Pasta is definitely one of the best comfort foods. I try not to eat it a lot, but when I do I’m one happy girl. 🙂 This Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes is simply AMAZING. All of the flavors blend so well together making for one awesome dish.
SUN-DRIED TOMATO PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND MOZZARELLA
This easy Italian-inspired Chicken Mozzarella Pasta features sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, and paprika. The sun-dried tomato sauce is the star of this recipe!
- Prep Time: 20 Mins
- Cook Time: 20 Mins
- Total Time: 40 Mins
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3garlic cloves , minced
- 4oz sun-dried tomatoes
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1lb chicken breast tenderloins , sliced
- 1/4teaspoon salt
- 1/4teaspoon paprika
- 1/4teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2cup reserved cooked pasta water or more
- 1/4teaspoon salt to taste
- 1cup half and half (or use 1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup milk)
- 1cup mozzarella cheese , shredded (do not use fresh Mozzarella, use pre-shredded Mozzarella)
- 8oz penne pasta (for gluten free, use gluten free brown rice pasta)
- 1tablespoon basil
Instructions
- In a large skillet, sauté garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar) for 1 minute on medium heat until the garlic is fragrant
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Remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the skillet, leaving the olive oil.
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Add sliced chicken (salted and lightly covered in paprika for color) and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat.
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Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain the pasta.
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Slice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller pieces and add them back to the skillet with chicken.
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To make creamy pasta sauce, add half-and-half (see substitution for half-and-half in the Recipe Notes section below) and Mozzarella cheese to the skillet, and bring to a gentle boil.
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Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly stirring, until all cheese melts and creamy sauce forms.
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Add cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce, and stir to combine.
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Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and at least 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
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If the creamy sauce is too thick: Add about 1/2 cup of reserved cooked pasta water to the skillet to thin it out. Do not add all of pasta water at once – you might need less or more of it.
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Season the chicken pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, to taste, if needed. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.
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Note: Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes.
Notes
- What is half-and-half? Substitute 1/2 cup of milk + 1/2 cup of heavy cream for 1 cup of half-and-half.
- If using sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained olive oil.
- Do not use fresh Mozzarella. Fresh Mozzarella is usually sold as a large ball or small balls in a brine or water solution. Do not shred fresh Mozzarella. Use pre-shredded Mozzarella cheese sold in bags.
