Herb Crusted Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

I recently discovered that you can get jarred fresh basil in the herb section at the grocery store. Since my basil plants didn't do that well this year, this has come in handy to supplement my fresh picked basil when a recipe, such as this one, calls for a boatload of basil. This is an adaption of a Pinterest recipe I experimented with. I altered it to simplify the ingredient list and also added a little heat! I also upped the amount of sauce so there's enough to cover the chicken and noodles.

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, pounded flat
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp garlic bell pepper seasoning
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

4 tbsp butter, divided

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 pint half & half

2 chicken bullion cubes

1 (4oz) jar pimentos, drained

1/2 cup Italian cheese mix
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Few dashes of fresh black pepper

1 package egg noodles, cooked

Directions
1. Place bread crumbs mixed with garlic bell pepper seasoning and milk in two separate bowls. Pound out chicken then dip in milk. Move to the bread crumb bowl and toss until thoroughly coated.

2. In a large skillet, cook chicken in 4 tbsp butter over medium-low heat about 10-15 minutes depending on thickness and type of pan you're using. Transfer chicken to a heated toaster oven if you have one or cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

3. Using the same skillet, sauté garlic in remaining tbsp butter for 1 minute. Add half & half and chicken bullion cubes, cheese mix, pimentos, basil, cayenne and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir until well blended. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Serve chicken over egg noodles topped with sauce.

Serves: 4

If you love basil like I do, then you might also like my Honey Viniagarette Orzo Salad.