Whoa...that's a mouth full. LOL
First, please don't let the word "creamy" in the title scare you away. It's not fat and calorie laden like you might expect a recipe with that name in to be.
With that said ....
I can't tell you for sure how long this jar of sun dried tomatoes has been sitting on my pantry shelf untouched, but what I can tell you is that it won't last much longer in my fridge now that I have made this chicken dish!!
I wanted something awesome. I had chicken breasts in the fridge that needed used and, lets face it, most often chicken dishes using breasts seem to fall short of the mark. If you would have asked me a year ago what cut of chicken I used it would have been a boneless skinless chicken bosom. But, when I joined weight watchers, I noticed that the majority of recipes called for boneless skinless thighs. I was hesitant but I tried them and now I know why. Breasts, unless cooked with a lot of fat, get dry really quick and tend to not be as delicious as the thigh. I had originally bought the breasts to make buffalo chicken dip for Super Bowl but opted for guacamole instead. So it sat there. And sat there. And it needed to be used. But it begged me to make it into something delicious and memorable.
This recipe does not fall short of that. In fact, my 4 year old daughter (who has been giving me a headache at dinner time for that last two months) actually said "Momma, this chicken is soooooooo delicious. Thank you for making me dinner." And she ate EVERY.SINGLE.BITE that was put on her plate!!! HOME RUN!
Herb Dusted Chicken with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Basil Sauce
3 Boneless/Skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 bunch of asparagus, chopped in 1 inch pieces
One - Two handfuls of fresh basil, confetti chopped
3 T. flour
1 1/2 C. chicken stock
1/3 C. White Wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc, but any dry white wine will do)
1/2 C. whole milk
2 T. Olive Oil
2 T. Butter
Salt and Pepper
"Perfect Pinch" garlic and herb seasoning
**A few things before we start. For the Olive oil, I used basil flavored oil that I have in ice cube trays in the freezer. I used whole milk but if you want something super creamy, use a heavy cream in its place. Mushrooms would be a nice addition but my boyfriend doesn't care for them. I wasn't sure how to measure the basil. I have a plant in my kitchen and used about 8-10 good sized leaves off of it**
1) Heat your skillet on medium high heat and put in the olive oil. In the mean time, slice your breasts in half (like you are butterflying but go all the way through).
2) Season both sides of the chicken with salt/pepper and the garlic and herb seasoning. There really isn't a way to 'over do' the seasoning here. Get a nice crust on it.
3) Cook the chicken in the skillet until almost done, about 4 minutes on each side.
4) When chicken is almost done (about 3 minutes from being done), remove it from the pan and put on a plate and cover it.
5) Using the same skillet, reduce heat to medium and add in butter, onion and garlic. Saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add in the sun dried tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes stirring regularly. Add in the asparagus and cook for 2 minutes.
5) Add wine and chicken stock to the skillet and let cook for 3-4 minutes. Take a 1/4 cup of the liquid out of the skillet and put it into a small glass bowl. Add the flour into this reserved sauce and stir until the flour forms a paste. Pour that paste back into the skillet and whisk vigorously, until sauce begins to thicken. (if it doesn't thicken to your liking, add a little flour at a time until desired thickness)
6) Add the basil and the chicken back into the pan and let simmer for 3-4 minutes. This will cook the chicken the rest of the way and allow it to soak up the good flavor of the sauce.
We served this over campanelle pasta but you can serve with roasted vegetables, potatoes or rice. Or even by itself with a fresh salad!
Enjoy!!
