Ingredients :

Meat:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
4 oz sun-dried tomatoes
1 lb chicken breast , thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
Pasta:
8 oz rigatoni (for gluten free, use gluten free rigatoni)
Creamy pasta sauce:
1 cup half and half
1 tablespoon basil , dried
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
3 tablespoons capers
½ cup reserved cooked pasta water or more
¼ teaspoon salt to taste

Instructions :

In a large pan, on high heat, sauté garlic and

sun-dried tomatoes (drained from oil) in 2

tablespoons of oil (reserved from the sun-dried

tomatoes jar – see note above) for 30 seconds

until garlic is fragrant. Add thinly sliced chicken

breast, sprinkle with salt and paprika, and cook

on high heat for 1 minute on each side.

Remove from heat.

In the mean time, cook rigatoni pasta al dente.

Reserve some cooked pasta water. Optionally,

you can drain and rinse the rigatoni with cold

water (to stop cooking).

While the rigatoni is cooking, make the pasta

cream sauce. Add half and half to the skillet

with the chicken. Add 1 tablespoon of basil, at

least ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Bring to

a gentle boil. Add Mozzarella cheese.

Immediately reduce to simmer and cook,

constantly stirring, until all cheese melts and

creamy sauce forms.

Add capers. Stir to combine. If the sauce is too

thick – don’t worry – you’ll be adding some

cooked pasta water soon. Add cooked rigatoni

to the skillet with the cream sauce, and stir to

combine

Add about ½ cup reserved cooked pasta water

because the cream sauce will be too thick (do

not add all water at once – you might need less

or more of it). This will water down the

thickness of the cheese sauce and make it

creamier. Immediately, season this creamy

chicken rigatoni pasta with salt and more red

pepper flakes, to taste, if needed. Let it simmer

• for a couple of minutes for flavors to combine.