Sun-dried Tomato, Basil, Chicken Pasta

We love our pasta here.  I mean it’s really quite an addic­tion.  I’m pretty sure I couldn’t, even if my life depended on it, go more than a week with­out pasta.  OK, I’m not sure I’d make it a few days.  For­get a week.

In the warmer days though, I’m not always feel­ing a big heavy sauce.  Instead some­thing light & fresh is more my pasta alley.  In comes a sun-dried tomato, basil, chicken pasta in an olive oil, red onion, gar­lic toss with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice & healthy dose of Parme­san.  You didn’t think I could do it with­out cheese did you?  Cheese, like manna from Heaven only cheesy & more local.

Here’s What You Need:

2 Chicken Breasts

3 Table­spoons of Olive Oil

1/2 Tea­spoon of Salt

1/2 Tea­spoon of Pepper

1 Whole Red Onion

3 Cloves of Garlic

1 Table­spoon of Dried Basil (3 Table­spoons of Fresh Basil Chopped)

2/3 Cup of Sun-Dried Tomato

Penne Pasta 1 Box

Pasta Water (save about 1/4 Cup)

1/2 a Fresh Whole Lemon

1/3 Cup of Parme­san Cheese

Feeds 6–8.  And takes about 15–20 min­utes to make.

How to Put it Together:

Start your water on a high heat, you are going to bring it to a boil while you pre­pare your chicken.  And you will also heat 2 Table­spoons of Olive Oil on a medium heat in a medium pan to cook your chicken & fixins.

Take 2 chicken breasts.   I won­der if chick­ens ever dream of tak­ing two human breasts & mak­ing pasta from them?  That’s really a gross thought actu­ally.  I also apol­o­gize upfront to those who are, like, totally grossed out by chicken or raw meat of any kind.

I’m obvi­ously not as grossed out by it.  Giz­zards I am still grossed out by.  How­ever, not cubed raw chicken.

Add Chicken to the pan with the Olive Oil.  Cook through.  Wipe drool off your mouth.

Salt & Pep­per the Chicken.  Don’t for­get to stir your chicken.

While this is cook­ing through, chop 1 whole red Onion.   For those won­der­ing, this is NOT the same board that I cubed the chicken on. I used a larger board for meat & I have a smaller board for veg­gies & fruit.  I also just dis­cov­ered a won­der­ful wooden chop­ping board never opened or used in one of our stor­age bins that will get lots of use.

Add your onion into the pan AND mince your 3 cloves of gar­lic, add right into the pan with the chicken along with the 1 remain­ing table­spoon of olive oil.

Add your Basil.  I would have loved to use fresh basil when I made this & took pic­tures, I have had it with fresh & I loved it.  It was really good with dried basil as well.  But fresh gives it some more tex­ture, has that fresh from the gar­den old-world love & is really beau­ti­ful color.  How­ever, as Hubby told me “You work with what you have.”  That and it was rain­ing, he wasn’t going out in the rain to get the fresh after I real­ized I ran out.   I know, MEN! Not want­ing to go out in the pour­ing rain for some­thing I basi­cally had on hand.  Silly man.

Then comes the Sun-dried Toma­toes!  I love these, there is a sweet­ness to them that pairs per­fectly with basil.

Toss those sun-dried bad boys on in your pan.

Anyway…while you are bring­ing it together the Pasta should be ready to add into boil­ing water.  Don’t over­cook your pasta.  Please.  No seri­ously, please. It should have a lit­tle chewi­ness to it not be a limp noo­dle.  No one wants a limp noo­dle, not in pasta not in life.   Then drain pasta.  Remem­ber to keep 1/4 cup of the pasta water AND DO NOT RINSE YOUR PASTA–this is a sin!  Rins­ing removes the good starch that helps your sauce stick.  And plus “Thou Shall Not Rinse Pasta” was part of the 15 Com­mand­ments. You know before Moses dropped the last 5.  Trust me, that’s totally true.  I saw it in a Mel Brooks movie.

OK, add past to a large pasta bowl or some large bowl that you will pre­tend is made just for pasta, no one will judge you. I promise.  We got this bowl when we were mar­ried, from our brides­maids.  It gets a lot of use now with us sit­ting as a fam­ily around the table. Toss in your chicken and good­ies mix into the bowl.

Hold your­self back from div­ing in.  Mix it all together with 1/3 Cup of Parme­san & Top with the fresh squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon.  Add more lemon if you like.

A per­fect pasta dish for a warm weather day.  Best to be passed around with fam­ily or friends, good con­ver­sa­tion & lots of laughs.  We had it for lunch, it’s was light enough for a mid-day.   Also, it’s really good the next day when you are all by your­self & steal­ing a few min­utes to just relax.  Trust me.  This much I know.

Tagged as: basil, chicken, dinner, easy, food and drink, lunch, pasta, penne pasta, recipe, simple recipe, tomato