Chicken and Goat Cheese

By WheretheMagicHappens

Chicken sauteed with garlic and mushrooms, added to a creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. Topped with goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite size chunks and lightly sprinkled with salt
• 3 tbsp Butter
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 basket Mushrooms, sliced
• 5-10 Cloves of Garlic, minced, or to taste
• 6 oz. Sun-Dried Tomatoes, or to taste
• 1-1/2 cups Fresh Basil, chiffionade
• 1/3 cup Chicken Broth
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/3 cup Pasta Water, saved
• Ground Pepper, to taste
• Cheyenne Pepper, couple shakes
• 4-6 oz. Goat Cheese, keep cool until needed
• 1/3 cup Pine Nuts, toasted
• 1 lb. Penne Pasta, cooked to al dente

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Add pasta and boil until pasta reaches al dente. Pour off water, saving a cup for the sauce. Do not rinse pasta because the sauce will not coat the pasta if you do. Pour back into hot pan and keep warm until needed.


In a large saucepan, add butter and olive oil and heat until butter is melted. Add chicken and saute until outside turns white. Add mushrooms and garlic, saute until mushrooms have shrunk in size and released their moisture. Add chicken broth and bring to a low simmer, bubbles around the edges. Add pasta water and cream, stirring until thickened. Add ground pepper, cheyenne pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and 1 cup of the basil. Simmer until sauce has thickened, a few minutes.

Distribute the pasta to individual pasta bowls, or one large serving bowl. Ladle the sauce on top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining basil on top. Add the goat cheese. I stick a fork inside the package and twist out chunks of cheese onto top of pasta.
Sprinkle toasted pine nuts on top.

Note: If the sauce does not thicken enough, add a couple of sprinkles of Wondra to the simmering sauce, and stir for a minute. You can do this until you have a nice consistency. This works really well if you use non-fat milk.