Creamy Chicken Mozzarella With Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

This Chicken Mozzarella with creamy sun dried tomato sauce is so delicious with seasoned chicken sautéed in sun dried tomatoes, garlic and italian seasonings, then the best part is a creamy, heavenly

sun dried tomato sauce that is delicious while it coats the pasta perfectly and combined with the chicken and pasta a match made in heaven. This is a easy Italian dish that everyone will love, so glad I came across this recipe, it is a quick weekday meal for your family, great for parties, gatherings,

make yourself a nice salad and crusty loaf of Italian Bread and that is a perfect meal..

Ingredients:

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small jar (3-4 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 lb chicken breast tenders
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika 
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 8 oz penne pasta 
• 1 tablespoon dry basil or fresh use 3 Tablespoons 
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste 
• 1/2-1 cup reserved cooked pasta water, or more if needed ( remove 2 cups pasta water because you never know what will be needed, better to be on the safe side.
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Directions:

1. Drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sauteing.
2. In a large saute pan, on high heat, sautee garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in the 2 tablespoons of oil you drained from sun dried tomato oil for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. Remove sun-dried tomatoes and garlic from the pan, leaving the oil, and add chicken tenders, salted and lightly covered in paprika and cook on high heat for 2-3 minute on each side. Remove from heat.
3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain and rinse the pasta and toss with a little olive oil. to prevent sticking.
4. Slice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller bits and add them back to the skillet on medium heat with chicken. Whisk in the half and half and cheese to the skillet and bring to a gentle boil. Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly whisking or stirring  until all cheese melts and creamy sauce forms. If the sauce is too thick you be adding some cooked pasta water soon. Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the creamy sauce, and stir to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and at least 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
5. Add about 1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water because the creamy sauce will be too thick (do not add all water at once, because you might need less or more of it). This will water down the thickness of the cheese sauce and make it creamier. Then right away season pasta with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, then let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.

recipe and photo source:http://juliasalbum.com/2014/10/chicken-mozzarella-pasta-with-sun-dried-tomatoes/