Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Zucchini noodles (zoodles) have a bad rap. Most recipes produce watery and soggy zucchini noodles because they haven’t been prepared properly earlier so when they are added to the recipe, they never hold the sauce and tend to be disappointing.
BUT with proper preparation, zucchini noodles are a great addition to a pasta dish, because they bulk it up to make it more satisfying and voluminous, while blending in seamlessly.
How to properly prepare zucchini noodles
- Julienne the zucchinis
- Place julienned zucchinis in a colander, sprinkle with sea salt and mix well. Set aside to rest for 15 – 30 minutes over a sink to drain off excess moisture.
- Squeeze the julienned zucchini with a paper towel against the sides of the colander to release any additional moisture, toss to loosen and repeat the process, until minimal liquid comes out.
- Pour the hot starchy pasta water (or plain boiling water) over the zucchini noodles, to blanch them and rinse off excess salt.
- Mix thoroughly to combine with pasta and sauce
- Serve and enjoy!
Why use light evaporated milk instead of cream?
Using light evaporated milk instead of cream, helps makes this dish healthier by cutting down the overall calorie content of the dish, while still producing a super creamy sun-dried tomato sauce that tastes great.
Additionally, protein is more satiating than either carbohydrates or fats (further reading, click here), it makes sense to choose a creamy sauce base that is higher in protein.
As light evaporated milk has 8g protein per 100ml, compared to traditional cream, which only has 2.3g protein per 100ml, the light evaporated milk is my preferred creamy sauce base, especially considering that the sauce taste or texture is not compromised!
Meal Prep and Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Pasta…
How long will this be good for?
This creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta is good (safe to eat and still tasty) when stored in the fridge for up to four days, you could probably stretch it to five days and it would still be okay to eat.
How can I reheat it?
Microwave:
- In a microwave-safe dish, cook the creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta in the microwave, for approx. 3 minutes on high (stir midway through) or until desired temperature is reached.
Handy Tip… Sometimes pasta meal preps can get a little bit dry because the pasta soaks up the extra sauce when the meals are stored. To fix this, add a tablespoon or two of water, pop it back in the microwave to cook for another 30 seconds, then stir thoroughly to combine.
Stovetop:
- Place creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta into a saucepan and add 2 TBSP water per serving. Over a medium heat, stir the creamy sundried tomato chicken pasta frequently, until mixture starts to boil, then remove from heat and enjoy.
To freeze or not to freeze?
As zucchinis are 95% water, they can become very soft and watery after freezing. Because the overall taste and texture of the dish would be compromised, I do not recommend freezing this creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta meal prep.
Happy meal prepping! – Linda
Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Recipe
AuthorLinda JacksonCategoryChicken, Lunch / DinnerDifficultyIntermediateHigh volume zucchini noodles and light evaporated milk make this creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta meal-prep super filling, creamy and something you’ll look forward to eating, time and time again.
Cut chicken into even, bite-sized pieces (approx 3.2cm / 1.3-inch squares).
Sprinkle 1 ½ tsp sea salt evenly over the chicken and mix thoroughly to combine.
Set aside to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes or overnight.
Prep the veggies
- Julienne the zucchinis. Sprinkle with sea salt and mix well. Leave in a colander in the sink to drain off excess moisture.
- Finely dice onion and sundried tomatoes and set aside.
- Mince garlic and set aside.
Bring a non-stick frying pan / skillet up to medium-high heat, add ¼ tsp sundried tomato oil to the pan and spread out. Add half the chicken to the pan and spread out into a single layer. Cook for approx 4 minutes until dark golden brown on one side, then flip over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove chicken from heat and set aside to rest. Repeat steps with remaining chicken.
Over a medium-high heat, add ½ tsp sundried tomato oil to the frying pan and spread out. Add onion and cook for approx 3 minutes or until golden brown.
Reduce frying pan heat to low, add ½ tsp sundried tomato oil and spread out. Add minced garlic, chilli flakes, sundried tomatoes and tomato paste to the centre of the frying pan. Cook for a minute to caramelise, whilst stirring occasionally.
Add chicken stock to deglaze pan. Scrape pan to remove any bits on the bottom. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, when boiling, add pasta to the pot and stir occasionally. Cook pasta to the minimum specified packet time MINUS 1 minute. When the pasta has finished cooking, scoop out at least ½ cups of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, squeeze the julienned zucchini with a paper towel against the sides of the colander to release any additional moisture, toss to loosen and repeat the process, until minimal liquid comes out.
Pour the hot starchy pasta water over the zucchini noodles, to blanch them and rinse off excess salt. Shake off excess water from the pasta and zucchini noodles in the colander, then return them to the pot, toss gently to combine and set aside.
Add the cooked chicken, evaporated milk, cornflour and bay leaf (and dried basil if not using fresh) to cooled tomato mixture in the frying pan. Over a medium-low heat, stir constantly until the sauce starts to simmer and thicken, approx 3 minutes.
Remove from heat, add half the grated Parmesan cheese to the creamy chicken sauce and stir to combine.
Add the creamy pasta sauce, pasta water and fresh basil to the pot with the pasta and zucchini noodles. Gently toss pasta for 1 – 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and emulsifies.
Divide pasta among 6 bowls or containers, top with remaining Parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and a lemon wedge.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
Cut chicken into even, bite-sized pieces (approx 3.2cm / 1.3-inch squares).
Sprinkle 1 ½ tsp sea salt evenly over the chicken and mix thoroughly to combine.
Set aside to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes or overnight.
Prep the veggies
- Julienne the zucchinis. Sprinkle with sea salt and mix well. Leave in a colander in the sink to drain off excess moisture.
- Finely dice onion and sundried tomatoes and set aside.
- Mince garlic and set aside.
Bring a non-stick frying pan / skillet up to medium-high heat, add ¼ tsp sundried tomato oil to the pan and spread out. Add half the chicken to the pan and spread out into a single layer. Cook for approx 4 minutes until dark golden brown on one side, then flip over and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove chicken from heat and set aside to rest. Repeat steps with remaining chicken.
Over a medium-high heat, add ½ tsp sundried tomato oil to the frying pan and spread out. Add onion and cook for approx 3 minutes or until golden brown.
Reduce frying pan heat to low, add ½ tsp sundried tomato oil and spread out. Add minced garlic, chilli flakes, sundried tomatoes and tomato paste to the centre of the frying pan. Cook for a minute to caramelise, whilst stirring occasionally.
Add chicken stock to deglaze pan. Scrape pan to remove any bits on the bottom. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, when boiling, add pasta to the pot and stir occasionally. Cook pasta to the minimum specified packet time MINUS 1 minute. When the pasta has finished cooking, scoop out at least ½ cups of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking, squeeze the julienned zucchini with a paper towel against the sides of the colander to release any additional moisture, toss to loosen and repeat the process, until minimal liquid comes out.
Pour the hot starchy pasta water over the zucchini noodles, to blanch them and rinse off excess salt. Shake off excess water from the pasta and zucchini noodles in the colander, then return them to the pot, toss gently to combine and set aside.
Add the cooked chicken, evaporated milk, cornflour and bay leaf (and dried basil if not using fresh) to cooled tomato mixture in the frying pan. Over a medium-low heat, stir constantly until the sauce starts to simmer and thicken, approx 3 minutes.
Remove from heat, add half the grated Parmesan cheese to the creamy chicken sauce and stir to combine.
Add the creamy pasta sauce, pasta water and fresh basil to the pot with the pasta and zucchini noodles. Gently toss pasta for 1 – 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and emulsifies.
Divide pasta among 6 bowls or containers, top with remaining Parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and a lemon wedge.
Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Notes
- When salting chicken, it is preferential to salt it 24 hours prior to cooking to allow the salt to evenly diffuse throughout the chicken. If you’re unable to do this, salt your chicken before preparing the vegetables or as early as possible prior to cooking.
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Hey Linda!
Love what you did here. xx