Thursday, May 30, 2013

Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce over Chicken





File this recipe under "things that make you go WOW at first bite."  Really.  I took a bite, lowered my fork, and just stared.  I knew I was in the presence of food greatness.

Moving on to the stuff I wrote before I cooked and ate....

This recipe is brought to you because I made a Costco run.  How I love Costco.  Whether it's the epic mountain of coffee that I somehow manage to drink through in a month, the bargain-priced wine that still tastes respectable, or the free bacon samples, I always find something to love.

I'm sure I had your attention at "free bacon," but the real star of this week's haul was the rotisserie chicken.  At $4.99 a chicken, it's a steal.  The meat is succulent, and it's a pretty hefty bird.  I actually pulled the bird apart and weighed all the meat; the final yield was 2.25 pounds, and I stole a few bites along the way before the weighing.  I know that I can get boneless, skinless thighs and breasts on good sales for $2/lb, but there's so much liquid that is given off while cooking that I'm not sure I don't come out ahead with the pre-roasted bird.  I kept the bones, skin and juices for broth, too.  Just so much savory goodness! The clincher for me is that on my most tired night, I can still drag my butt into the store to pick up a chicken and a bag of salad.  $8 later, we have AT LEAST 4 healthy meals for the two of us, and we stay on track with budget and diet.

The chicken is delicious on its own (let's not pretend I don't just eat it straight out of the carton some days), but today I decided to step it up a bit. I've written about Bella Sun Luci tomatoes before (gee, also from Costco), and I continue to love them.  They have so. much. flavor., and, like the pesto in my last post, they come with seasoning already built in.  I always add a little extra garlic--because, well, garlic-- but otherwise, the flavor comes from simple, good ingredients that you might have in your pantry!  You could probably even pull off using tomato paste instead of sun dried tomatoes if that's what you're working with.  The wine can of course be subbed out for stock, but it adds a nice complexity and deep undertones that worked well with the tomatoes.  Just sayin'.

Ingredients:
2 c chicken, cooked through and roughly shredded or chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T oil
1/2 c chardonnay
1/2 c heavy cream
8 sun dried tomato halves

1) Put garlic and oil in saucepan.  Cook over medium until garlic is tender.   If you like garlicky goodness, leave garlic in.  If you want a more subtle hint, take it out.
2) Add chardonnay and tomatoes and cook the alcohol off.
3) Add cream and cook until it coats the back of your spoon.
4) Use immersion blender to puree the sauce, or cool a bit and then carefully use food processor or blender.
5) Add in chicken and mix around.

Serve over something wonderful like pureed cauliflower.


Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 217 g (1/2 recipe)
Amount Per Serving
Calories
442
Calories from Fat
215
% Daily Value*
Total Fat
23.8g
37%
Saturated Fat
9.2g
46%
Trans Fat
0.0g
Cholesterol
149mg
50%
Sodium
132mg
6%
Total Carbohydrates
5.9g
2%
Dietary Fiber
0.8g
3%
Protein
42.0g
Vitamin A 12%Vitamin C 22%
Calcium 5%Iron 9%
Nutrition Grade B-
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

1 comment:

  1. Looks delicious! And I'm thinking this would be great over zucchini noodles or baked eggplant slices, too!

    ReplyDelete