Holy flavor explosion.
I made this two days in a row last week. Once for my husband and I (and the non-dairy allergic boy!)…and again for our neighbors because they had a recent surgery and needed a warm home cooked meal after a few days of hospital food!
But I confess that the reason I made this for them is because I wanted to sneak a few bites, in the name of quality control!!!, before delivering it to them! {hehe}
I don’t cook meals that are dairy-based often…but when I do…I go big!
How this recipe came to be…
- I had leftover pasta from the latest Costco meal plan.
- I found a great deal on sun-dried tomatoes. ($1.85 for the 3.5 oz. bag!) I usually don’t buy or cook with them because they’re expensive. (But the flavor they add might be worth the extra expense!)
- I also found a ‘reduced for quick sale’ package of ‘chicken for milanesa’ – which is basically chicken breast that has already been pounded out into a thin piece. I just cut them into smaller pieces so they would be easier to eat after it all cooked up.
- I had shredded mozzarella cheese in the freezer from recent sale!
Add it all up…and this is what you get!
(Promise…this is the last of the iphone picts. SD card has been found…and hopefully Mr. Cuatro won’t run off with it again!)
Season and saute.
Then add the tomatoes.
Saute until chicken is cooked through.
Transfer to plate.
In the same skillet, make the creamy sauce.
Milk, cheese, cheese, seasoning.
Stir and let bubble.
Once it has ‘thickened’ after a few minutes, it will stick to the spatula. Then…
Add in the chicken and tomatoes.
And pasta.
Give it a big old swirl.
And good luck beating each other to the leftovers…we had some leftover and I went to grab it from the fridge for lunch the next day and my husband had taken it for his lunch!!!!
Hence why I had to make it again right away for our neighbors!
This is the last new recipe in the 31 Days of Skillet Dinners series we’ve been doing this month. I hope you enjoy this meal, and all the others we’ve shared!
Creamy Chicken, Sun-dried Tomatoes & Pasta Skillet
Adapted from: Julia’s Album
Yield – 4 servings
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. medium shell pasta noodles, like penne or fusili
- 1 lb. chicken breasts, sliced thin
- 3.5 oz. bag sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh veggies, as side dish
Directions
- Cook the pasta as directed, then drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, season the chicken pieces and saute them until cooked through. Once about half way cooked through, add the sundried tomatoes and let them saute with the chicken. You don’t want them to saute long, as you don’t want to burn them. Once the chicken has cooked through, transfer the chicken and tomatoes to a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the milk, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and some salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling over low heat. Sauce will thicken.
- Once thickened mix in the chicken and tomatoes and the cooked pasta.
- Serve Creamy Chicken, Sun-dried Tomato & Pasta Skillet with side of veggies.
frances johnson says
Love your recipes .with your recipes i can afford to cook and pay for my medicine
Wanda N says
I REALLY wanted this to work. 😞 My cheese went from a liquidy glob to separated and never thickened. The flavor is still good though. What did I do wrong?
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
Oh no!!! What kind of cheese and milk were you using? The 2 cheeses ‘melt’ into the milk, and it thickens enough to coat the chicken and pasta.
Alvina H says
My sauce didn’t thicken as I would have liked either. My cheese also melted weird. What type of milk is called for in this recipe? Can we purchase pre shredded cheese or shred our own? Thanks
Ceci Ramsey says
I made something similar with leftover pasta, chicken, ham, olives, onions, red and green peppers, mozzarella cheese and heat on the oven. Delicious. You could substitute ham for bacon.
Amanda R. says
this was amazing!! A new family favorite in our house. I got a “mmm mmm mmmmmm” out of my husband on his first bite. Thanks for a great recipe.
Elizabeth says
Our sauce also didn’t come together properly… Maybe the heat needs to be higher so it comes to a bubble faster? I had mine on low and it took forever to get to a bubble… Flavour was great though, despite the slightly weird texture.
Chandra says
Mine did not come together either. I’ve never had success melting milk and mozzarella together. It’s always watery and globby.