Lemon-Basil Chicken

I am definitely not known for my green thumb. In fact, I habitually kill plants - from your average house plant to Chia Pets. When my sister got me an herb garden (AeroGarden - it's amazing!) for Christmas I thought she must be crazy to trust me with young plant lives. But, lo and behold, my little kitchen garden has thrived and I chose this recipe to debut my first batch of fresh basil. I used Rachael Ray's technique for "ribboning" the basil by stacking several leaves together, rolling it up like a burrito, and chopping from the end (creating ribbons). The effect was not only delicious, but gorgeous as well. 

1 ½ lbs. chicken tenders

2 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. olive oil

½ c. white wine

3 Tbs. lemon juice

½ c. heavy cream

1/3 tsp. fresh thyme

2 Tbs. fresh basil, ribboned

Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper to taste; melt butter & olive oil in a large pan and add chicken to brown, turning once. Remove chicken from pan; cover with foil to keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice to the hot pan (over medium heat) to deglaze. Boil until reduced by half. Add cream, thyme, and basil; simmer until sauce thickens. Add chicken back to the pan and simmer 5 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over angel hair pasta (mix in a splash of white wine, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and red pepper flakes). 

*Adapted from cookeatshare.com