Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Pasta

High 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.

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS (Metric)
750 g skinless and boneless chicken breast (Note 1)
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt (for salting chicken)
900 g zucchini (approx. 6 large zucchinis / courgettes for 6 servings) (Note 2)
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt (for salting zucchini)
180 g onion (approx. 1 medium onion for 6 servings)
90 g sun-dried tomatoes (Note 3)
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3 tsp crushed garlic)
¼ tsp chili flakes or to taste
1 ½ tsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes (or neutral tasting oil such as vegetable or canola), divided
3 tbsp tomato paste
¼ cup liquid chicken stock (or ¼ tsp chicken stock powder mixed with 1/4 cup water)
375 ml lite evaporated milk
¾ tsp cornflour
1 bay leaf
To Serve
350 g gluten free pasta, use a “ribbon” pasta type such as fettuccine or spaghetti (Note 3)
1 tbsp fine sea salt (for cooking pasta)
½ cup pasta cooking water
30 g Parmesan, freshly grated
12 fresh basil leaves, finely sliced (or 1/2 tsp dried basil)
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges
INGREDIENTS (Imperial)
1.65 lbs skinless and boneless chicken breast (Note 1)
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt (for salting chicken)
2 lbs zucchini (approx. 6 large zucchinis / courgettes for 6 servings) (Note 2)
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt (for salting zucchini)
6.40 oz onion (approx. 1 medium onion for 6 servings)
3.17 oz sun-dried tomatoes (Note 3)
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3 tsp crushed garlic)
¼ chilli flakes or to taste
1 ½ oil from sun-dried tomatoes (or neutral tasting oil such as vegetable or canola), divided
3 tbsp tomato paste
¼ cup liquid chicken stock (or ¼ tsp chicken stock powder mixed with 1/4 cup water)
13.20 fl oz lite evaporated milk
¾ tsp cornflour
1 bay leaf
To Serve
12.40 oz gluten free pasta, use a “ribbon” pasta type such as fettuccine or spaghetti (Note 3)
1 tbsp fine sea salt (for cooking pasta)
½ cup pasta cooking water
1 oz Parmesan, freshly grated
12 fresh basil leaves, finely sliced (or 1/2 tsp dried basil)
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon wedges

Directions

Instructions:

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!