Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Basil Cream

Everyone needs a good company dish up their sleeve that they can whip together as quick as a blink. You know . . . for those times when someone drops in unexpectedly and you just want to sit down and break bread together.



Something quick that uses store cupboard ingredients . . . yet is special enough to feed company.



Something that tastes soooo gorgeous, they will think you slaved all day over the stove . . .
but in reality, you threw together in about 20 minutes . . . and that's stretching it!



This fits the bill on all accounts. Quick, easy, gorgeously delicious and using ingredients most of us foodies have in our store cupboards and freezer most of the time

Got pasta, sun dried tomatoes, chicken breasts, cream and basil???

Then you got this!



Seriously, that is about all it takes! Well, that and a few minutes of your time. Actually not much longer than it takes to cook the pasta and set the table. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!



All you need to go with it is a crusty loaf of Italian bread and a salad. Don 't even think about the calories. This will make you famous, it's a signature dish if I ever saw one . . .

and that, my friends, is well worth the price in extra inchage on the hips. Trust me.



*Chicken with Sundried Tomato and Basil Cream*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Rich and delicious. This is quite simple and quick to make, but special enough to feed to even the most discerning of your dinner guests. Tis a real ravable dish! Scrumdiddlyumptious!

For the chicken:
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips crosswise
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 eschalon shallot, peeled and minced
(or 1/4 cup of minced ordinary shallots)
50g oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained, blotted and chopped finely (1/3 cup)
1 TBS sun dried tomato paste
150ml double cream (2/3 cup)
120ml dry white wine (1/2 cup)
a handful of freesh basil leaves, cut chiffonade
(roll up tightly into a cigar shaped bundle and slice thinly across the grain)
370g spaghetti (1 pound)

Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, season with salt and black pepper, and cook, until golden brown on all sides and just cooked through.. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the shallots to the drippings in the skillet. Cook and stir until softened. Stir in the sun dried tomatoes, cream, wine and tomato paste. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened. Stir in the basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the chicken and heat through.

Cook the spaghetti until al dente, according to the package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the pasta water. Stir the pasta into the sauce, adding some of the pasta water to thin if necessary. Serve immediately.