All good names have a story.
It was a hot summer night in Arizona. Certainly too hot for anyone to think about being outside unless you were submerged in a big pool of water. For some reason, our college thought it was completely normal to host a dance outside in the middle of the summer! This was my first dance, as I was just starting my Freshman year in college.
If you read my Love at First Sight Chocolate Cake post, you know that I met my future husband that night but I left out part of the story.
After I met him, a group of girls begin to refer to him as his supposed nickname — “Dean, Dean – The Love Machine.”
Say what?! One thing was for sure and that is I did NOT like players and with THAT nickname, I was sure that he was one.
After our flawless first date, I thought this must be too good to be true and this guy really knew how to woo the ladies. I kept wondering how in the world he got such a nickname and how many hearts he had broken along the way. I was determined that I wouldn’t be one of them!
I still remember the day. We were at a big social gathering and a guy named Dean walked in the door. Everyone started chanting, “Dean, Dean the LOVE machine!” It was another Dean! What are the chances? Full on relief settled in. That guy was THE Dean, Dean the Love Machine.
After almost 20 years of marriage, we laugh our heads off thinking about how we almost didn’t get passed the initial meeting because of a stupid nickname….for some other guy! Oh and I love to refer to him now as, The Love Machine.
Now this husband of mine loves pasta more than anything else. For him, it’s a huge bowl of comfort food!
This Love Machine Chicken Pasta is one of his all time favorites. It’s made first by sauteing chicken, garlic, and onions in butter. The star of the show is the sundried tomato cream sauce made with jarred sundried tomatoes, heavy cream, chicken broth, and parmesan cheese. It’s all tossed with linguine or fettucine and topped with fresh basil and shaved parmesan cheese. You are going to crave this pasta dish!
If you have picky eaters at home (or maybe you are one of them!) you can blend the sundried tomatoes, heavy cream, basil and chicken broth in a blender to make them nice and creamy before adding it to the pan.
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Onion, diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 lb. Chicken Breasts, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ cup Sundried Tomatoes, in a jar
- ¼ cup Fresh Basil (if using dried basil, use only 2 teaspoons)
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- ¾ cup Parmesan Cheese (keep out ¼ cup for garnish)
- 1 lb. Linguine or Fettucine Pasta (add salt to pasta water while cooking)
- In large skillet, heat butter over medium high heat. Add onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic. Add chicken breast and cook for 15-18 minutes until chicken is cooked through and onions are tender. Add salt and pepper.
- Add sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, heavy cream, chicken broth, and ½ cup parmesan cheese. (you can also blend the tomatoes, basil, cream, and broth in blender before adding to pan if you desire a creamy sauce).
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Generously salt your pasta water. Drain.
- Let sauce simmer for 8-10 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
- Toss sauce with cooked and drained pasta.
- Top with remaining ¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. Season to taste.
You are going to fall in love with the creamy goodness of this Love Machine Chicken Pasta! Thanks for sharing and for being so supportive and amazing. Have a fabulous day! xo
Happy Cooking!
Girl, you and I share the same brain. I just made a pasta with similar flavors. This looks amazing!
I am happy to share the same brain as you! 🙂 We are thinking alike, my friend. I hope the hurricane misses you guys and you all stay safe! xoxo
This is amazing! I need a few more stars. I added spinach since I was using dried basil and served over home made noodles. The double batch (planned to freeze for later) had barely any left from the 5 of us.
Another awesome recipe! My whole family loved it! I have struggled with homemade Alfredo sauces getting the ratios just right for having to double the serving sizes but this one I finally was able to get it right! Thank you so much for sharing!