Sun-dried tomato stuffed chicken with creamy rosa sauce

One Saturday night, I was in need of a quick dinner. I just so happened to have all these ingredients on hand. The sun-dried tomatoes can be found in your grocery store, in a jar packed in oil. The citrus-y tanginess of sun-dried tomatoes pairs well with the woody, saltiness of smoked bacon. Although rule of thumb says don’t pair your oaky Chardonnays with tomatoes, the complex roasted flavors of sun-dried tomato and this cream sauce really loved my bottle of Red Tail Ridge (Finger Lakes, NY) Chardonnay. Although, almost any dry white will do.

What you need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced

4 larges cloves of garlic, diced

1/3 cup diced onion (sweet, red, or even shallots, pick your favorite)

5 slices bacon

4 slices of mozzarella cheese

1 jar of your favorite Rosa sauce (I used Bertolli) or 2 cups of your favorite homemade rosa sauce (if you’re ambitious!)

½ box (or 7-8 oz) Pasta (I used whole wheat Farfalle)

Salt & pepper, to taste

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook pasta & drain, as directed on box. Combine pasta with Rosa sauce.
3. Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper, to taste. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on thickness)
4. Take 5 slices of raw bacon and dice. Cook in skillet on medium to desired crispiness. Drain fat from pan when bacon almost done, then add diced onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add diced sun-dried tomatoes; cook for additional 3 minutes, then mixture remove from heat. This will be your “stuffing” mixture.
5. Put a length-wise slit through the thickest part of the top your chicken breasts (Tip: this is also a good time to check that they’re cooked through) and spoon generous portions of stuffing onto chicken breasts. Top with slice of mozzarella cheese and place in oven for additional 3-5 minutes (until mozzarella melted).
6. Serve chicken with pasta & rosa sauce and enjoy with a glass of Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio!