Wash and pat dry the chicken. Pound the chicken halves if needed. Rub the chicken breasts with oil, and season chicken with thyme, basil, salt, and pepper.
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, ½ teaspoon dried basil or fresh, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or fresh, cooking oil, salt, black pepper
In a large skillet (nonstick) over medium-high heat add cooking oil and cook the chicken breasts on each side for about 4-5 minutes on each side until golden brown.
cooking oil
Don’t move the chicken around before one half is cooked. If it sticks to the pan, it needs to be cooked longer. Depending on the thickness of the chicken breast you may need to cook it longer than 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken onto a plate lined with a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil. Slice it into thin slices (strips) against the grain. Set aside.
Creamy garlic butter sauce. In the same pan melt butter and add more oil (if there are too much of browned bits, carefully remove them with kitchen paper). Add onion, and garlic, cook for a couple of minutes, and pour in the wine.
1 medium onion, 3 large garlic cloves, 8 ounces cremini mushrooms (or portobello, baby bellas, button mushrooms), cooking oil, ⅓ cup white wine or sub with chicken broth
Simmer on medium to low until the wine has reduced. Add in the mushrooms and cook until they start to brown (3 minutes).
Add the broth, simmer for 5 minutes, add the cream and stir in the pasta (uncooked). The starch from the pasta will help to thicken the sauce.
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 12 ounces heavy cream, 10 ounces penne pasta (uncooked)
Make sure to reduce the heat to low before adding the cream. Take it to a gentle Simmer and until pasta is cooked al dente. About 10-15 minutes.
Once the sauce is thickened, stir in parmesan, (I also like to add a spoonful of butter here for extra creamy flavor!), parsley, toss in the sauce until fully coated, and top with chicken breasts. To thin out the sauce, you can add a bit of water.
¾ cup parmesan cheese, 1-2 tablespoon parsley + more for Garnish, 2 tablespoon butter
Serve with more fresh herbs, parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (or leave this one out so the entire family can enjoy!).