Enter: Chicken and Linguine with Tomato Basil Butter Sauce!
OH MY GOODNESS. This is good. Perfectly cooked chicken breasts atop a pile of al dente linguine and smothered in marinara tomato sauce with fresh basil, parmesan, and – you guessed it – a little bit of melted butter. You are going to love this one. Not only will it transport you to your favorite Italian restaurant in a completely authentic way, but it’s also quick and easy to make. Perfect for a surprisingly “fancy” weeknight dinner in a hurry. At this point in reading this post, you should commence playing Italian music in your head, pretending you are sitting outside at a restaurant in Capri, enjoying a beautiful view, delicious wine, and a big bowl of pasta. Because this is what it tastes like. Completely authentic, fresh, and absolutely delicious. Just like Italy! Oops. I just followed my own instructions and got the song from Lady and the Tramp stuck in my head when they are sharing the plate of pasta. Thissss is the nightttt… it’s a beautifulll nightttt…and they call it bella notte… I think I’ve gone a bit giddy thinking about how delicious this is. First, you sear the chicken breasts – seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, in a cast iron skillet (or other large skillet) in olive oil until crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Easy peasy.
Here’s what makes this so delicious. You deglaze the skillet with a bit of red wine and chicken stock before adding pre-made marinara sauce to it (I usually make my own, but when I need to buy store-bought I usually get Rao’s). This ensures that all of the delicious salty, garlicky browned bits from cooking the chicken incorporate into the sauce, making it extra special. Then, once the sauce is heated all the way through, you add fresh chopped basil and melt a pad of butter into it. Yummmmm.
Serve the sauce and the chicken over cooked linguine (or any other pasta you may have on hand) and sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Are you still playing that Italian music in your head? Good. Now start making this. Pronto! Recipe below :-)
