Creamy Basil Chicken

 

Creamy Basil Chicken is a family favorite around here.  It is frequently requested, always goes fast, and there are never left overs.  My oldest even made it once for a cook-off with some of his friends.

I actually buy my chicken breasts in bulk, as in 40 lbs at a time.  It takes a while to trim, cut, and bag it, but it's a time saver when I'm cooking dinner.  I cut some of it into chunks, flatten some of it, and just bag the rest.  This is some that I've already flattened along with the other ingredients to make this meal delicious.  I think the McCormick Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Seasoning is one of the secret ingredients that makes this dish rock!

Just use two shallow bowls for the milk and bread crumb mixture.  I go straight from the bread crumbs to the frying pan.

I find it works best to brown one side of the chicken in 2 Tbs. melted butter, pull the chicken from the pan, melt 2 Tbs. of butter, and brown the other side of the chicken.

When the chicken is browned, pull it out and bake it in the oven, then add the chicken broth directly to the pan to soak up all those delicious flavors.

After adding the sauce ingredients, including the Parmesean cheese, I thicken it with a corn starch surrey.

Pull the chicken from the oven and serve it all over a bed of your favorite pasta.  I like fettuccine best!

 Creamy Basil Chicken

From the Kitchen of and Recipe by Lynnae Hymas

Ingredients

•          1 c. milk
•          3 large chicken breasts
•          4 Tbs. butter

Breading

•          1 c. Panko bread crumbs
•          1 Tbs. basil
•          1 tsp. garlic salt
•          1 tsp. McCormick Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Seasoning

Sauce

•          1 c. chicken broth
•          2 c. heavy cream
•          1 tsp. basil
•          1 tsp. salt
•          ½ tsp. pepper
•          1 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•          2 Tbs. corn starch
•          4 Tbs. cold water

Directions

Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Using a meat tenderizer, pound each chicken breast until it’s about a ½ inch thick.  Set aside.

Mix together the Panko bread crumbs, 1 Tbs. basil, garlic salt, and McCormick Red Pepper and Roasted Garlic Seasoning in a shallow bowl.  Pour milk into another shallow bowl.  Dip chicken in the milk and then the breading mixture.  In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt 2 Tbs. butter.  Add the chicken to the pan and brown one side.  Remove the chicken from the pan and melt the other 2 Tbs. of butter.  Brown the other side of the chicken.  Remove from the pan and put in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.   

Sauce:  Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth.  Add the cream, basil, salt, and pepper.  Add 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.  Mix the corn starch and water together in a separate bowl.  Add a little at a time to the sauce and stir until desired thickness is reached.  Place chicken on your favorite pasta and then cover with sauce.

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