Chicken, Mushroom, and Sun-Dried Tomato Ragú – I adore just about any kind of edible mushroom. They add an earthy, rustic flavor to so many dishes. I’m not a huge fan of plain old spaghetti. It needs to be kicked up a couple of notches for me to really want to eat it even though Jimmie loves it and would happily eat it every day.

I had this lovely jar of sun-dried tomato spread, about a pound of white button mushrooms, and two pounds of boneless/skinless chicken breast. I couldn’t help but think these three ingredients would make a great ragú and I was right. If you love mushrooms, you’ll love this. 🙂

I’m sure you’ve heard that you should never rinse mushrooms, but I’m here to tell you Alton Brown says it’s okay. 😎 He experimented to see how much water a mushroom absorbs when quickly rinsing away the dirt and draining them. The results were none to a negligible amount. If there’s minimal dirt on them, just brush them off before using. Otherwise, rinsing them off is perfectly fine. Give them a quick pat dry with a few paper towels before adding to hot oil or butter.

Chicken, Mushroom, and Sun-Dried Tomato Ragú

• 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons light olive oil or butter
• 1 lb. mushrooms, your choice, cleaned and sliced
• 1 (9 oz.) jar California Sun Dry Sun-Dried Tomato Spread
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 heaping teaspoons jarred minced garlic
• 2 Knorr beef bouillon cubes
• 2 cups red wine (your favorite)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 lb. spaghetti (prepared according to package directions)

In a large skillet, brown the chicken pieces in the oil or butter over medium-high heat in small batches. Lightly salt and pepper as you go. Remove to a plate and set aside.

In the remaining oil, sauté the onions and garlic for a few minutes then add the mushrooms. Lightly salt & pepper. Toss to coat in the oil and cook for a few minutes.

Add the wine and break up the bouillon cubes in it, stirring to incorporate. Return the chicken to the pan and add the sun-dried tomatoes. Use the entire jar.

Bring to a boil then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 40-45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Serve over hot spaghetti noodles with garlic bread or breadsticks, if desired.

Mushroom and Sun-dried Tomato Linguine

Happy eating! 😊