First recipe

Dinner tonight was fanfuckingtastic Kristine out did herself for sure. We had Chicken Mozzarella Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes adapted from another blogger over at Julia’s album go over and check out the original recipe.  http://juliasalbum.com/2014/10/chicken-mozzarella-pasta-with-sun-dried-tomatoes/

We made a few adaptations they will be bolded check it out below.

Ingredients

• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small jar (3-4 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, or use 3-4 oz fat-free sun dried tomatoes (ignore this use the ones in oil it’s amazing)
• 1 lb chicken breast tenders (We used about one chicken breast we were only three people)
• ½ pound of peeled shrimp we used zipper back but use which ever you like.
• salt
• paprika (just a little bit)
• 1 1/3 cup half and half
• 2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded more cheese is always better.
• 8 oz penne pasta (We made some normal pasta and some gluten free for me)
• 1 tablespoon basil (if using dry basil), if using fresh basil you can add more. Do not skip this seriously it makes all the difference
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (at least, add more to taste)
• 1/3 cup reserved cooked pasta water (or more) Now we were looking for a thicker sauce so we hardly used any pasta water. If you want it thicker like us mix one tablespoon of corn starch with equal amounts of pasta water.
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Note:if using sun-dried tomatoes in oil (in a jar), make sure to drain sun-dried tomatoes from oil, before using them. Reserve 2 tablespoons of this drained oil for sauteing as described below:
2. In a large pan, on high heat, sautee garlic and sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) in 2 tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes jar – see note above) for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant. Remove sun-dried tomatoes from the pan, leaving the oil, and add chicken tenders, salted and lightly covered in paprika (for color) and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side. Remove from heat.
3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some cooked pasta water. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water (to stop cooking). If you are using gluten free pasta leave it a little bit under done, so it can still hold up once you add the sauce. 
4. Slice sun-dried tomatoes into smaller bits and add them back to the skillet with chicken. Add half and half and cheese to the skillet, too, and bring to a gentle boil. Immediately reduce to simmer and cook, constantly stirring, until all cheese melts and creamy sauce forms. Here is where we added in the shrimp, you want it to be one of the last things you add to ensure they don’t get over cooked. If the sauce is too thick – don’t worry – you’ll be adding some cooked pasta water soon. If you like it that thick leave it out the pasta water. Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the creamy sauce, and stir to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of basil, and at least 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
5. Immediately, season the pasta with salt and more red pepper flakes, to taste, if needed.Let it simmer for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.
6. Note:Make sure to salt the dish just enough to bring out of the flavors of basil and sun-dried tomatoes. Actually we just salted to our tastes you do the same, you have to eat it so make it how you like.

Check out the picture over on my instagram account.

NightXx