Chicken Penne with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Chicken Penne with Creamy Tomato Sauce

 Years back there was a restaurant around called Cooker that made this dish.  It is the #1 fav at my house!

I cook my chicken on an outdoor grill in the summertime; in cooler months I use a cast iron grill (like this one), but you can always just use a skillet.

To make a quick-easy dinner, everything is just thrown together, but if you wanted to be fancy you could place the chicken breast slices on top of the pasta and add some shredded parmesan and chopped parsley (like they do in restaurants!)

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
½ cup prepared Italian dressing
8 oz penne pasta (1/2 of a 1 lb. box)
1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
3 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup prepared spaghetti sauce

Directions:

1.  Place chicken and Italian dressing in a bowl or a Ziploc bag to coat; let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Heat pan over medium heat.  Add chicken, cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until juice of the chicken is no longer pink when center of the thickest piece is cut.

3. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes.  Cut into ½ inch slices.

4.  Cook penne pasta according to package directions; drain and return pasta to pan.

5.  In the pan with the pasta, add the cream, butter, parmesan cheese and salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and creamy.

6.  Add the spaghetti sauce and cooked chicken; stir to combine.


Makes 4 servings