Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta (With Chicken)
Sun-dried tomato pasta with a touch of cream, chicken, toasted pine nuts and basil is the ultimate comfort food. The sun dried tomatoes are intensely sweet and tart, while the pine nuts are buttery and smoky, and the basil is fresh and bright.
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- Grill (see notes below if you prefer to bake your chicken!)
Ingredients
- 1 pound short pasta of choice like farfalle or penne
- 1 pound chicken cutlets
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 8 ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil drained and sliced
- ½ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus 2 tablespoons for chicken marinade
- 1 medium sweet onion finely chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 handful fresh basil plus more to garnish
- 1 handful finely grated parmesan cheese plus more to garnish
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toast pine nuts on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 3-6 minutes until golden. Set aside.
- Marinate chicken in balsamic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Preheat your grill over high heat. Grill your chicken cutlets 2-3 minutes per side, or until your chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces. Wrap chicken in foil and place in a 170-degree oven to keep warm.
- In a large pot, sweat onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes in a ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat. Add in half-and-half, tomato paste, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and heat over medium-low until just hot (not bubbling). Turn heat to the lowest setting when hot (to keep warm).
- Boil pasta. When al-dente, reserve ¼ cup pasta water before draining pasta.
- Add pasta, toasted pine nuts, sliced chicken, basil, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, a handful of basil, and a handful of parmesan to the cream mixture. Add a splash of pasta water and stir until combined.
- Serve right away, with more basil and parmesan to garnish.
Video
Notes
- Add a dash of hot pepper flakes, if desired!
- Bake your chicken, instead of grilling it, if desired. Follow the recipe for Juicy Baked Chicken Breast, but decrease the bake time by about 5 minutes for cutlets.
- You can substitute heavy cream for half-and-half if you like a richer, creamier pasta!
- Check my above post for other substitutions and variations!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1162kcal | Carbohydrates: 114g | Protein: 54g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 1938mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1287IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 367mg | Iron: 5mg