Tuscan Chicken Pasta

 

 

 

Tuscan Chicken Pasta

It can't stay summer forever and I am craving some dinners that aren't off the grill.  This creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta has the most amazing, creamy sauce. It’s loaded with flavor, super quick and easy. A restaurant quality dish on the table in under 30 minutes.

You'll need:

 

1 pound penne pasta

1 tablespoon butter

1 ½ pounds chicken breasts

1 medium onion diced

1 bell pepper diced

8.5 ounce jar sundried tomatoes in oil, drained

5 cloves garlic finely minced

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (or oregano)

¾ cup chicken broth

1 ½ cup cream or half and half

1 cup parmesan cheese

 6 ounce bag of baby spinach  roughly chopped

Red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste

 

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add  the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with butter.

 

For quicker, more even cooking, slightly flatten breasts with a kitchen mallet. If they are very thick, slice them in half horizontally before flattening.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat a skillet over high heat with the oil from the sun dried tomatoes.  When oil is hot, put chicken breasts in pan and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan.  Let chicken cool for a few minutes, then slice and set aside.

 

With the oil remaining in the pan, cook the chopped onions until softened. Add the bell pepper and cook until almost softened then add the garlic, sundried tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Stir, and cook for about 1 minute.

 

Deglaze pan with broth, scraping bottom to release any bits sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add cream and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add parmesan and cook until melted.  When cheese is melted turn off the heat and stir in baby spinach.  Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Combine pasta, chicken, and sauce and serve with a hearty slice of buttery bread.

 

Peach Upside Down Mini Cakes

This is the simplest thing in the world to make and you probably have the ingredients in your kitchen right now.  This is perfect for a summer breakfast or even as a light dessert.  I'm serving it at Concert on the Lawn in a couple of weeks!  This is super portable and easy to pack!  I hope ya'll enjoy them as much as we did!


You'll need:

1/3 cup, plus 1 tablespoon (90gr) unsalted butter, softened

6 teaspoons light brown sugar

3 peaches

1 ½ cups (190gr) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup (130gr) sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup (120ml) buttermilk

 

Directions:

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177° C). Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

 

Divide 1 tablespoon of butter equally into 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of brown sugar into each muffin cup.

 

Slice 1-2 peaches into thin slices. Put about 3 slices into the bottom of each muffin pan.

Cut the remaining peaches into small cubes. You should get about 1 cup of cubed peaches. Set aside.

 

To make the batter, in a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat the remaining 1/3 cup of butter and sugar together until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla extract and beat for another 2-3 minutes, or until well combined. The mixture should be fluffy and white.

 

Add half of the flour mixture into the batter, beat for 1 minute. Stir in the buttermilk and beat for another minute.  Add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until combined.  Fold in the cubed peaches.

 

Divide the batter into 12 muffin pan cups. I like to use an ice cream scooper.

 

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

 

Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes. Place the wire rack over the muffin pan and carefully turn the pan upside down to remove the cakes. Cool completely before serving.

 

This is delicious on it's own or you can sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with vanilla ice cream!  They will come back for seconds, I promise!