Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Over Pasta

 

It was Sunday.

It was cold and rainy.

I was thinking soup for dinner.

Then, I came across this recipe on Little B Cooks' blog.  What a fun blog to browse!  Her recipe for Sun-dried Tomato Chicken was my inspiration for dinner. 

I made a few changes to the original recipe.  And, I served my chicken and sauce over pasta.

As a person who blogs about food and recipes, there are times when I try something new and then, later wish I had done the recipe a different way.  This dish was one of those instances.  Both my hubby and I agreed that using this exact sauce recipe with homemade meatballs would be killer!  The chicken was good, but this sauce is somewhat similar to say, a Swedish meatball sauce ... just infused a bit with the flavor of the sun-dried tomatoes.  So, I plan to try it with meatballs soon!

And, by the way ... if you think you don't or won't like sun-dried tomatoes, I urge you to try it in this recipe.  The flavor combinations are lovely and I know I will be making this sauce again many times in the future!


Ingredients:

4 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (either thin-cut or regular ones pounded out a little)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup onion, diced finely
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained (if in oil) and chopped
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper
A couple of tablespoons fresh basil or scallions, chopped
Olive Oil
Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated (for garnish)

Directions:

Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat.  Add in a drizzle of olive oil.  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Once oil is hot, cook chicken through ... turning to brown and cook on both sides.  Remove from pan, cover loosely with foil and set aside.

Add the butter to the pan and reduce heat to medium-low.  Add in the onions and garlic.  Saute for about 2 minutes.  Add in the sun-dried tomatoes.  Stir to combine.  Sprinkle the flour in, stir and allow to cook for a couple of more minutes.  Add in the chicken stock and whisk constantly until everything is smooth.  Add in the cream, whisking for a few more minutes.  Allow sauce to come to a slight bubble and thicken.  Add in the basil or scallions.  Stir.

Add back in the chicken and allow the sauce to coat the chicken by spooning it over the meat.  Cook for a few more minutes so that the chicken is warmed through.  Turn off burner and allow to thicken on stove-top for a few minutes.

Serve over cooked pasta.  Garnish with more basil or scallions.  Sprinkle on some grated or shaved Parmesan cheese, if desired.

NOTE:  My husband suggested next time adding in some sliced, sauteed mushrooms to the sauce.  Yum!