Chicken with Sun Dried Tomato-Basil Sauce

By KellieG

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: Chicken: 10 minutes
Cook time: Sauce: 10 minutes
Cook time: Spaghetti: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken tenders, thawed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (in package, NOT oil packed)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup regular cream
• 1/4 16 ounce package whole wheat spaghetti, uncooked

Preparation

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken & grind fresh pepper on each side. Cover & cook until done, about 5 minutes on each side. (When done, chicken will have NO pink on the inside.) Remove from heat and set aside, keeping covered.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, & shallots, cooking 1-2 minutes, just until soft. Add sun dried tomatoes; stir. With a whisk in hand, add flour & stir. Slowly pour in chicken broth, whisking constantly to remove any lumps. Add cream, still whisking. Whisk that sucker to death! (just kidding). Continue whisking for 3-4 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Take off heat and let sit; it will continue to thicken, feel free to stir every so often as you cook the spaghetti:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions. It is done when it is soft, but still has a bite; al dente please.

Add fresh basil to sun dried tomato sauce and give it a good stir.

Place spaghetti noodles on serving plates, placing chicken directly on top of noodles. Spoon as much sauce as you would like over chicken & noodles; enjoy!

Tips: *To keep spaghetti noodles from sticking together after you drain them, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over & toss.
*You could also grill the chicken; that would be super yummy in this dish. Make slight changes and brush the olive oil over each chicken tender before grilling on foil. Grill on medium-low heat until done.
*Goes great with cooked asparagus & crusty bread.