously craveable dinner.

Ingredients for One-Pot Burst Tomato and Zucchini Pasta with Chicken Thighs

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs: I used these because they don’t take as long to cook as bone-in. You can definitely use bone-in if you want, but note that you will need to bake them in the oven to finish cooking them.
• Penne, Rotini, or Rigatoni: Basically, any short-cut pasta that can pick up the sauce. I didn’t use spaghetti here like I did last time. It just didn’t make sense to me.
• Grape Tomatoes: You can 100% use cherry tomatoes if you want to! Both are sweeter, so it won’t make a difference.
• Zucchini: Make sure you get the biggest one you can find. The one I found was pretty big; it was most likely 1lb. You can use yellow zucchini or squash if you would like.
• Shallots, Garlic: The aromatics and flavor boosters of this dish. What’s pasta without garlic?
• Basil, Parsley: A little fresh herb never hurt anyone! A pasta always needs something fresh and herbaceous, and basil plays so well with tomatoes and zucchini, so throw it in!
• Tomato Paste, Heavy Cream, White Wine, Italian Seasoning: The sauce. The white wine deglazes the pot after sauteing your veggies, the tomato paste adds umami, and the heavy cream adds richness. You can omit the heavy cream if you would like. I added it because I felt it needed a fat.
• Parmesan Cheese: Because why not? It’s Parmesan! You can’t go wrong.

Tips & FAQs

• Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat, add a splash of milk and microwave it, stirring in between to keep the sauce from splitting.
• What to Serve This With: This is a complete meal. However, you can serve a light salad or garlic bread on the side to scoop up the sauce from your plate.
• Variations:
  • Use shells, mafalde, penne, or rigatoni in place of the rotini.
  • Swap the grape tomatoes for cherry tomatoes.
  • Instead of zucchini, use yellow squash. yellow zucchini, or mushrooms. Anything that will hold its shape works. Broccoli tastes amazing in anything creamy.
  • Omit the heavy cream if you want a lighter sauce.
• Wine Pairings:
  • For this recipe, I recommend a medium-bodied red wine like the Chianti. Its high acidity matches the tomatoes, and it cuts through the cream so it doesn’t feel as rich.
  • If you’re set on a white wine, then I suggest a lightly oaked Chardonnay. The creaminess in the wine mirrors the sauce, while the acidity keeps it from getting too heavy.
  • For Non-Alcoholic Options: A sparkling lemonade works so well here. It helps cut the richness of the cream sauce. White grape juice is another great option. Try a lightly sweetened iced peach tea.

Recipe

Servings 6

Author Dani Marcus

Prep time

15 Min

Cook time

40 Min

Total time

55 Min

Print

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One-Pot Burst Tomato and Zucchini Pasta with Chicken Thighs

Busy weeknights call for one-pot dinners, and this hits the spot! Not only is it easy, but it’s so flavorful and fresh. This One-Pot Burst Tomato and Zucchini Pasta with Chicken Thighs is exactly that kind of meal: simple, rustic, and packed with flavor. It’s the kind of recipe you’ll come back to when you want big flavor without the pile of dishes.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 tsp salt, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, or more to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1 large zucchini, cut into quarter pieces about 1/2-inch thick
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 lb rotini or other short-cut pasta
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and butter on medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place the chicken thighs, smooth side down, into the Dutch oven and brown for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for about 5 minutes more, or until the chicken is just about cooked through. Remove them from the Dutch oven and place them on a plate, tented with foil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining olive oil, then the tomatoes and shallots. Cook until the skins start blistering on the tomatoes, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the zucchini and garlic; cook for 1 minute more. Season with salt to taste.
3. Pour in the white wine and reduce to about 3/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and Italian seasoning.
4. Pour in the chicken broth, cover, and allow it to come to a rapid simmer over high heat. Once it starts to simmer, stir in the pasta and basil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the pasta is al dente and the liquid has mostly reduced, but still has enough for the sauce, about 15-17 minutes.
5. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the chicken thighs on top of the pasta and the juices that accumulated with it, then cover and allow them to cook until the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 170F.
6. Uncover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Pour in the heavy cream, then stir in the parmesan. Let it gently simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Once the sauce coats the back of a spoon, it’s ready.
7. Serve immediately, and garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat, add a splash of milk and microwave it, stirring in between to keep the sauce from splitting.

What to Serve This With: This is a complete meal. However, you can serve a light salad or garlic bread on the side to scoop up the sauce from your plate.

Variations:

• Use shells, mafalde, penne, or rigatoni in place of the rotini.
• Swap the grape tomatoes for cherry tomatoes.
• Instead of zucchini, use yellow squash. yellow zucchini, or mushrooms. Anything that will hold its shape works. Broccoli tastes amazing in anything creamy.
• Omit the heavy cream if you want a lighter sauce.

Wine Pairings:

• For this recipe, I recommend a medium-bodied red wine like the Chianti. Its high acidity matches the tomatoes, and it cuts through the cream so it doesn’t feel as rich.
• If you’re set on a white wine, then I suggest a lightly oaked Chardonnay. The creaminess in the wine mirrors the sauce, while the acidity keeps it from getting too heavy.
• For Non-Alcoholic Options: A sparkling lemonade works so well here. It helps cut the richness of the cream sauce. White grape juice is another great option. Try a lightly sweetened iced peach tea. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories

865

Fat (grams)

44 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

17 g

Carbs (grams)

68 g

Fiber (grams)

5 g

Sugar (grams)

7 g

Protein (grams)

42 g

Sodium (milligrams)

1424 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

192 mg

The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.

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https://missravenskitchen.wordpress.com/2021/10/17/one-pot-burst-tomato-and-zucchini-spaghetti-with-chicken-thighs

chicken thighs, one pot, pasta, one pot pasta, zucchini, main dishes

Main Dishes, Pasta, Chicken, One-Pot

American, Italian

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