Week 4: Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

ONE DELISH DISH 

(Seriously, you need to try it!)

One of my most favorite dishes is Chicken Carbonara.  I was well in my twenties when I tried it for the first time, as I had always been under the impression that I HATED Alfredo Sauce.  WRONG!  I worked at a restaurant/bar and this dish was often one of the specials, which means that I often shared a bowl of it with my server and bar tending friends.  A few years later I was lucky enough to be living with one of the cooks who had spent countless hours making Chicken Carbonara to order.  Now, I make it whenever I want, which if I’m being honest, is more than my husband would actually like.  But I simply don’t care.  

This week’s recipe was Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.  It can be found here on the blog Julia’s Album.  I picked it because it reminded me so much of Chicken Carbonara.  However, I was a bit worried my mom wouldn’t like it.  You see, my old belief that Alfredo Sauce is icky was fostered in my childhood by my non Alfredo-loving mom.  I thought the sauce in this recipe may have been too similar.  Too my surprise, she did enjoy the dish!  

The only changes I made while cooking dealt with preparing the chicken.  I prefer bite sized chicken pieces in my Chicken Carbonara chicken and pasta dishes.  So, rather than use chicken tenders, I diced up a large chicken breast.  Also, the recipe says to cook the chicken on high heat for one minute on each side.  I cooked my bite-sized pieces on low heat until they were cooked all the way through.  I loved how creamy this dish was without it feeling too heavy.  The red pepper flakes also added a nice heat, and I may have added a bit more than the recipe called for.  Unlike my Chicken Carbonara leftovers, these heated up nicely in the microwave. All in all, it was a really yummy recipe and I will be adding it to the rotation.  

Mom

"The only thing I like better than talking about food is eating"

        ~ John Walters

I'm not fond of Alfredo cream type sauces.  They're usually much too rich for my taste, and the cheese too strong.   This week's recipe features a cheese sauce I actually love!  I think it's because mild mozzarella is used instead of a more pungent cheese like parmesan.  With half & half added, the resulting sauce has a mild and delicate flavor that complements the sauteed chicken.

The addition of sun dried tomatoes, basil (I used dried), and red pepper flakes add just enough zing.  I'd love to try this recipe with fresh basil, which is sometimes hard to find mid-winter in Central Maine.

I made the full recipe and, I'm happy to report, the leftovers reheat nicely.  The pasta made for a delicious lunch while we sat in front of the pellet stove.  I cut my own chicken tenders and, next time, I need to make sure I cut them smaller. They were approximately the same size as the penne and it was hard to tell them apart.  Most the chicken ended up on my plate!

Bottom line - It passed the "Honey, Would you eat this again?", with five "yums" up.  It's on the Make Again List.    

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small jar (3-4 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 lb chicken breast tenders
• salt
• paprika (just a little bit)
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 oz penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon basil 
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (at least, add more to taste)
• 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more)

DIRECTIONS

Note: if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sauteing as described below:

1. In a large pan, on high heat, saute garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) in 2 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar) for 1 minute.  Remove sun-dried tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil, and add chicken tenders (salted and lightly covered in paprika) and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side.  Remove from heat. 
   
2. Cook pasta according to package instructions.  Reserve some cooked pasta water.  Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water (to stop cooking).
3. Slice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller bits and add them back to the skillet with chicken.  Add half and half and cheese to the skillet, too, and bring to a gentle boil. Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly stirring, until all cheese melts and creamy sauce forms.  Don't worry if the sauce is too think because you'll be adding some cooked pasta water soon.  Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the creamy sauce, and stir to combine.  Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and at least 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
4. Add about 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water (do not add all water at once - you might need less or more).  This will water down the thickness of the cheese sauce and make it creamier. Immediately, season the pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, to taste, if needed.  Let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine. 
   
5. Dig in and enjoy!