This pasta dish is ridiculously simple, and I simplified it even more by cooking my pasta earlier in the day.  I just drained the pasta (reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water), tossed with a little olive oil and put into a big ziploc bag in the fridge.  That way it’s one less thing to have to do, just pull it out of the fridge right when you start cooking the pasta sauce and it’ll warm right up. Your kitchen is smelling amazing right about now! Doesn’t that sauce look amazing? I have a love affair with basil :)   Recipe adapted from Julias Album Chicken Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Pasta   Print Creamy and rich, this pasta dish really satisfies! Author: The Chunky Chef Recipe type: Pasta, Entree Cuisine: Italian Ingredients 5 cloves garlic minced ¾ jar (3-4 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil 1 lb chicken tenders salt to taste ¼ tsp paprika 1 cup half and half 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded 8 oz penne pasta (1/2 a box) 1½ - 2 Tbsp fresh basil minced ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (add more to taste) ½ - 1 cup pasta water reserved Instructions Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and boil pasta until al dente. Drain pasta (reserving about a cup of pasta water), rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and toss lightly with olive oil. Drain sun-dried tomatoes, reserving the oil they were packed in (TONS of flavor there!). Heat a large pan over high heat, saute garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar for 1 minute. Garlic should be fragrant. Remove tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil and garlic. Sprinkle chicken tenders with salt and paprika. Add chicken to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove pan from heat. Slice sun-dried tomatoes into small strips and add back to the pan with the chicken and garlic. Add in half and half and mozzarella, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until cheese has melted into a creamy sauce. The sauce will be super thick - that's okay, we have our reserved pasta water to thin it out. Add pasta to the pan, gently tossing it all together. Add red pepper flakes and basil, stir. Add pasta water, a little at a time, until the sauce thins out a little and reaches your desired consistency. Season pasta with a little salt and more red pepper if desired. Simmer for 2 minutes. Serve! Notes If you'd like to make this dish even faster to put together, cook your pasta earlier in the day. Just drain, rinse with cold water, toss with olive oil and place in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator. Just don't forget to reserve that pasta water!! Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe 3.2.2885