Recipe: Chicken with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

If you follow my blog at all, you know I hardly ever cook the same thing twice. Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Sauce is a recipe I’ve used more than any other. I am in love with it. This recipe dates back to when we lived in our house on Ewing Ave. We moved from that house when my daughter was 2 (she’s 13 now). It’s been so many years I’m not even sure where I got the recipe. I’m thinking it might have been Family Circle Magazine.

I always serve this dish over Butterfly pasta with peas mixed in. I add about 1 cup of peas in the last minute of cooking for the pasta. If you want a lot of sauce to coat the pasta, you’ll have to double the sauce part of the recipe. But it’s a rich sauce and I find the pasta really just needs a light coating.

The chicken is cooked in oil from the jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and it really picks up the flavor of the tomatoes. Prior to using this recipe I had never thought to use that oil as something to saute things in. The oil is really delicious and it’s like having a gourmet cooking oil for free. A really good thing considering I just spent almost $10 on a bottle of hazelnut oil and I’m not even sure I like it that much.

The thyme adds a wonderful flavor- but go easy with it. A little goes a long way. Add red pepper flakes to taste. I find they provide a nice balance to the sweetness of the tomatoes.

What’s the one recipe you find yourself returning to again and again?

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 garlic clove, pushed through a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chicken broth, divided
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato slivers in oil
• 1 tablespoon of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened into an even thickness.

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
2.  Gradually stir in 1/2 cup chicken broth, whisking well to avoid clumps. Add cream, tomatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Pour into small bowl and set aside. Wipe skillet clean.
3. Place sun-dried tomato oil in the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Saute chicken in oil until browned and cooked through, approximately 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
4. Add remaining 1/4 cup chicken broth to skillet and bring to a boil. Scrape any brown pieces up with a wooden spoon. Mix in reserved sauce, add chicken and remove from heat once mixture is sufficiently warmed.

Yield: 4 servings

Linking up at Mandatory Mooch , Love Bakes Good Cakes, The Country Cook, and Michelle’s Tasty Creations