Parmesan Breaded Chicken Breasts with a Basil & Pimiento Pepper Cream Sauce

I hope everyone is doing well today! Whenever I have leftover ingredients from a previous recipe, I tend to become obsessed with finding ways to use them before they go bad. I dislike wasting perfectly good ingredients! I found myself with leftover heavy whipping cream in the refrigerator and decided I would make a creamy sauce to go with chicken! I also had a box of Garlic and Herb Rice Pilaf in the pantry so I used that as my starch. The combination of flavors was delicious! The best thing about this recipe? It was so quick and easy! I had dinner on the table in no time at all!

Note: I made the rice pilaf beforehand so I could serve everything right away.

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Chicken

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

4 thin sliced skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Cream Sauce

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 (4 oz.) jar sliced pimiento peppers, drained

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 tsp. garlic powder or fresh garlic

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. flour, optional

Directions:

1. Place milk in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, add the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, and 1/8 tsp. pepper and mix until blended. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. While the butter is left to melt, dip chicken in milk, then coat both sides with the dry mixture. Cook in butter, on both sides, until juices run clear (about 3-4 minutes on each side). Remove and keep warm.

2. Add chicken broth to the same skillet. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and stir to loosen any browned bits from the pan. Stir in cream and pimientos; bring to a boil and stir for 1 additional minute. Reduce heat.

3. Add 1/2 cup of Parmesan, basil, 1/4 tsp. garlic, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Stir sauce and cook until heated through. If you find that the sauce is too runny for your taste, add a little bit of flour at a time and mix well in between additions until it reaches the desired thickness. Pour mixture over chicken and serve immediately.  

This is the box I used to make the rice pilaf. I followed the directions on the box, except I added equal parts of chicken broth and water totaling the amount of liquid called for in order to give it more flavor.

I absolutely love garlic so I find any excuse to add it into recipes! Do not like it? Omit it or use less! This was my first time trying pimiento peppers to my knowledge and I love them! They have a subtle sweetness about them. Have fun with the recipe and make it your own! This is what I love about cooking; it is forgiving and allows you to make something as simple or complex as you would like!