Sour Cream Chicken Pasta (Low Fat)

This sour cream chicken pasta features succulent, herby chicken pieces in a light, creamy and tangy sauce with a hint of lemon served over pasta. Low in fat, easy to make, delicious and ready in as little as 20 minutes!

See also chicken breast in white sauce!

This sour cream chicken pasta is made using a handful of ingredients and a simple method. It involves pan-frying the chicken, making a quick and easy sour cream sauce then putting it all together and serving with your favourite pasta.

This chicken in sour cream pasta sauce is not only easy to make, but also low in fat. The sour cream takes the place of heavy (double) cream and the entire dish contains only 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 teaspoons of butter! This chicken pasta dish is creamy, delicious and perfect as a healthy weeknight meal.

Sour cream chicken pasta ingredients and substitutions

• Chicken: use skinless, boneless chicken breast, not dark meat (see below).
• Pasta: use either tagliatelle (or similar) or your favourite large pasta shapes (such as penne, rigatoni, or fusilli. The recommended amount is approximate (adjust according to preference).
• Sour cream: approx. 12-18% fat.
• Milk: offsets the sourness of the sour cream.
• Stock: use either chicken or vegetable stock.
• Flour: thickens the sauce.
• Garlic: because it’s added towards the end of cooking it retains a lot of flavour so 1 or 2 garlic cloves should be sufficient.
• Herbs: I used a mixture of dried thyme and parsley, but you can use mixed herbs or Italian herbs instead.
• Lemon zest: enhances the flavour of the finished dish. Do not add lemon juice into the sauce.
• Butter: adds flavour.
• Oil: used for coating the chicken pieces.
• Salt and pepper: add to taste. I like to use multicoloured peppercorns for added flavour in this recipe, but this is optional.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.Boil pasta: Boil the pasta in salted water. Strain reserving some of the pasta water and set aside.

2. Season chicken: Chop the chicken into small/medium chunks. Add the herbs, salt and pepper, oil and stir thoroughly. Set aside.

• TIP: You can do this step the night before (cover and refrigerate the chicken until you are ready to make the recipe).

3. Prepare sour cream sauce base: Whisk together the flour, sour cream and 2 tablespoons of the milk until smooth. Whisk in the rest of the milk and set aside.

4. Cook chicken: Heat a large non-stick pan then add the chicken and cook over a med./high heat for 2 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 2 minutes. Towards the end of cooking stir in the garlic. Transfer the chicken to a bowl leaving the juices in the pan (do not turn off the heat).

• TIP: Do not stir the chicken – it will brown better. If your pan is quite small cook the chicken in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

5. Make sauce: To the pan add the stock and whisk in the sauce mixture. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens stirring often (with a whisk).

6. Add chicken: Return the chicken to the pan (along with any juices) and cook for about 30 seconds up to a minute.

• TIP: It’s important not to overcook the chicken.

7. Serve: Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest (add to taste) and butter. Adjust the seasoning if needed, add a little pasta water if required, combine with the pasta and serve.

Serving suggestions

I like to serve this chicken sour cream pasta simply with grated parmesan (or another hard Italian-style cheese) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You can also serve it with a variety of different vegetables including cooked broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, garden peas, mushrooms or chopped baby spinach.

Simply stir these into the sauce along with the chicken and pasta!

If planning to serve this dish over a few days add the pasta to individual portions and refrigerate leftovers separately (left in the sauce the pasta would become soggy).

What can be prepared ahead

• The chicken: you can season the chicken pieces, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• The sauce: you can also cook the sauce and, once cooled, cover and refrigerate it (add the chicken juices when assembling the recipe). You may need to add a little pasta water to loosen the consistency of the sauce when reheating it the next day.
• The pasta: boil the pasta, strain, stir in a little oil to prevent it becoming sticky, cool, cover then refrigerate overnight. Reheat in the microwave before combining with the sour cream chicken.

• TIP: I do not recommend cooking the chicken in advance. When reheating the chicken from chilled you might accidentally overcook it so it’s best to cook it when you are ready to make the recipe.

Can I use ready-cooked chicken

Yes, you can if you prefer, although this will produce a slightly different dish. I recommend adding in the herbs as in the recipe and finishing off with the lemon zest.

Can I use dark meat to make chicken pasta with sour cream

I do not recommend it. Dark meat (such as chicken thighs or legs) should be cooked longer than white meat (i.e. chicken breast) so works better in stews, soups, and casseroles (see chicken potato stew or chicken butternut squash casserole).

If using ready-to-eat chicken, it’s absolutely fine to use either white or dark meat (or both).

Top tips

• I recommend using a large non-stick pan. If your pan is quite small cook the chicken in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
• It is important not to overcook the chicken.
• Make sure your sour cream sauce mixture is perfectly smooth before pouring into the pan.
• Boil the pasta before the chicken and sauce are ready so you can serve this dish immediately.
• Best served hot. Leftover sour cream chicken pasta can be refrigerated, once cooled, covered, for up to 3 days. Make sure you do not overcook the chicken when reheating it.
• Freeze (without the pasta) for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge then reheat in the microwave and combine with freshly boiled pasta.

More creamy chicken recipes to try next

• Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta Bake
• Healthy Creamy Spinach Chicken
• Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
• Leftover Chicken Potato Bake

See also these other healthy, delicious meal ideas including more chicken dishes!

Recipe

Keep in touch!

If you make this healthy sour cream chicken with pasta I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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