Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta (Print Version)
Tender chicken and penne in a luscious creamy sun-dried tomato Parmesan sauce, ready in 45 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken & Seasoning
01 - 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
03 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
→ Pasta
05 - 12 ounces penne or fettuccine pasta
→ Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - ⅔ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
09 - 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 1 cup heavy cream
11 - ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
12 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
→ Garnish
13 - Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
14 - Additional Parmesan cheese for serving
# How-To Steps:
01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the starchy pasta water, and set aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, pat the chicken breasts dry and season both sides evenly with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side until deeply golden and cooked through to 165°F. Transfer to a plate and rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
03 - Reduce the skillet heat to medium. Melt the butter, then add the minced garlic, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute.
04 - Stir in the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer, scraping up the browned fond from the bottom of the pan to build layers of flavor.
05 - Whisk in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Let the sauce simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it slightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the crushed red pepper flakes if desired.
06 - Return the sliced chicken to the skillet along with the drained pasta. Toss everything thoroughly to coat in the creamy sauce, adding splashes of the reserved pasta water if the sauce needs loosening. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil and extra Parmesan.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The creamy sauce comes together in one skillet and tastes like you spent hours reducing it.
- Sun-dried tomatoes add a tangy depth that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, which means lunch at work will actually be exciting.
02 -
- Do not let the sauce boil vigorously after adding the cream or it will break and look curdled instead of velvety.
- Slicing the chicken after it rests keeps the juices inside the meat rather than running out onto the cutting board.
03 -
- Reserve that pasta water every single time because it is the easiest way to fix a sauce that has tightened up too much while sitting.
- Grating Parmesan on the finest holes of a microplane makes it dissolve into the cream seamlessly without any clumping.