Single on Valentines Day? The Key to a Woman's Heart is this Creamy Chicken Sauce

It's been so long since our last post! Sorry! Guess we got a little overexcited by the superbowl. Anyway, this week is that special day for your special someone - Valentines day. And if there's one thing girls love, it's Italian food - specifically, creamy, decadent Italian food (right?).

So today we have a dish for you that will make your lover's knees tremble. Or if you don't have a lover, you can fill up on it and feel extremely satisfied. It's rich, creamy, and extremely flavorful. Best of all, it's really easy and will let you focus on your date instead of on the kitchen. Enjoy!

Making the Dish

What you'll need
2 pieces, chicken, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup, sun-dried tomatos, sliced into thin strips
1.5 cups baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 lb, ziti or penne
3 tbsp, olive oil
1/2 cup, light cream
1/4 cup, grated pecorino romano
1 tsp, dried basil

Get started by cleaning off the mushrooms and slicing them into nice thin pieces. Throw these into a non stick skillet with olive oil and a touch of salt, and start to simmer gently. They'll start to release their fluid after a few minutes, just keep on cooking them down until they are nice and soft and slightly caramelized.

Once the mushrooms have softened, throw in the garlic and the sun-dried tomatoes. Cook together until the garlic and sun-dried tomato have infused their flavor into the olive oil. Then add in your basil, and stir together.

Once the garlic and sun-dried tomato have cooked together, add in your chicken strips and cook at high heat until they get a nice light brown sear to them. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When the chicken has cooked about 80% of the way through (chop open a piece with your spoon, it should be almost completely white inside), add in your cream, lower the heat to medium, and stir together.  Let the cream start to bubble a bit, then reduce the heat and let everything simmer together while the pasta is cooking.

Cook the ziti or penne in salted water until 1 minute shy of the package directions. Once cooked al dente, throw your grated pecorino cheese into the mushroom and chicken mixture, and then take a small ladle of the pasta water and ladle it over the cheese. This will melt the cheese and help it to incorporate into the sauce. Stir together to incorporate.

Drain your pasta, and add it to the creamy chicken mixture. Toss together over medium heat for about 30 seconds to finish the cooking of the pasta and let all the flavors incorporate.

Serve, and enjoy!

The Result

This is a tremendous dish for Valentines day or any day of the week really. It's rich, decadent, and delicious. The sun-dried tomato has a nice sweet tang that works perfectly with the earthy mushrooms, and the chicken gives it a nice hearty finish.

What are you making for Valentine's day? Let us know in the comments!

One year ago: Penne alla Puttanesca