Oven Roasted Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce & Bacon
Over the last few years, I have become less and less interested in putting chicken on our dinner menu. There are a few reasons for this, but they all pretty much center around the word “I”.
{{I am referring to raw chicken}}
- “I” think the texture of chicken is rubbery no matter HOW I cook it
- “I” think handling raw chicken is gross
- “I” think cooked chicken tastes like copy paper
- “I” dread chicken
- “I” avoid it like the plague it is
Well – actually all ((except for the “handling”of the chicken – that is unfortunately unavoidable)) of those statements WERE true until I started adding one simple step to my chicken recipes.
Soaking the raw chicken in a simple, sugar/salt brine a few hours before cooking yields a moist, flavorful chicken every single time. Now, for the record, I still by quality chicken ((no added junk like antibiotics etc)) – but until I started brining, it didn’t matter how high the quality.
For this recipe, I soaked 3 pounds of raw chicken breast ((cubed)) in an herbed brining solution for 4 hours before baking.
When cooking time approached, I removed the chicken from the solution, patted dry and placed it in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Now, the sky is the limit on dinnertime possibilities! For this recipe, I am making use of some of my pantry staples ::
- white wine,
- cream,
- sun dried tomatoes,
- parmesan cheese,
- sharp white cheddar and
- bacon
Start off by combining white wine, sun dried tomatoes & corn starch. This simple base will turn into a creamy sauce as the chicken bakes!
Next, add cream and whisk to combine.
The last step is to pour the cream sauce over the chicken, top with bacon & cheese, cover with foil and bake on 375° for 40 minutes ((or until all of the chicken is cooked through)). Once the chicken has cooked through, remove the foil and allow the chicken to cook 5 additional minutes in order for the sauce to thicken slightly.
It is even tastier than in looks! The thickened white wine/cream sauce and those tangy bits of sun dried tomato — topped of with bacon & cheese… YUM. But that isn’t even the best part!! The chicken, that extra ((simple)) step of brining?! Here is the pay off. Flavorful, juicy and tender all the way through! You know what this means?! Chicken is back on the menu baby!
- 8 c water
- ½ c granulated sugar
- ½ c kosher salt
- 1 T peppercorns
- a handful of herbs (I used a few sprigs of fresh thyme & chives)
- ice
- 3 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2" chunks
- ½ c white wine
- 2 T sun dried tomatoes
- 2 T cornstarch
- 2 c heavy cream
- ½ t salt
- ¼ t pepper
- 8 strips of cooked bacon, chopped
- 4 oz parmesan cheese shavings
- 4 oz sharp white cheddar, grated
- Combine all brining ingredients ((except ice)) in a med pot & bring to boil. Stir to help dissolve sugar & salt. Once sugar & salt are dissolved, remove from flame and add ice until the water is chilled.
- Place chicken in a large zip-top plastic baggie (I used a 2-gallon bag). Pour chilled brine over the raw chicken and add additional water to cover chicken completely. Close the bag and refrigerate for approximately 4 hours.
- Once brining is complete, drain the mixture off of the chicken and pat chicken dry. Place the brined chicken in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine white wine, sun dried tomatoes, corn starch, cream & S & P in a small mixing bowl. Pour the liquid over the raw chicken and top with cheese & bacon.
- Cover with foil & bake for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. remove foil covering and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until sauce is thickened and bacon is crisp.
- Serves 6