This Creamy Chicken Pasta with Feta Cheese is done in 30 minutes and has loads of Feta cheese melted into a creamy crème fraîche sauce. With chicken, basil and cherry tomatoes this is the ultimate weeknight pasta.
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Sometimes I think this blog should have been named "always use Feta cheese" instead of "always use butter". Because to be honest, I probably use Feta Cheese just as often as I use butter. How could I not? It goes so well with everything! Top a salad? Yep. Make a healthy sauce? Yep. Stuff a piece of chicken? Or maybe a date? Oh yes. For breakfast? Why not!
And then we have the whole concept of pasta with Feta that's been melted into a creamy crème fraîche sauce together with chicken, basil and cherry tomatoes... And trust me, it's a good one!
For a different versio of crème fraîche chicken pasta, try this Marry Me Chicken Pasta.
Why you will love this recipe
- It's quick and done in under 30 minutes
- It's easy to make with just a few simple steps
- The sauce is super creamy
- It's loaded with flavor from Feta cheese, basil & cherry tomatoes
- Acidic crème fraîche balances the sauce
What you need to make it
Ingredient notes
- Chicken thigh filets can be substituted for chicken breasts or another boneless cut of chicken - however, thigh filets have the most flavor
- Butter and oil can be used either both or just one or the other - if using just one, double the amount
- Feta cheese can be swapped for another Feta-style white cheese
- Pasta - I like fusilli for how the sauce clings to it, but any type of pasta - fresh or dry - works
- Crème fraîche - I used regular crème fraîche here, but you can use both full fat and low fat. You can also substitute it for a flavored crème fraîche - I like to use half paprika and chili and half tomato and basil, and then I skip the paprika powder, onion powder and black pepper used to season the sauce.
- Salt might need to be added, but do it at the end - depending on how salty your Feta cheese is you might not need it
Ingredient substitutions
- Crème fraîche can be made at home from buttermilk and heavy cream, but if you don't have the time you can also use heavy cream together with a few tablespoons of sour cream
- Cherry tomatoes can be swapped for diced regular tomatoes
- Fresh basil can be swapped for dried basil, use 1 tablespoon for 4 servings of this recipe
How to Make It
- Heat butter and oil in a pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the chicken in pieces and season with salt and ground black pepper.
- Mix well and fry for about 5 minutes, until chicken is white on the outside. It does not have to be cooked all the way through at this point.
- Push the chicken to one side of the pan and add the tomato puree to the other half. Fry the tomato paste for a minute.
- Mix in the tomato paste with the chicken
- Add the water and mix while scraping at the bottom of the pan to loosen some of the bits stuck there - the crème fraîche will take care of the rest
- Add crème fraîche and mix well while scraping at the bottom of the pan to loosen the rest of the bits that are stuck there
- Add paprika powder, onion powder and ground black pepper
- Mix well and add Feta cheese, then let the sauce simmer for at least 5 minutes
- Add cherry tomatoes and basil
- Mix well
- Add pasta cooked 30 seconds less than stated on the package
- Leave the pan on the heat for 1 minute, then remove it from the heat, taste test and add salt if needed - and serve!
Tips & tricks
- Fry the tomato paste before mixing in with the chicken - this adds a lot of umami flavor
- Make sure to scrape the bottom after adding the crème fraîche, to get all those tasty bits that are stuck there
- Don't overcook the pasta - rather cook it too short than too long, it can finish cooking in the sauce
- Add salt at the end - Feta cheese can be pretty salty, so adding salt as well can make it too salty
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Freeze leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 months
Recipe FAQ
What can I use instead of crème fraîche?
Crème fraîche can be made at home from buttermilk and heavy cream. This does however take some time, so another option is to use heavy cream together with a few tablespoons of sour cream.
What type of pasta is good for creamy chicken pasta with feta cheese?
For creamy sauces like this one I recommend Fusilli, as the ridges in the pasta grabs on to the sauce and makes it come together perfectly. Penne is also good.
I can't find fresh basil - can I use dried basil instead?
Yes, you can - just use 1 tablespoon of dried basil for 4 servings of this recipe.
More quick pasta dishes
Love quick pastas, like this Chicken Pasta with Feta Cheese? Then I think you will love these recipes!
- Creamy Chicken Pasta
- Pink Pasta Sauce with Bacon
- Creamy Broccoli Pasta with Mushrooms & Cherry Tomatoes
- Crème Fraîche Pasta with Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- 15-minute Spicy Sausage Pasta
Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Recipe
Creamy Chicken Pasta with Feta Cheese & Basil
Print RateServings: 4
Calories: 757kcal
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- ⅔ lb pasta cooked 30 seconds less than package instruction
- ½ tablespoon butter
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 lb chicken thigh filets cut in bite-size pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt for seasoning the chicken
- ½ teaspoon black pepper for seasoning the chicken
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoon water for deglazing the pan
- 2 cups crème fraîche
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder for seasoning the sauce
- 1 teaspoon onion powder for seasoning the sauce
- ½ teaspoon black pepper for seasoning the sauce
- ¾ cup Feta cheese chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves loosely packed, chopped
- 1⅓ cups cherry tomatoes cut in quarters
- ½ teaspoon salt for seasoning the sauce (according to taste)
Instructions
- Place a pan over medium-high heat and add in butter & vegetable oil. When the butter is melted, add the chicken and season with salt and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until white on the outside. It doesn't have to be cooked through at this point.½ tablespoon butter, ½ tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 lb chicken thigh filets, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Push the chicken to one side of the pan and add the tomato paste in the other half. Fry the tomato paste for 1 minute.2 tablespoon tomato paste
- Pour in the water and mix while scraping at the bottom to dissolve some of the flavorful pieces stuck there.3 tablespoon water
- Add crème fraiche and mix well while scraping the bottom to loosen any pieces left there.2 cups crème fraîche
- Add paprika powder, onion powder and black pepper and mix well.½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add Feta cheese, mix well, and simmer for at least 5 minutes, until the Feta cheese is mostly or completely melted.¾ cup Feta cheese
- Add the cherry tomatoes and basil and mix.1⅓ cups cherry tomatoes, 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- Add cooked pasta, mix well, and leave on the heat for a minute. Taste test and add salt if needed. Serve!⅔ lb pasta, ½ teaspoon salt
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
Video
Notes
Ingredient notes & susbtitutions
- Chicken thigh filets can be substituted for chicken breasts or another boneless cut of chicken - however, thigh filets have the most flavor
- Butter and oil can be used either both or just one or the other - if using just one, double the amount
- Feta cheese can be swapped for another Feta-style white cheese
- Pasta - I like fusilli for how the sauce clings to it, but any type of pasta - fresh or dry - works
- Crème fraîche -you can use both full fat and low fat. You can also substitute it for a flavored crème fraîche - I like to use half paprika and chili and half tomato and basil, and then I skip the paprika powder, onion powder and black pepper used to season the sauce.
- Crème fraîche can be made at home from buttermilk and heavy cream, but if you don't have the time you can also use heavy cream together with a few tablespoons of sour cream
- Cherry tomatoes can be swapped for diced regular tomatoes
- Fresh basil can be swapped for dried basil, use 1 tablespoon for 4 servings of this recipe
- Salt might need to be added, but do it at the end - depending on how salty your Feta cheese is you might not need it
Tips & tricks
- Fry the tomato paste before mixing in with the chicken - this adds a lot of umami flavor
- Make sure to scrape the bottom after adding the crème fraîche, to get all those tasty bits that are stuck there
- Don't overcook the pasta - rather cook it too short than too long, it can finish cooking in the sauce
- Add salt at the end - Feta cheese can be pretty salty, so adding salt as well can make it too salty
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- Freeze leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 months
Nutrition
Calories: 757kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 1115mg | Potassium: 811mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1755IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 315mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Did you make this? Tag me today!Tag @alwaysusebutter and use the hashtag #alwaysusebutter!
Barbara Leen
My sister gave some feta I didn't know what to do with. I found this recipe and solved my problem. It was so good, and I will now try more recipes with feta
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Barbara! I'm so happy you've discovered just how amazing feta is! Hope you find more tasty ways to use it. I have a few 😉 /Emmeline
Amy
Sooo tasty!!!! We love this recipe, absolutely delicious.
Keystone Cheese
This is a blog to watch for sure. I think you have a really awesome writing style by the way. Very easy to read. Your blog design is so clean too! Thank you all the hard work!
Emmeline Kemperyd
Thank you so much!
Jo Thrasher
WOWOWOW that sauce looks impossibly creamy!
Preet
Wow, I love this recipe it is so delicious and look so easy to prepare. I will def try to make this for the whole family.
Silke Porter
Just one question, is it tomato purée or tomato paste?
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi,
Sorry about the confusion. It should be tomato paste. I have changed it in the ingredient list now, thanks for calling my attention to it.
/Emmeline
Clare Minall
Thank you for sharing this recipe- I adore this but have never tried to make it myself. I will now, seems more simple than I thought and how stunning is yours!
Alexandra Cook
OMG Can I just say, I can’t help but drool over the picture! Who would not love to taste this! I’ll be printing out your recipe so I can try making this out over the weekends.
Emmeline
Thank you so much Alexandra, so glad you liked it!
Gervin Khan
My husband always love eating pasta a lot and I am sure that this pasta recipe of yours will give him a very nice day. It looks really good and tasty!
Lindsay Veremis
Your food photography is delightful! My hubby and I are also HUGE feta fans and this recipe is right up our alley. Easy, delicous and light.
Emmeline
Thank you so much Lindsay! Working so hard on improving it and always makes me happy when people notice.
Catherine Santiago Jose
My family loves eating pasta a lot and this one is such a wonderful recipe to make for them, so delicious!
brie
I think my favorite part about your recipes is that you do step by step pictures. That is so helpful! But this looks so incredibly good, I am an absolute pasta fiend so....I'll be saving this!
LuciWest
That looks and sounds delicious - I can almost smell it. Had never thought about using feta cheese in a cream sauce. Will try it now! Thank you.
Kalyan Panja
Pasta is one of my favorite comfort food. Love this recipe.
Maartje van Sandwijk
This looks really good 🙂 Might recreate a vegan version of this with tofu 🙂
Michael
What to do, i love chicken but not so about pasta. Having a taste will not hurt right? hehe
Emmeline
Oh I wish I didn't love pasta! Then I wouldn't need crossfit 😉
Sarahslyfe
I have never tried the cooked kind...usually I est and make the salad version. It looks yummy though
Adriana
This looks so delicious. I can't believe how fast and simple it is to make.
Lydia Smith
It looks yummy and tasty, would try out some day
Noelle
Beautifully simple and delicious! Just made this last night and the flavors are amazing!
Jillian
Feta definitely has my heart as well! This dish is so creamy and flavorful, I know it will be gobbled up by my whole family!
Natalie
This pasta looks so delicious and flavorful. It's perfect easy family dinner. I'm saving this recipe on my menu for next week. We love good pasta for dinner. Especially healthier recipes like this one.
Sues
Oh yum, I love absolutely everything about this pasta dish!! It's the kind of meal I could eat for dinner every single night and never get bored of... Feta in pasta is the best!
Mary Bostow
Aaah yes, this is comfort food. My husband prefers creamy sauces and he'd absolutely love this. I'm for sure making this.
Andrea Metlika
what a fabulous pasta dish. Can't wait to taste it! Yum
Emmeline
Thank you so much Andrea!
Geraline Batarra
Not a cheese lover but I appreciate anything with a small amount of it. This recipe looks good.
Jenni LeBaron
This looks excellent. I love that it is chock full of both crème fraîche and feta cheese making it the perfect balance of umami and saltiness!
Emmeline
Thank you so much Jenni! So true - so much umami & saltiness & plain yumminess in there!
Michelle Cannon
What a flavorful dish! I'm always looking for new ways to make chicken (my daughter gets tired of things rather quickly). This is definitely something she's not had before. Pinning!
Emmeline
Thank you Michelle! Let me know what she thinks!
Melissa
I love everything about this dish , especially the use of the chicken thighs (which I also agree is the best piece of chicken!!!), I am adding this to my meal plan for next week, thanks so much for sharing!
Emmeline
Thank you so much Melissa! Let me know how it turns out, OK?!
Cheese Curd In Paradise
Feta cheese is one of my favorite things to have in pasta. Cold or Hot I always love it. This creamy sauce sound so good! I can't wait to give this recipe a try!
Emmeline
Same here! Or in anything really 😉 Thank you so much for commenting, and let me know how it turns out! 😀