I love love love fresh basil. It is probably my favorite herb in the whole world. I grow bunches of it every year and I make pesto with my food processor and freeze it in ice cubes. I’ll share that recipe in another post. Stay tuned! I will add a link to this post as soon as I write that blog. Oh, I just remembered that I do a fabulous Tomato Basil Bisque that is to die for! I’ll post that one and share the link here as soon as I can. I’m on a basil roll!!
But today I want to make a Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Basil Chicken with fresh basil from my very own garden. Sun-dried tomatoes that are re-hydrated with chicken broth brings a wonderful rich flavor to this dish. It’s simple to make and so delicious!
Here’s how I make it.
Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Basil Chicken with Linguine
In a 2 quart sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat and add the garlic. Simmer for 1 minute.
Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and 1 cup of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce to low heat.
Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sun-dried tomatoes are re-hydrated and tender.
Add the cream and bring back to a simmer over medium-low heat, but do not boil. Uncovered, let it simmer until sauce has thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Cover and let rest over low heat.
Here I did a mix of white and dark meats. I personally love the flavor of dark meat while my husband loves the white meat. Originally, I had 2 large chicken breasts and 2 thighs, but the breast were so big I decided to cut them in half and pound them a little thinner and more even. It just cooks faster and better that way. After you’ve prepared the chicken, pat each piece dry then salt and pepper both sides.
If the chicken is wet when you put it in the hot oil, it will splatter, make a mess and they won’t brown as well either.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and brown one side. This will take about 4-5 minutes.
With kitchen tongs, check to see if they are nice and brown like this. Then turn to brown the other side, about another 4 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan and put them on a plate covered with aluminum foil to keep warm.
To the drippings, add the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Bring this to a boil over medium heat, scraping the pan to loosen the delicious drippings from the chicken. Cook 2 minutes.
Add the broth mixture to the creamy sun-dried tomato mixture.
Add the basil and stir.
Put the cooked linguine in the same skillet that you cooked the chicken in.
Pour the creamy sun-dried tomato sauce over the linguine.
I find it easier to mix it in the skillet rather than adding the pasta to the pot of cream sauce.
With the same kitchen tongs that you turned the chicken, toss the linguine and sauce making sure it is all incorporated well.
Oh my goodness! This was so good.
Slice the chicken and serve with the linguine and top with some grated fresh Parmesan cheese. This was to die for!
Do you have a favorite herb?
Here’s the printer friendly version of this recipe. Enjoy!
Sun-dried tomatoes that are re-hydrated with chicken broth brings a wonderful rich flavor to this dish.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
- 1 cup half and half cream
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 - 1 1/2 pound chicken breast and/or thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 6 ounces linguine pasta cooked according to package instructions
- grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a 2 quart sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and add garlic. Saute garlic 1 minute.
- Add the chopped dried tomatoes plus 1 cup of the chicken broth and bring it to a boil.
- Place a lid on the pot, reduce heat to low and simmer the dried tomatoes for about 10-15 minutes to re-hydrate them and until they are fork tender.
- Add the cream and bring it back to a low boil over medium heat, being careful to not let the cream stick to the bottom and scorch.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-8 minutes until it becomes a nice thick sauce.
- Pound the chicken breast and/or thighs to 1/2 inch thick. If the breasts are large, cut in half. Pat chicken dry then salt and pepper both sides.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil without crowding them. Brown the chicken on both sides until the center is no longer pink. About 4 minutes per side.
- Remove chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- To the drippings left in the pan, add the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the delicious brown chicken caramelization that was left in the pan. That's the flavor! Simmer 3-4 minutes.
- Add this chicken broth to the sun-dried tomato cream sauce and stir.
- Turn off the heat and add the fresh chopped basil.
- Put the cooked linguine in the same skillet that you fried the chicken.
- Pour the sun-dried tomato cream mixture over the pasta. (I find it easier to mix it in the pan rather than adding the pasta to the pot of cream sauce)
- With kitchen tongs, mix together the pasta and sauce.
- Slice the chicken and serve with the pasta.
- Top with grated fresh Parmesan cheese.
Sun-dried tomatoes that are re-hydrated with chicken broth brings a wonderful rich flavor to this dish.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
- 1 cup half and half cream
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 - 1 1/2 pound chicken breast and/or thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 6 ounces linguine pasta cooked according to package instructions
- grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a 2 quart sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and add garlic. Saute garlic 1 minute.
- Add the chopped dried tomatoes plus 1 cup of the chicken broth and bring it to a boil.
- Place a lid on the pot, reduce heat to low and simmer the dried tomatoes for about 10-15 minutes to re-hydrate them and until they are fork tender.
- Add the cream and bring it back to a low boil over medium heat, being careful to not let the cream stick to the bottom and scorch.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-8 minutes until it becomes a nice thick sauce.
- Pound the chicken breast and/or thighs to 1/2 inch thick. If the breasts are large, cut in half. Pat chicken dry then salt and pepper both sides.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Carefully place the chicken in the hot oil without crowding them. Brown the chicken on both sides until the center is no longer pink. About 4 minutes per side.
- Remove chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- To the drippings left in the pan, add the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the delicious brown chicken caramelization that was left in the pan. That's the flavor! Simmer 3-4 minutes.
- Add this chicken broth to the sun-dried tomato cream sauce and stir.
- Turn off the heat and add the fresh chopped basil.
- Put the cooked linguine in the same skillet that you fried the chicken.
- Pour the sun-dried tomato cream mixture over the pasta. (I find it easier to mix it in the pan rather than adding the pasta to the pot of cream sauce)
- With kitchen tongs, mix together the pasta and sauce.
- Slice the chicken and serve with the pasta.
- Top with grated fresh Parmesan cheese.
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