Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken (Printable)
Juicy chicken and sun-dried tomatoes in a rich Parmesan cream sauce over tender penne pasta.
# 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 blend
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 - 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and sliced
09 - 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream
11 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
12 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
→ Garnish & Serving
13 - Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
14 - Additional Parmesan cheese, for serving
# How To Make It:
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. Reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides evenly with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and the Italian seasoning blend.
03 - Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the seasoned chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side, until deeply golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing it thinly against the grain.
04 - Reduce the heat to medium. In the same skillet with the rendered fond, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly golden.
05 - Stir in the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the caramelized brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.
06 - Whisk in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Let the sauce simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the crushed red pepper flakes if desired.
07 - Return the sliced chicken to the skillet along with the drained pasta. Toss everything together until the pasta and chicken are evenly coated in the creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta water.
08 - Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately in warmed bowls, garnished with freshly sliced basil and an extra dusting of Parmesan cheese.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sauce comes together in one skillet and tastes like you spent hours reducing it on the back burner.
- Sun-dried tomatoes bring this deep, tangy sweetness that makes people close their eyes when they take the first bite.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, which means lunch at your desk actually feels like a treat.
02 -
- Do not let the cream sauce boil hard after adding the Parmesan or it will break and turn oily instead of smooth.
- Reserving that pasta water is not optional because it is the only reliable way to fix a sauce that has tightened up too much.
03 -
- Let the chicken rest at least five minutes before slicing so the juices redistribute instead of running out onto your cutting board.
- Grate the Parmesan as finely as you can manage because it melts into the sauce faster and more evenly than larger shreds.