Something my girls and I enjoy doing is thinking of ways to change up pasta dishes. We love the traditional ways to prepare pasta but it gets ‘boring’.
While some of our ‘experiments’ don’t always pan out to have repeat performances, we’ve hit a few that are amazing! When we hit one that’s “I gotta have that again”, it makes all the ‘whoops’ worth it!
After the first bit of this one though, it earned a permanent place in the family recipe book! So much so that my youngest requests it several times a month … at least!!!
Now in all honesty, can you really go wrong with pasta, cheese and cream?? I mean, who doesn’t love a creamy sauce served over perfectly al dente noodles?? RIGHT??
For a while now, weeknight meals for us need to check off several bullet points:
- Quick and easy
- Items on hand
- Doesn’t dirty too many dishes
- DELICIOUS!
Since our property is a good size, it requires a lot of tending to. The garden keeps us busy and our orchard is time consuming as well. During the growing season, we need a meal that can be put together in a jiffy. And since pasta is always a hit in this house, it’s a no brainer! Not to mention, I make enough for leftovers! WIN WIN!
So, generally I use boneless skinless chicken breast that is cut in 1/2 lengthwise. If you prefer dark meat though, by all means go for it!
I find that people tend to shy away from chicken breast because it can dry out easily. But by filleting the breast this way, you end up with two more uniform pieces which allows it to cook evenly. No more over cooking the thinner part to make sure the thick end is fully cooked.
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure.
Remember, unless you enjoy bland food, season at every step. So start with seasoning the chicken with your favorite cajun seasoning blend.
Items Needed:
Large skillet
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Cheese grater
Colander/strainer
Place the chicken in a deep skillet that’s been coated with a nonstick spray over medium heat. Since you’ve cut the breast in half, it should only take a few minutes on each side.
Once cooked through, set the chicken aside and allow to rest before slicing. I usually don’t slice mine until right before I add the meat back to the sauce. This allows the juices to stay put!
Jump to Recipe*Strain some of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes. In the same skillet you browned the chicken, add the onion and the oil you strained. Adding a little splash of liquid, either chicken broth or white wine, will help the onions grab all the goodness that cooking the chicken has left behind.
After the onions have sauteed for 5 minutes, add the minced garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and another splash of white wine/chicken broth or water and cook another 5 minutes. You’ll want to stir constantly to prevent the garlic from browning and turning bitter.
Next pour in the evaporated milk and add the dried basil, cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes and cut up chicken. Over a medium heat, bring this to a simmer.
Watch this step closely, you don’t want this to come to a boil. However, if it thickens up too much, just add a small amount of milk until you’re pleased with the consistency.
Turn your heat to low and add in the shredded cheeses stirring constantly. As soon as the cheese has melted, remove the skillet from the heat.
Have your pasta cooked according to the package directions reserving at least 1/2 cup of the pasta water to be added to the cream sauce.
Toss the rinsed pasta, and HOT pasta water with your chicken and sauce.
NOTE: The addition of this starchy water helps the sauce stick to the noodles.
Right before serving, stir in freshly chopped parsley.
Creamy Chicken Pasta with sundried tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut in ½ lengthwise
- nonstick cooking spray
- 2 & ½ tsp cajun seasoning blend, divided
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
- ½ cup julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes in italian seasoned oil, drained oil reserved
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼-½ cup reserved pasta water for sauce
- 8 oz pasta noodles
- 1 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- chicken broth/white wine (as needed) to deglaze pan
- milk if needed
Instructions
- Cut chicken breast in half, lengthwise, then season generously with cajun seasoning blend. Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Over medium high heat, cook chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Using the same skillet over medium heat, add the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes (only the oil) and diced onions. Cook until onions are tender (approximately 5 minutes).
- Add minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and a splash of broth, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the evaporated milk, dried basil, cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes and cut up chicken breast. Bring to a simmer. **If too thick, add small amounts of milk until desired consistency is achieved.
- Turn heat to low and add shredded cheeses. Once melted, remove skillet from heat.
- Toss sauce with cooked pasta. Slowly pour in HOT pasta water until desired sauce consistency.
- Right before serving, stir in freshly chopped parsley.
oh yum. looks delicious1