Fresh Basil... and "Basil Cream Chicken"

Here is a picture of my very first fresh cut herb: Basil!

I found this basil plant at Whole Foods last week, on sale from local growers. It looked so pretty (bright green and full!) that I bought it for its sheer beauty and doorstep decorativeness. I told Mom about it, and she said, "Oh good! You can cook with fresh basil now." I thought "Huh? How do you cook with fresh plants?" But then today I found a recipe from allrecipes.com that calls for lots of fresh chopped basil. I cooked it tonight and we loved it!

www.allrecipes.com/Recipe/Basil-Cream-Chicken/Detail.aspx

part 1 ingredients:

1/4 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 lb or a bit more chicken breasts, butter for pan;

part 2 ingredients:

1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 4 oz. jar sliced pimento peppers (drained), 1/4 cup fresh basil (chopped), dash black pepper

Part 1:

Use two bowls - one for milk, one for breadcrumbs. Dip each piece of chicken in milk and then crumbs. Heat pan with butter (I also used olive oil). "Fry" the breasts in a little butter/oil until cooked through. Remove from skillet.

Part 2: Pour the broth into the "used" skillet. Bring to a boil, then add the cream, pimentos, basil, and black pepper. Simmer until ready to serve.

Pour the sauce over the chicken to serve. I also served it with noodles.