This recipe for Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken is an excellent dinner that is packed with flavor! Sauteed chicken breasts are smothered in a sun-dried tomato cream sauce with fresh lemon juice and arugula added. It is excellent served with some cooked pasta and garlic green beans.
This recipe takes just a little over 30 minutes to make so you can get it on the table during the week or serve it on Sunday for a Family Dinner.
Another VERY popular sun dried tomato dish is this Goat Cheese & Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast. It goes bonkers on Pinterest!
Ingredients
Pictured below are the ingredients you need to make this creamy sun dried tomato chicken recipe, plus some tips on a few ingredients:
Heavy Cream: Do not deviate from the heavy cream, trying to save calories. Since you are cooking with lemon and diary you need the fat content of the cream to stabilize and not curdle (more on that later).
Shallots: You will find these small onions near the onions and garlic in your grocery store. They are kind of a purple orange color and are more mild and sweet than a traditional onion. Look for shallots that are firm and large with smooth papery skin.
Arugula: This is a delicious green, similar to spinach, but with SO MUCH MORE flavor!! It has a very nutty flavor that is perfect with this dish. However you can sub spinach if you prefer.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: You will want to get sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, not dried tomatoes. They will be more flavorful and juicy! They will most likely be near the olives and pickles at your store.
Chicken: Purchase boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Chicken breasts can come quite large so I usually recommend that you slice them in half lengthwise, giving you two thinner breasts. They will cook faster and more evenly this way. I also recommend buying air chilled chicken, more on that below:
Try Air Chilled Chicken
In any of the chicken recipes on Mom’s Dinner I recommend that you purchase air chilled chicken! Here in the Midwest we have Smart Chicken, that is the brand I prefer.
The difference is in the processing. Air chilled chicken is hung in cold rooms to bring to temp for packaging. Other chicken is dunked in chlorinated ice baths to bring to packaging temps, adding water and diluting flavor. This quick process also can yield a “funny texture” in your chicken.
There is a great podcast episode on Eat, Shop, Waste Not about buying Air Chilled Chicken.
Simple Step by Step
Just a couple steps to make this delicious dinner recipe:
- Season the chicken and cook in the butter and oil.
- In the empty pan sauté the shallots, 2 mins.
- Add the garlic, kosher salt and flour, making a roux, 1 min.
- Pour in a mixture of heavy cream, lemon juice and chicken broth.
- Add parmesan cheese and simmer to thicken.
- Add in the sun dried tomatoes and chicken.
- Simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Mix in the arugula and let wilt.
- Serve!
How Cream & Lemon Work Together
When you cook with liquid dairy and a citrus or acid you have to be careful not to curdle the dairy. That is why in this recipe you do not want to sub the heavy cream for another type of lower fat content dairy.
You need the fat in the heavy cream to stabilize the dairy when you add the lemon juice: The acid from the lemon juice makes the protein in the cream curdle. But then the high fat content in the cream comes along and prevents it from completely curdling, instead it thickens!
Recipe Tips
Follow these final recipe tips to make sure your Sun Dried Tomato Chicken turns out perfectly!
- Slice your chicken in half lengthwise to have two thinner breasts, they cook more evenly and quicker.
- Do not swap out the cream or butter for lower fat content ingredients, you need the fat to prevent curdling from the lemon juice.
- Try swapping the olive oil for the oil from the sundried tomatoes to cook your chicken.. flavor town!
- Fresh grate your parmesan for better flavor and texture.
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Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken
Equipment
- Large non-stick skillet
Ingredients
- 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts or two or three chicken breasts split lengthwise to create 4-6 thinner breasts *recommended
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or can use 1 tablespoon reserved sun dried tomato oil)
- 1 large shallot chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy cream (do not sub a lower fat content diary product)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- (1) 8oz jar sun dried tomatoes drained and chopped
- 3 cups fresh arugula
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet, melt the butter and oil over medium heat.Pro Tip: sub in 1Tbsp sun dried tomato oil for the olive oil.2 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Season the chicken breasts with a sprinkle of kosher salt on both sides.4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts in a single layer and cook, about 3-4 minutes. Using tongs turn the chicken over and cook 3-4 more minutes until the internal temperature registers around 160-165 degrees.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate, tent with foil and set aside.
- To the now empty pan add the chopped shallot and reduce the heat to low (add another splash of oil if the pan is dry). Cook stirring frequently until the shallot is soft, approx. 1-2 minutes.1 large shallot
- Stir in the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 tablespoon flour. Stir around the pan for 1 minute.3 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- In a bowl or glass measuring cup combine the heavy cream, lemon juice and chicken broth. Pour into the skillet and deglaze the pan, and whisk the liquid.¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup chicken broth
- Simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese until melted. Then add in the sun dried tomatoes and nestle the chicken (with any accumulated juices) into the cream sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes.½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, (1) 8oz jar sun dried tomatoes
- Finally, stir in the arugula and let it wilt into the sauce.3 cups fresh arugula
- Remove from the heat and let cool a few minutes before serving.
Serving
- This is excellent served with a side of pasta dressed with a little extra virgin olive oil or butter, and some garlic green beans.
Notes:
- Slice your chicken in half lengthwise to have two thinner breasts, they cook more evenly and quicker.
- Do not swap out the cream or butter for lower fat content ingredients, you need the fat to prevent curdling from the lemon juice.
- Use the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to cook your chicken.. flavor town!
- Fresh grate your parmesan for better flavor and texture.
If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.
Jounayet Rahman
Tried your recipe…my family loved it!