Creamy Chicken & Sausage Pasta

Creamy Chicken & Sausage Pasta - Delicious and easy penne pasta tossed with chicken, sausage, peppers and onions in a parmesan cream sauce.

This creamy and delicious pasta has a slight kick to it due to the hot links used in this recipe. The spice is not overwhelming by any means and if you really like spice you can sprinkle red pepper flakes on your pasta at the end.

Some great substitutions for the hot links would be kielbasa, Portuguese sausage or any other of your favorite types of fully cooked sausage. I prefer using hot links in this recipe because I love the flavor and added spice.

We served our pasta with homemade garlic bread. You can also serve with a side salad or by itself! This recipe will serve about 4 people. If you are cooking for a large crowd, simply double the recipe.

Ingredients you need for this recipe:

Hot Link Sausage - You'll need about two hot links, sliced about ¼" thick. This is my favorite brand.

Chicken - Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts.

Onion - About 1 small yellow onion.

Garlic - Fresh garlic is best.

Milk - I used whole milk, but you can use whatever milk you prefer.

All-Purpose Flour - This will help to thicken the sauce.

Cream Cheese - At room temperature - low fat or full fat.

Pepper - Fresh cracked black pepper or ground.

Salt - I almost always use sea salt but you can use your favorite cooking salt in this recipe.

Butter - Salted or unsalted butter both work great.

Parmesan Cheese - I always use a pretty good quality parmesan and grate it myself. But, you can use whatever you have on hand.

Green Bell Pepper - You can also use hatch or Anaheim peppers.

Penne Pasta- About half a pound of penne pasta. If you don't have penne, you can use farfalle, roitini and more.

Parsley - Fresh is best but you can also use dried parsley.

Basil - Fresh is best but you can also use dried basil.

Tools to have on hand:

• Cutting Board
• Chef Knife
• Measuring Spoons + Cups
• Skillet
• Saucepan
• Cooking Spoon

How to make Creamy Chicken and Sausage Pasta:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook penne pasta according to instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, add sliced sausage and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Remove sausage from skillet.

Add cubed chicken to the skillet with leftover drippings from sausage. Cook over medium heat, turning over after a few minutes until cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside with sausage.

Add butter, onions and peppers to the skillet. Cook over medium heat until tender. Then, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Sprinkle flour, salt, pepper, basil and parsley over the cooked veggies and mix to combine. Slowly add the milk, stirring frequently, until fully combined. Add cream cheese and parmesan cheese and stir until nicely melted into the sauce.

Add chicken, sausage, and penne to the sauce and toss to combine. Let cook over very low heat for a few minutes. Then, remove from heat.

Serve pasta with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional). Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this recipe, here are a few more of my favorite pasta recipes I think you'll enjoy:

Creamy Tomato Cajun Chicken Pasta - Cajun chicken and farfalle pasta tossed in deliciously creamy tomato sauce sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley and green onions.

Baked Ziti Recipe -  Loaded with ground beef, spinach, onions, tomatoes and is all baked to a golden perfection with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Chicken Parmesan -  (Chicken Parmigiana) Crispy breaded baked chicken topped with melted mozzarella cheese. Serve over a bed of pasta with marinara sauce.

Crockpot Italian Meatballs - My crockpot meatballs are not only super easy and packed with flavor, but they are so tender and delicious and melt in your mouth with every single bite.

Classic Sausage Lasagna - Super delicious and simple lasagna recipe made with sausage, homemade robust tomato sauce, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. This is the perfect family and kid friendly comfort meal.