Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

I let my daughter pick what we were having for dinner the other night. The only condition was that whatever we would make, we had to have almost all the ingredients already in the house. She looked through several things and finally settled on this dish. The only item we needed to buy was a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, so I agreed.

Verdict:

This was delicious! It was super easy to make and both of my children said it looked like a fancy restaurant dish. I doubled the recipe (below is a single recipe) so that we would have plenty for leftovers. Everyone ate it the next day for lunch! That rarely happens in our house that everyone wants leftovers.

Serve this with broccoli and a side salad to make a complete meal.

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

Servings: 4
Time: 5 minutes preparation and 30-35 min. of cook time
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 oz) jar of Julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes, drained (reserve; 2 tablespoons of oil for recipe)
1 lb. chicken, cut into bite size pieces
salt and black pepper
paprika
1 cup half and half (or heavy whipping cream)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
8 oz. penne pasta
1 tablespoons dried basil (can use fresh to taste)
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 cup reserved pasta water, for thinning sauce if needed
Parmesan cheese, for serving if desired

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium heat cook the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in the sun-dried tomato oil until fragrant. About 1-2 minutes.
Remove garlic and sun-dried tomatoes from pan and set aside.
Begin cooking pasta in a separate pan according to package directions.
Add chicken to pan. Salt and pepper well. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Cook chicken until almost cooked through about 3-4 minutes per side.
Add sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella and half and half to pan. Lower heat to a simmer. Sauce should start to thicken.
Add drained pasta to the pan with basil and red pepper flakes.
Stir well. Add a tablespoon of pasta water at a time to thin sauce to desired consistency. Taste and adjust spices to your liking (I usually add more basil and leave the red pepper flakes on the table so everyone can add as they see fit).
Serve hot with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese if desired.