Chicken with Sun Dried Tomato-Basil Sauce

My sister Ruth was in town for a few days this week, and that generally means we get together and cook fun things.  This visit was no exception.  Ruth discovered this amazing recipe from Pinterest.  It's a recipe I would usually avoid due to the cream.  I'm so glad we made it.  It was delicious!  Even Andy couldn't stop praising the dinner.  I'm glad we tripled the recipe!  :)  Ruth also made some amazing bruschetta, and we had a nice salad too.  What a winning combination!  I only wish I had taken a picture of it all to share with this post.

Here's the recipe:

6 boneless, skinless chicken tenders, thawed (We used chicken breasts cut into strips.)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup onions, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced (we skipped these, although I imagine they taste great)
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (in package, NOT oil packed)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (we used half and half)
1/4 16 ounce package whole wheat spaghetti, uncooked (we had some 50% whole grain pasta- not bad!)

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken & grind fresh pepper on each side. Cover & cook until done, about 5 minutes on each side. (When done, chicken will have NO pink on the inside.)  Remove from heat and set aside, keeping covered.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, & shallots, cooking 1-2 minutes, just until soft.  Add sun dried tomatoes; stir. With a whisk in hand,  add flour & stir.  Slowly pour in chicken broth, whisking constantly to remove any lumps.  Add cream, still whisking.  Whisk that sucker to death! (just kidding).  Continue whisking for 3-4 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.  Take off heat and let sit; it will continue to thicken, feel free to stir every so often as you cook the spaghetti:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  It is done when it is soft, but still has a bite; al dente please.

Add fresh basil to sun dried tomato sauce and give it a good stir.

Place spaghetti noodles on serving plates, placing chicken directly on top of noodles.  Spoon as much sauce as you would like over chicken & noodles; enjoy!

Tips: *To keep spaghetti noodles from sticking together after you drain them, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over & toss.