Pan Fried Chicken and Pasta with Sweet and Spicy Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS
500 g Linguine (My runaway favorite is rustichella d'abruzzo linguini)
3-4 T Extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 T Fresh thyme
2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 T Chili crisp (i am making my own but Lao Gan Ma is a great option)
1 C Chicken broth
3/4 Cup Pecorino Romano + more for serving
1 C Sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 C Heavy cream
Fresh basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; preheat oven to 375℉

2. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large oven-proof skillet (i use my Le Creuset Dutch oven) over medium-high heat

3. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and transfer to skillet. Let pan fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. Don’t touch the chicken until you need to flip it, just let it cook. Transfer to a plate.

4. Lower heat to medium and add remaining 2 tablespoon of oil. Stir in garlic, thyme, and chili crisp. Cook until fragment making sure the garlic does not burn. <30 seconds.

5. Stir in broth, cheese, tomatoes, and heavy cream. Consistently stir until the sauce comes to a simmer. Return chicken, and any juices collected on the plate, back to the skillet.

6. Cover skillet and transfer to the oven and bake until chicken is cooked through, depending on how big the breasts are, this will take 12-14 minutes.

7. While the chicken cooks, boil the pasta per package directions. Drain.

8. Remove skillet from the oven and place chicken breasts on a cutting board and let rest for a few minutes.

9. While the chicken is resting, taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Transfer the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to fully coat. Note: You may end up with more sauce than the pasta can take, that’s ok, use that extra sauce to spoon over the chicken.

10. Slice the chicken and plate with a twirl of the pasta in cream sauce. Sprinkle with hand-torn basil.

Enjoy!