Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken is a homemade recipe made with tomatoes, heavy cream, and vodka. Serve the rich creamy sauce over pasta with seasoned chicken and fresh basil. You’ll love this authentic Italian-American family friendly meal.

This is my favorite vodka sauce recipe with chicken. It’s rich, creamy, and incredibly delicious. Unlike your typical marinara or tomato cream sauce, the vodka adds a unique flavor you're not going to want to miss. If you love Italian inspired pastas, be sure to check out my recipe for No Boil Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Not only is it so good, you can make this in about 30 minutes or less making it a great idea for a weeknight meal.

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Why This Is The Best Penne Alla Vodka with Chicken Recipe
What Is Vodka Sauce with Chicken?
What You'll Need To Make Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken
Can You Taste Vodka in This Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken?
What Can You Substitute for Vodka in This Chicken Pasta?
How To Make Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken
Variations You Must Try
What to Serve with Vodka Sauce Pasta Recipe with Chicken
Can Kids Eat Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken?
Storing Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken
Hungry for Pasta? Try These!
Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken

Why This Is The Best Penne Alla Vodka with Chicken Recipe

It’s a homemade recipe using only real ingredients and it tastes just like something you’d get at an upscale restaurant. If you're looking to impress guests, you'll want to make this!
You only need 30 minutes total time to make the vodka sauce pasta with chicken. Yes, it's that simple and it's great for weeknights after work.
The chicken and sauce are made in the same skillet. You start by pan frying the seasoned chicken then you make the sauce in the pan juices leftover which builds so much more flavor than if you make it without.
It's family friendly which means adding vodka does not make this an adult exclusive meal. The alcohol is completely cooked off only adding a punch of flavor instead.

What Is Vodka Sauce with Chicken?

Let's first talk about vodka sauce. What exactly is it? Vodka sauce commonly known as penne alla vodka sauce is a pasta dish made with a creamy tomato sauce with vodka on top of penne. It's an extremely popular Italian-American dinner!

The exact origin of this pasta dish is unknown. It is said that the recipe became popular in Italy before making its way to America. Many people have tried to claim the recipe but there’s no clear way to tell who made it first. Traditionally, vodka sauce is made without meat but it’s commonly topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

More recently people have been making vodka sauce using creative variations. Many recipes use tomato sauce, tomato paste, and or crushed tomatoes. A lot of recipes require that you blend the sauce leaving it nice and creamy without all the tomato chunks. Other recipes add varieties of meat such as beef, pork, and my personal favorite, chicken.

Adding a seasoned, pan fried chicken to the vodka chicken penne adds flavor from the cooked seasonings and the left over pan drippings from the chicken. It also adds protein and makes the dish seem a little more complete for those families who enjoy meat with dinner. While adding chicken is not authentic, it sure does add a lot of flavor and makes this vodka sauce pasta taste so good.

What You'll Need To Make Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken

Oil - for pan frying the chicken, onion, and garlic. You can use either a good quality olive oil, which adds great flavor or a canola/vegetable oil for a flavor that's more subtle
Skinless chicken breasts - we love chicken breasts because they’re easy and quick to cook. We chose boneless skinless chicken for this recipe. You can substitute chicken thighs these will bring so much flavor but they’re a little more fatty
Salt and pepper - of course you can’t season chicken without these two staple seasonings
Paprika - for color and subtle flavor
Italian seasoning - such a great versatile spice blend when used in Italian meals. This blend includes basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram and sometimes more!
Garlic powder - yes this recipe calls for both fresh minced garlic as well as garlic powder. The garlic powder is used to season the chicken while the fresh garlic is sautéed to create base flavor for the sauce. We love garlic in our home so we use a lot of it!
Onion and garlic - fresh of course. I like both of these minced because the chunks just aren't what we're going for. Choose fresh garlic if you can. You'll thank yourself later because fresh is what gives it that amazing flavor. I've tried using pre-minced garlic and it's just not the same. For the onion I like to choose either sweet or yellow.
Vodka - you only need 1/4 cup which is exactly 1 shot of vodka. We don’t drink in our home so we love to buy the mini bottles. It’s the perfect amount of vodka for this recipe.
Tomato paste and crushed tomatoes - these two together create the base of the sauce. The tomato paste is thicker while the crushed tomatoes are more juicy. Together these make the perfect blend for a tomato sauce for this recipe.
Penne - This is the traditional pasta used to make vodka sauce. It’s the perfect pasta for a tomato cream sauce. You may substitute for your favorite pasta if you don’t have or like penne. I have made this with bow ties and that has turned our great as well.
Heavy cream - The heavy cream is what makes the pasta nice and creamy.
Parmesan Cheese - our favorite cheese to use in this pasta because of how sharp it is and it melts in the sauce very nicely
Basil - I highly recommend you choose fresh for this recipe, dried doesn't have the same flavor

Can You Taste Vodka in This Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken?

Yes, you can taste vodka in the chicken penne pasta. But, it’s not what you think. The alcohol is completely cooked out, or at least it should be so it shouldn't taste anything like the drink you consume. Instead, adding vodka gives the sauce depth and a touch of heat. It also gives the sauce a sharp bite which brings balance to the flavor.

What Can You Substitute for Vodka in This Chicken Pasta?

So vodka doesn’t have to be used in the pasta vodka sauce with chicken. There are a couple of replacements I like to use when I don't have vodka on hand. The first one is water and a squeeze of lemon. The lemon adds depth of flavor along with that sharp bite you typically get with vodka. It's easy, cost effective, and you probably already have a lemon!

My second favorite replacement is just plain old chicken broth. You may not get the same bite that you would with lemon juice but adding chicken broth infuses the pasta sauce with even more of that delicious chicken flavor. It's a simple addition that adds more flavor than water alone.

How To Make Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken

Step 1. Bring a pot full of water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil and cook the penne according to the package directions.
Step 2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating season the chicken breast on all sides with salt and pepper, paprika, italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
Step 3. Place the chicken on the skillet and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Step 4. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and sauté in the remaining chicken juices. Add more oil or a touch of chicken broth if needed. Cook until the onion starts to turn translucent. Once done deglaze the pan with vodka and stir for a few seconds allowing the alcohol to cook off.
Step 5. Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and 1/2 cup heavy cream. Bring to a light simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Once done, stir in the penne and top with parmesan cheese and fresh basil

Variations You Must Try

If you're looking to jazz up the chicken pasta vodka sauce even more, you can. I always encourage that you try to make recipes your own. Some of my favorite variations include adding red pepper. Chopped red pepper will add brightness and added flavor. You can choose fresh or roasted red pepper from a jar. Both will be great.

My next favorite way to make the chicken vodka sauce recipe is to add hot pepper flake and add spice. We love spicy food in our home and find hot pepper flake is the perfect way to do it. It doesn't change the flavor the same way hot sauce does, instead, it takes it to the next level. You can add as much or as little as you'd like!

Consider adding some vegetables to the sauce such as asparagus or spinach. Both would cook up deliciously and add not only great flavor but fiber and other nutrients to the meal. Making the vodka sauce with chicken and spinach is so good and definitely worth a try. No these ideas are not authentic at all but they're great ideas that make dinner a little more fun and not so traditional. Especially if you make penne alla vodka with chicken and vegetables.

Love cheese? You could turn this recipe into a chicken with vodka sauce bake by adding the sauce and pasta to a baking dish and top with parmesan cheese. Bake or broil to create a bubbly cheesy crust that will finish the meal nicely!

What to Serve with Vodka Sauce Pasta Recipe with Chicken

Any time I serve the penne alla vodka recipe with chicken, I love to go for green vegetables. Because the chicken and pasta already provide the carb and protein balancing with a vegetable is the way to go. At least that's how we do it in our home. Below are some ideas we've tried and loved!

Salad - this can be any type of salad. We love caesar, butternut beetroot, broccoli salad, spinach, and more
Garlic roasted green beans
Roasted green beans and carrots
Seasoned frozen green beans
Steamed broccoli
Asparagus

Can Kids Eat Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken?

Yes, I've mentioned this before but any alcohol in the vodka is completely cooked out. This happens when the vodka is added to the pan right after the chicken to deglaze. As soon as it hits the hot pan it will start to simmer and the alcohol will immediately start to evaporate out.

I suggest letting the vodka simmer for a few seconds to do the trick. Plus it will have time to cook in the tomato sauce for any residual alcohol to cook out. The chicken and vodka sauce is a delicious kid friendly meal.

Storing Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken

To store the chicken vodka pasta, place in the refrigerator for up to a week after the dish has cooled. To reheat place in the microwave for 30 seconds then stir. Repeat until fully reheated. Consider also placing a damp paper towel over the bowl to maintain moisture.

If you're interested in a more long term storage method, consider freezing the sauce. Freezing the pasta with the sauce over top the pasta may have an undesirable texture when thawed. If you think you might have left overs you want to save skip adding the pasta to the sauce so you can save it for later.

Hungry for Pasta? Try These!

Creamy Chipotle Chicken Pasta
Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad
Smoked Mac and cheese with Bacon

Vodka Sauce Pasta with Chicken