Cook pasta in well-salted water for 2 minutes less than package stated time for al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.

(Skip to step 3 if not making chicken): Mix chicken seasonings salt, brown sugar, onion powder and garlic powder in a small bowl. Lightly pound thickest part of chicken breasts to even out thickness. Sprinkle seasoning evenly over both sides of chicken pieces.

Set a large, deep sauté pan (with a lid) on medium heat. Add olive oil and butter.

(Skip to step 5 if not making chicken): Add chicken to sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip, lower heat to medium/medium-low (to avoid burning the butter), cover with lid and cook until internal temperature reaches 160-165f, 6-8 minutes. Set chicken on cutting board to rest at least 5-10 minutes before cutting into bite-sized pieces.

Add sundried tomatoes, shallots, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, chili pepper flakes and black pepper. Cook 2 minutes in the fat to bloom the flavours.

Add white wine, scraping pan and simmering until the sharp alcohol smell dissipates and the liquid is significantly reduced.

Add tomato paste and cook until the colour deepens from bright red to orange-red, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add broth and milk. Bring to a simmer. Add par-cooked pasta and let everything simmer for 2 minutes or when pasta is done to your likeness, adding splashes of pasta water as needed to adjust to desired sauce consistency.

(Skip to step 10 if not making chicken): In the final 30 seconds, return chicken pieces to heat back through.

Taste and season with salt if needed (this largely depends on saltiness of your broth and pasta water). Remove pan from heat, add grated cheese and baby spinach, tossing well in the residual heat until incorporated. Serve and enjoy!