Crispy Italian Chicken Recipe With Basil Cream Sauce (One Pan, 20 Minutes, 9 Ingredients) by Donna John

My basil plants are out of control. It's a good thing, but it makes you start looking for new recipes using fresh basil. This easy one-pan recipe combines two things most of us love: crispy chicken and a creamy sauce. The creamy basil-infused sauce coats the crispy chicken and makes dinner magic in about 20 minutes.

To make this easy chicken recipe you will need just simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. If not, here's your shopping list: chicken breasts, milk, dried Italian breadcrumbs, olive oil, garlic, chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, salt and black pepper. The chicken is dipped in the milk then breadcrumbs before being pan-fried until golden and crispy. The chicken is removed and in the same pan the remaining ingredients create the simple basil cream sauce. So quick and easy!

There's only the two of us, so I used only two chicken breasts but did not cut the sauce ingredients in half. I did have some leftover sauce.

This high-protein chicken dinner is easy enough for a weeknight meal, but would be elegant enough for a dinner party. The juicy chicken and sauce is delicious with a fresh vegetable or salad on the side. I served mine with blistered tomato pasta (recipe coming!) and a glass of red wine.

Shopping Tip: Sometimes you can buy an entire basil plant cheaper than you can buy a package of fresh basil in the produce department. If your grocery store sells plants (mine does), it is worth checking out.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
• 1/3 cup milk 
• 3/4 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (more as needed)

Sauce

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Here's how to make it: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper. Put the milk into a shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into another shallow bowl. Dip the chicken into the milk and then dredge in the breadcrumbs. Place in the hot oil. (You could use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts.)
   
2. Cook the chicken until golden brown on the first side. Flip the chicken over and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown. You have two options here: 1) Cook the chicken all the way through and remove to a plate. Tent with foil to keep it warm. 2) Cook the chicken until it is almost cooked through, remove to a baking dish and pop it into a 300-degree F oven to stay warm and finish cooking while you make the sauce.
   
3. To make the basil cream sauce, in the same pan, add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir to remove any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
   
4. Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil. (If you don't have heavy cream, use evaporated milk.
   
5. Add the basil, Parmesan cheese, salt and black pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring often, until it thickens a bit, about 3 to 5 minutes.
   
6. To serve, spoon the sauce over the chicken breasts. Garnish with more fresh basil, if desired.
   

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