Creamy Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Chicken Pasta
This vibrant and flavorful sun-dried tomato pasta is one heck of a show stopper! Requiring barely any prep work, this Creamy Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Chicken Pasta is cooked up in less than 20 minutes and truly will have everyone begging for seconds! Chicken is seasoned heavily with a variety of fragrant and flavorful spices, to make the base for this Sun-dried Tomato Basil Linguine. The delicious fond on the pan is deglazed with white wine to loosen up all the flavors, and then sun-dried tomatoes and cream join the party to create a match made in culinary heaven! A touch of fragrant fresh basil is added, alongside the king of cheeses – Parmigiano Reggiano, to make this sun-dried tomato pasta dish that is beautifully vibrant in color, full of filling ingredients, and of course, an absolute flavor party in your mouth!
What are Sun-dried Tomatoes?
Sun-dried tomatoes are, simply, ripe tomatoes that have sat out in the sun and dried out! These wrinkly shrivelled up tomatoes are usually then packed in oil and can be used year round. The drying process also changes the flavor of the tomatoes as well. By drying out the tomatoes, the tomatoes flavor is essentially being deepened resulting in a saltier, sweeter, and more intense tomato taste. Furthermore, the drying process also results in a slight fermentation of the tomato as well, which is why sun-dried tomatoes taste more tart than regular tomatoes.
Sun-dried tomatoes come in 2 forms: Dry and Oil-Packed. The dry ones are similar to any dry fruit – very chewy. They usually need to be re-hydrated before using them, which can be done in any liquid such as wine, water, oil, etc. Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are already reconstituted with the oil that they are packed in, so they are typically ready for use. Furthermore, the great thing about oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes is that the oil they are packed in becomes flavored with the tomatoes – resulting in a oil that is full of flavor! This oil can be used as a base for salad dressing, or in this recipe can be used to fry the chicken!
Role of Pasta Water
If you’ve followed my recipes, you will notice that almost all of my recipes utilize reserved pasta water. Pasta water is truly the secret to amazing pasta. I am not exaggerating, this stuff is like liquid gold to me!
Utilizing pasta water essentially marries your pasta with your sauce! The starch in the water sort of acts like a glue for your sauce and your pasta, ensuring it is one cohesive dish. Furthermore, pasta water also acts as an additional liquid component to your sauce, without having to add extra cream or using regular water in your sauce, which would just make your sauce liquidy and diluted. As well, pasta water in all it’s starchy greatness also acts as a thickener to your sauce as well, helping to bind all the sauce ingredients together. So grab yourself a glass measuring cup or a coffee cup before draining, and get yourself a nice scooping of pasta water!
How to Blend your Sauce
Blending the sauce has 2 main purposes. First, and most obviously, it is to create a smooth and uniform sauce. But secondly, by blending up the sun-dried tomatoes we are able to release even more of their delicious flavor into the sauce! While blending the sauce should be quite easy, we do need to take some precautions – especially if using a regular blender. Adding a hot liquid to a blender, putting on the tight lid, and then blending on high can cause a build up of pressure in the blender, which will result in the blender lid going flying off, along with the hot liquid spraying everywhere! We definitely don’t want that. It therefore is imperative to take some precautions.
If possible, vent your lid so that the steam can escape out of the blender, and then start the blender on low and slowly increase the speed. Every once in a while, I will turn the blender off and remove the lid completely to allow any built up steam to completely release, and then I will start the process over again. Achieving a smooth sauce should not take very long either – it should be achieved within 30 or so seconds.
How to Chop Basil
The proper way to cut basil, is to chiffonade it. To chiffonade basil, you take the basil leaves and stack them up in a pile. You then roll the leaves together into a cigarette shape, and then slice them thinly into ribbons! Pretty easy! The reason for chiffonading basil is so that we don’t wilt or bruise the basil. Basil is one finicky, high-maintenance little herb! It will bruise very very easily, so regular chopping just does not work – as it will just bruise the basil and lead to a bitter taste.
TRY TO HAVE PASTA AND SAUCE DONE AT THE SAME TIME
As an aside, it is important to look at your pasta box’s suggested cooking time, and decide from there when to start the pasta. The goal is to have the pasta be done at the exact same time as the sauce. That being said, if they are not done at the same time, it is better for your sauce to be done first. The sauce can sit for a few minutes on low, while if the pasta sits it will continue to cook and will quickly become overcooked and mushy. Pasta cooking time can range from 3 minutes all the way up to 15, so it is important to gauge when to start it in contrast to your sauce. This creamy sun-dried tomato & basil pasta sauce’s cooking time is approximately 11 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Creamy Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 oz Pasta
- 1 cup Reserved Pasta Water
- 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast,, cubed
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- Dash of Cayenne
- Salt & Pepper
- 1/2 cup White Wine
- 1/4 cup Chopped Sun-dried Tomatoes in Oil,, drained
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Basil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan
Instructions
- Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and turn down to medium-high heat. Cook according to box instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.
- Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium heat, heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. When oil is hot, add in chicken. Season with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Fry until chicken is cooked through, then remove chicken and place onto a plate. Set chicken aside for later.
- Add white wine to the pan, and deglaze the pan by scraping at any browned bits on the pan. Add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes, allowing the wine to reduce by about half. Add in heavy cream and allow cream to come to a bubble. Then, remove the pan from the heat and pour the sauce into a blender or food processor. Carefully blend the sauce until it is smooth, then return the blended sauce back to the pan. Add in chopped basil and cook for an additional minute. (Sauce time = 11 minutes)
- Add hot cooked pasta and chicken to the sauce and toss to coat. Add parmesan cheese and toss. Slowly add pasta water, bit by bit, just until you are left with a creamy uniform sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
Notes
The goal is to have the pasta and the sauce to finish at the same time.
Related Recipes
Looking for more pasta dishes? Check these out below:
CREAMY ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND SHELLS. This pasta features flavorful italian sausage that is paired with a pecorino cream sauce and spinach.
ONE POT CAJUN PASTA WITH CHICKEN & SAUSAGE. This pasta is spicy, creamy, and super hearty. Full of delicious Cajun flavors, this pasta is also One-Pot!
STEWED TOMATOES, PANCETTA, AND PAPPARDELLE PASTA. Thick ribbons of pappardelle are blanketed in a tomato cream sauce that is savory, spicy, and a tiny bit sweet.
