Bookmark this effortless chicken recipe if you like the sound of juicy cutlets bathed in a velvety cream sauce with tomatoes, pimentos, cheese, and a handful of fresh basil. The 30 minute finish line will have you penciling this one-pan dish in for weeknights, but it’s also definitely dinner-party-impressive.
Even before you pour on the spoon-licking-good cream sauce, these pan-fried breaded chicken cutlets are so delicious. Thanks to just a little seasoning with salt and pepper before you bread them, they come out juicy on the inside and perfectly crusted on the outside. This technique is called “dry-brining”, and according to Serious Eats it “dissolves muscle proteins that otherwise contract and squeeze out moisture during cooking” so you get that juicy juicy chicken. Do it for a few minutes while you gather all of the other ingredients together and get the buttermilk and breadcrumbs laid out for dipping. (Or if you’re really good at time management, dry-brine your chicken overnight!)
With the browned chicken, creamy red sauce, and pop of green basil, the finished dish is going to induce some spectacular stomach rumbles — and it would be beautiful to bring the whole pan to the table and let your drooling diners dish up their chicken with steamed veggies. But that combo of tomato, basil, and Parmesan cheese is also just calling out for pasta, so spoon the extra sauce over some fettuccine or penne.
Pimento Basil Cream Chicken
Makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast (about 2 large breasts)
- salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup dry bread crumbs
- 4 Tablespoons butter, divided
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 ounces cream cheese (about 4 Tablespoons)
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 (4 oz) can pimentos, drained
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
Preparation
- Butterfly the chicken breasts in half so that you have four portions.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and allow it to sit a few minutes.
- Place the buttermilk and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls. Coat the chicken first in buttermilk, and then with breadcrumbs, and set aside.
- Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat.
- Add half of your butter to the sauté pan and cook the chicken on one side for about 5 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- Add the remaining butter, flip the chicken, and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown on the second side. Remove the chicken and set aside. (If the chicken is nicely browned, but not yet cooked through, you can finish cooking it in a 350°F/176°C oven until the chicken has finished cooking. Alternatively, you can also finish cooking the chicken in the sauce, if desired.)
- Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring it to a boil.
- Stir in the cream cheese, heavy cream, pimentos, and tomatoes, and boil for 1 minute.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the parmesan cheese, and stir until heated through.
- Add the chicken back into sauce, and sprinkle the basil on top. Serve with cooked veggies, pasta, or rice.
Looking for more quick and easy one-pan chicken recipes? How about our honey balsamic chicken with vegetables, lemon garlic chicken pasta, or chicken with lime, rice, and black beans?
Recipe adapted from The Cookie Rookie.