SUNDRIED TOMATO CHICKEN PASTA
Pasta is such a decadent meal when made with a creamy luscious sauce, just like this Sundried Tomato Chicken Pasta.
It’s perfect no matter what season it is, cold or hot, it’s always a winning meal and it’s one of my favorite things ever.
It’s the best of both worlds with enough body, just the right amount of creamy sauce, and the perfect flavors throughout.
Just like this recipe, this Asiago Chicken Pasta is also perfectly sauced and flavored.
Sundried tomatoes are such an interesting flavorful addition to any recipe and they always add the perfect amount of saltiness.
Sautéing them with chicken breasts and adding them to a lighter creamy peppered sauce is the perfect way to cook with sundried tomatoes and devour them on any week night in any season.
And the best way to cook with them is to further the flavor with shredded mozzarella cheese, fat free half and half and then spice it up with red pepper flakes.
The mozzarella cheese melts to a perfect cheesy consistency and makes a wonderful luscious sauce with the half and half, and a little reserved pasta water.
The most wonderful part of all is how light and fresh this Sundried Tomato Chicken Pasta actually is.
There’s no heavy creams or butters that make this dish too much, but rather the use of the fat free half and half to create creaminess and mozzarella cheese to keep the cheesiness in tact. It’s the perfect combination of lighter ingredients without all the added fats and calories.
And don’t forget that paremsan is always needed as a garnish, so add that to the cheese list as well!
But parmesan is also light when used sparingly and as a topping to give just the right amount of flavor.
Most importantly these ribbed fat penne noodles are the absolute best noodles ever. They soak up all the sauce and store it in their ribs so that when you take a bite of this Sundried Tomato Chicken Pasta you get a noodle that’s full of creamy mozzarella sauce instead of all the sauce falling off back into the bowl.
SO YUM!
Notes
Adapted from JULIA'S ALBUM
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 TEASPOONS GARLIC, MINCED
- 4 OZ SUNDRIED TOMATOES, DRAINED & CHOPPED
- 2 TABLESPOONS RESERVED SUNDRIED TOMATO OIL
- 1 LB CHICKEN BREASTS, CUT INTO SMALLER PIECES
- 1/4 TEASPOON PAPRIKA
- 1 CUP HALF & HALF, FAT FREE
- 1 CUP MOZZARELLA, SHREDDED
- 8 OZ RIBBED PENNE PASTA
- 1 TABLESPOON DRIED BASIL
- 1/4 TEASPOON RED PEPPER FLAKES
- 1/2 CUP PASTA WATER
- S&P
- PARMESAN FOR GARNISH
Instructions
- WITH A LARGE PAN ON HIGH HEAT SAUTEE GARLIC AND SUNDRIED TOMATOES IN OIL UNTIL FRAGRANT
- REMOVE SUNDRIED TOMATOES AND SET ASIDE
- ADD CHICKEN BREASTS, SPRINKLED WITH PAPRIKA, TO PAN AND COOK UNTIL SLIGHTLY BROWN, ABOUT 1 MINUTE ON EACH SIDE
- COOK PENNE NOODLES ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS, DRAIN AND RINSE IN COLD WATER
- TOSS SUNDRIED TOMATOES BACK TO THE PAN
- ADD HALF & HALF AND CHEESE TO THE CHICKEN AND START BOILING
- SIMMER AND COOK UNTIL ALL THE CHEESE IS MELTED, KEEP STIRRING
- ADD PASTA TO THE PAN WITH BASIL AND RED PEPPER FLAKES, COMBINE
- IF THE SAUCE IS TOO THICK, ADD A LITTLE RESERVED PASTA WATER, A LITTLE AT A TIME
- SEASON WITH S&P IF NECESSARY
Much love,
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