Chicken Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Pasta
Marvelous pasta entree with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, leeks & garlic in a seasoned cream sauce made with half-and-half and mozzarella cheese. This recipe can easily be made gluten free if you use gluten free penne pasta. Terrific for weeknight, company or holiday dinners.
Equipment
- 1 large stock pot with lid
- 1 colander
- 1 large skillet
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 sharp knife to cut vegetables
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes diced
- 1 leek green top removed, thoroughly washed and sliced
- 3 large cloves garlic sliced
- 8 oz. fresh mushrooms sliced
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. paprika sprinkled over both sides of the chicken
- 1 tsp. Salt and pepper as desired
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 12 oz. box tri-color penne cooked and drained
- pasta water left over from cooking pasta
Instructions
- Boil penne in large stock pot until al dente.
- Drain in colander; when draining, reserve pasta water.
- Run cool water over noodles to prevent further cooking.
- Heat a skillet to medium high heat.
- Add olive oil, then leeks, garlic, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Cook a few minutes over medium to high heat until garlic is fragrant.
- Remove ingredients to a plate.
- Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil to the skillet.
- Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and paprika.
- Cut meat into cubes.
- Sauté meat in hot olive oil for a few minutes on each side until done.
- Add sun-dried tomato mixture back into skillet with cooked chicken.
- Then add half-and-half and mozzarella cheese.
- Stir and combine.
- Cook over medium heat until cheese completely melts.
- Stir in penne pasta, basil, red pepper flakes.
- Check seasonings.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add ½ to 1 cup of reserved pasta water (or more if needed) and stir into the pasta mixture to help thin the sauce and make it creamier.
Notes
NOTE: I did not use the sun-dried tomatoes that come in a jar to avoid excess oil. I snipped julienned basil sun-dried tomatoes from a package.
NOTE: This dish can easily be made gluten free by substituting gluten free penne pasta. I recommend Ronzoni's gluten free pasta.
Recipe adapted from Julia's Album.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
[nutrition-label]Nutrition
Calories: 428kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 21gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 461mgPotassium: 927mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 980IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 233mgIron: 4mg
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