An Excellent Dinner for This Week: Our Chicken, Mozzarella, and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

We love Italian-inspired cuisine. It usually reconciles the tastes of all family members.

If you are looking for a good dinner to delight your children as much as yourself, here is our suggestion with Mediterranean aromas.

This pasta is served with the best homemade creamy sauce! The sun-dried tomato pasta sauce is entirely made from scratch with basil, red pepper flakes, garlic, paprika, cream, and grated Mozzarella cheese.

It’s delicious!

Ingredients for 4 servings

4 ounces (118 g) of sun-dried tomatoes

2 tablespoons (30 ml) of olive oil

1 pound (454 g) of chicken breast fillets, sliced

A pinch of salt

A pinch of paprika

1 cup (250 ml) of half-and-half (1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup milk)

1 cup (250 g) of grated Mozzarella cheese

8 ounces (236 g) of penne pasta (or other types)

1 tablespoon (15 g) of basil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

A pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 cup (125 ml) of pasta cooking water

More salt to taste

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, sauté the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained of oil) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (which can come from the sundried tomato jar) for 1 minute over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant.

2. Remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the skillet leaving the olive oil.

3. Add the sliced chicken (seasoned with salt and lightly coated with paprika for color) and cook over high heat for 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat.

4. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain the pasta.

5. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces and return them to the skillet with the chicken.

6. Add the half-and-half and Mozzarella cheese to the skillet and bring to a gentle boil.

7. Immediately reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until all the cheese melts and a creamy sauce forms.

8. Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce and stir to combine.

9. Add the basil and at least 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

NOTE: If the creamy sauce is too thick, add about 1/2 cup of reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet to thin it out. Do not add all the pasta water at once; you may need less or more.

10. Season the chicken pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, if necessary. Let simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors.

Enjoy your meal!