This One-Pot Chicken and Artichoke Cavatappi with kale and sun-dried tomatoes, flavored with lemon juice, garlic, and oregano, is bursting with flavor.
One-Pot Chicken and Artichoke Cavatappi
The artichokes in this Chicken and Artichoke Cavatappi make this dish extra delicious. If you’ve never cooked with them, this pasta recipe is a great place to start. Did you know that artichokes are a good source of vitamins C and K, fiber, and protein, and low in calories? Plus, cleanup is pretty fast since you only have to wash one pot – sign me up! For more artichoke recipes, try my Chicken Thighs with Artichoke Hearts and Feta Cheese and Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip , and don’t miss this One-Pot Spaghetti Puttanesca.
This one-pot pasta comes together fairly quickly on the stovetop, so it’s important that everything is chopped, measured, and ready to go before you begin cooking. First, you cook the artichokes, remove them from the pan, and then cook the chicken and take that out. Next are the veggies, and then you add in water, lemon juice, and pasta and cook for ten minutes. Return the artichokes and chicken to the pan, cook for five minutes, and then voila, dinner is ready.
Tips for Chicken Artichoke Pasta
Artichokes: I char the artichokes for a deeper flavor. I cook them on the stove for 3-4 minutes in two batches. You can skip this step, though and just add them to the pot as directed in step 5.
Sun-dried tomatoes: To keep the fat at a minimum, choose non-marinated sun- dried tomatoes, which are usually sold in a pouch rather than a jar. They will hydrate and plump up nicely once they simmer with the other ingredients.
What to Serve with Artichoke Pasta
This healthy artichoke chicken pasta is a full meal in one: protein from chicken and Parmesan, four vegetables, and carbs from the pasta. If you’d like to round out the meal, serve it with your favorite salad.
Variations:
- If you don’t have cavatappi, substitute it with rotini or penne.
- Swap the kale for spinach if you prefer.
- You can use dried oregano instead of fresh.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love:
- Orecchiette Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli
- Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes
- Easiest Pasta and Broccoli Recipe
- Penne with Brussels Sprouts in a Ragu
- Baby Pasta Shells with Asparagus and Marinara Sauce
One-Pot Chicken and Artichoke Cavatappi
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray, (non- aerosol)
- 1 14.5-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 1-1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 small onion chopped, about 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, about 5 cloves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, divided
- 2 ounces julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes, not in oil
- 6 cups packed chopped kale (about 4 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about 1/2 lemon, plus more to taste
- 8 ounces cavatappi, I used whole wheat
- 2 ounces shaved parmesan, (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large non-stick skillet (with high sides) over medium heat. Lightly mist pan with olive oil spray.
- Working in two batches, add artichokes and char until dark golden—3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate.
- Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
- Spray pan with more oil, add chicken to the pan and cook 5 minutes, turning half way through cooking. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Spray pan with additional oil, add onions, garlic, and 2 teaspoons oregano. Cook, stirring, until onions are softened and golden, 4 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and kale, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 1/4 cups of water, Stir in cavatappi, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces.
- Remove cover, stir in chicken and artichokes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 5 more minutes or until pasta is al dente and chicken is reheated.
- Remove cover and cook off any excess liquid if necessary.
- Serve topped with parmesan (if using). remaining oregano, and more salt and black pepper to taste.
I made this tonight for the first time exactly as written except I used WW elbows because I couldn’t find cavatappi at the store and I used my cast iron skillet because it is so well seasoned it is like a non-stick pan and it has the highest sides of all my skillets. I did the prep upfront as suggested which was wise. I was shocked at how much food this made – a single serving is a very healthy portion. It was so good. I at solo tonight b/c my husband is out of town and he doesn’t like artichokes so I took the opportunity to make this for myself. I look forward to leftovers later this week and am considering sharing with my brother who is coming for dinner in a couple nights. This is a KEEPER!
My new favorite meal!! This is so good. Love the mixing of the flavors!
I like the combination of flavors and textures in this dish. May add some pine nuts as well. When putting in the nutritionals in the WW app, it calculated 10 points instead of 6? Did this happen for anyone else?
At the begining of the recipe you say cook the artichokes over medium heat. I turned it up when I added pasta, even though I did not see where I was supposed to. Then you say turn it down to medium low in step 9. Did I miss something?
This was terrific! I think it would be very adaptable- spinach or broccoli for kale or shrimp for chicken. Only change I will make is maybe chicken broth for the water and a dash of hot pepper flakes. A keeper!
Made this for dinner, a five star recipe! Family loved this! I am questioning the serving size, 2 1/2 cups is a huge portion… is that correct?
So so good! I couldn’t find sun dried tomatoes at my little corner store, so I used a few tablespoons of sun dried tomato bruschetta, which they did have. I have a house of picky eaters and I see this on the menu a lot in the future.
Wonder how many points this would be on blue?
This recipe was wonderful! Brilliant use of sun dried tomatoes,. I used whole grain penne because that is what I had. I love making one pot meals and my husband loved eating it, so this is a keeper!
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was outrageously delicious! The pasta absorbed the flavors, the kale was delicious, the sundried tomatoes were superb! I added black olives at the end, not because it needed it just because we love olives! Thank you for always having the best recipes
Awesome!
This was delicious. I will definitely make it again. Used spinach I stead of kale.
Made this tonight as written with two additions/substitutions:
When adding the chicken back, I also added two tablespoons of olive tapenade, plus a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. And rather than Parmesan, I served with feta (and had extra at the table to add as desired). It was so delicious. I love the distinctive balance of the briny tapenade with the doughy sourness of feta next to the flavors of the sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes. Yum.
Wonderful amalgam of flavors. Used baby spinach, but added at the very end just to wilt. Definitely char the artichokes. Used oregano, and sun-dried tomatoes, and deglazed pan with white wine. So very good. Will add to the rotation. Thank you!
Meant to say use *fresh oregano! It makes a difference.
This is delicious!!! My husband is even looking forward to the leftover meal. Happy tummies!
Holy smokes!!!!! So delicious! Thanks!
Absolutely love this recipe! I used frozen artichoke hearts from Trader Joe’s and it’s even better than the canned version. Also a deglazed the pan after cooking the onions with a splash of white wine. Yummmm
I am using frozen artichokes too. Did you still sauté them?
This was SO good. I subbed a cup of chicken broth for some of the water and I used Carba Nada noodles so lower in carbs but the flavor was great and it was different – this will definitely go in my rotation!
Made this recipe last night for the first time. I had printed it in March of 2021 and when I looked at the recipe again today to do the review, I could see that it had been updated to answer a few of my questions! This tasted delicious and will definitely make it into rotation. I don’t know if my chicken tenders are just Texas sized, but cooking them for 2 1/2 minutes per side was not going to get them even remotely done. I ended doing them for 9 minutes per side (flipping twice) to get the chicken cooked all the way through. Also great idea to pan sear the artichokes, but mine took a good bit longer to get good color on them (I have an induction cooktop and had heat up above midway – perhaps Gina has a gas cooktop and it is faster?). Cooking the chicken in the skillet really made a nice fond in the bottom for the onions and garlic to absorb. The step that was added between my printing and today is now step 10 to remove cover and cook off any excess liquid. I ended up doing that instinctively because it was a bit soupy, but wondered if I had done something wrong. One problem I had was that the pasta did not cook evenly and I had a few pieces that just didn’t get under the liquid despite stirring so were super al dente (read crunchy!). I might consider cooking the pasta first and adding the spinach later (I used spinach instead of kale as that was what was on hand). Waiting to add the spinach would let the pasta get under the liquid more evenly. Overall, this was a lovely use of canned artichokes, which we love. Great recipe. So grateful for the wonderful recipes from Skinnytaste!
Winner winner! Lots of flavor and great approval from even the non-kale crowd. Definitely making again and love that it had lots of veggie! I used whole wheat penne.
So good! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of tenders – really excellent recipe.
Dish was delicious, very flavorful! Made it last night and my husband and I really enjoyed it! Used rotini instead of cavatappi as I couldn’t find any – still worked great. Took me a little longer than the cook time, but usually does when I attempt a new recipe. Next time I make it, I know it won’t take as long. Will definitely be doing this one again 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a recipe before. Just finished making this tonight. It was an absolute hit with my husband who never likes any “surprise” recipes. I did use low sodium broth instead of water as I had an opened container I needed to use. Will definitely make this regularly.
What do you mean by chicken tenders?
I liked it hubs was so so on it. We used elbow couldn’t find the other pasta in our area. I’m making this again.