Leftover chicken with basil and sun-dried tomato cream sauce

If you are like me you probably make more food then you needed. Now you are wondering how to make another meal with all those leftovers. I’m not a fan of leftovers unless its pizza or spaghetti. My husband would get stuck eating the leftovers or the rest would go to waste.

Growing up mom would make a roasted chicken and the rest would be used to make a sandwhich. I find myself still doing that today, maybe adding some bacon or avocado with slice of tomato. But I want to find other ways to use chicken so I started making soup. However who wants to eat soup all the time especially in the summer.

This got me thinking, I love pasta and tomato sauce however Jason not so much. He preferred alfredo sauce. But I would make it for him every now and then.

So I thought how can I use chicken and my love for tomatoes but make a cream sauce that I know my husband would like? That’s when I came across a basil cream recipe.

Like all recipes I tweaked the recipe and added fresh basil and used chicken in place of sausage. Everything that was used in the recipe was organic however if on a tight budget you don’t have to use organic ingredients.

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Ingredients

• 
  2 Cups leftover chicken diced

• 
  6 fresh basil leaves

• 
  3 cloves minced garlic

• 
  1/3 cup julienned sun- dried tomato

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 2 tablespoons of salted butter

• 
  1 cup chicken stock

• 
  1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 
  1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoon all purpose flour ( I use organic non bleached flour)

• 
  6 to 8 oz Penne Pasta

• 
  Salt and pepper, to taste

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Directions

• In small sauce pan bring salted water to a boil- add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium high heat
• Add garlic and cook for about 1 min
• Add diced chicken and cook for another 1 min or 2 mins.
• Whisk in flour until lightly browned about a 1 to 2 mins.
• Gradually add chicken stock.
• Continue whisking for about 1 min and add in heavy cream, oregano and red pepper flakes.
• Add in pasta, cheese and basil and cook for about 2 to 3 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with additional cheese.

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