A version of this crave-worthy dish used to be a staple on the menu at "that 'Italian Garden' restaurant," but our rendition of this deliciousness is a bit lighter. We promise it's still just as rich and garlicy though... or, let's be honest, probably more garlicy because, can there ever really be too much garlic? We think not!
TIME: 30 minutes YIELD: 4 servings RECOMMENDED VARIETY: Belarus or Chesnok
INGREDIENTS
4 chicken breast cutlets (or 2 large breasts cut in half lengthwise)
½–1 teaspoon sea salt
½–1 teaspoon cracked black or pink pepper
2–3 teaspoons olive oil
¼ cup chicken stock
6–8 cloves garlic, minced (or however much garlic you're feelin' at the moment)
1 cup unsweetened, plain almond or oat milk*
½ cup half-n-half*
2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ cup grated parmesan cheese (freshly grated will yield the most flavor)
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes (NOT packed in oil*)
2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
INSTRUCTIONS
Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
Add olive oil to a large skillet and preheat over medium-high heat.
Add chicken to the skillet and sear until golden brown and mostly cooked through, about 4–5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium, then add the garlic* to your skillet and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add chicken stock to deglaze the skillet, scraping up any browned garlic or chicken bits from the pan. Let simmer for 1–2 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together almond/oat milk, half-and-half, and cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
fAdd this mixture to the skillet and bring to a simmer.
Mix basil, oregano, and sun dried tomatoes into the sauce. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add parmesan cheese and spinach to the skillet. Stir until cheese is starting to melt into the sauce and spinach is just wilted.
Place chicken and juices back in the skillet and simmer until chicken is heated through.
Taste the sauce to adjust seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
Turn off the heat and let the chicken and sauce rest for 5 minutes so the sauce can thicken a bit more.
Serve over plain pasta of choice, with roasted baby potatoes or rice as desired.
*TIPS
If you'd like to make the sauce dairy-free, sub a plain nut or cashew creamer for the half-n-half.
If you'd like to make the sauce heavier instead of lighter, increase the half-n-half to 1½ cups and skip the almond/oat milk. Alternatively, you can use 1½ cups heavy cream instead of half-n-half and almond/oat milk for a really rich sauce!
If you can only find sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, drain them and thoroughly wash the oil off of them with hot water before using. Then drain them well again and gently pat them "dry" with a paper towel before adding them to the sauce.
Turning the heat down in your skillet before adding the garlic is important because garlic can easily burn which results in a big loss of flavor!