Step 1

Fill an 8 quart pot with water, cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add a small handful of salt to boiling water and cook pasta to al dente (about 7-9 minutes). Drain in a colander.

Step 2

While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Drizzle oil in the hot skillet and immediately add chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked to an internal temperature of 163°F.

Step 3

Remove chicken from the pan and set on a cutting board to cool. Once cool, cut chicken into bite sized pieces.

Step 4

While the chicken is cooking, drain sun dried tomatoes, reserving about 2 tablespoons of the oil. Combine the contents of sun-dried tomatoes, reserved oil, and chopped garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until the mixture is smooth, scraping the insides of the blender down as necessary.

Step 5

Add sun dried tomato mixture to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in heavy cream, then cook on medium-high heat until slightly boiling. Add in shredded mozzarella cheese and stir to melt.

Step 6

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer. Add in cooked chicken.

Step 7

Add drained penne pasta to the skillet and stir until combined and the pasta is well coated. Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes on low. Stir in fresh basil. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Step 8

Garnish with additional fresh basil if desired. Serve warm, and enjoy!