Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

By Paul Briand

Do you use canned soup to cook?

I don't, so I was a little surprised recently to read a Wall Street Journal article that noted:

• 79.5 million households in the U.S. have Campbell's condensed soup in their pantries at any given time;
• 350 million cans of Campbell's cream-of-mushroom soup are sold each year;
• Between 85 and 95 percent of the cream-of-mushroom soup sales are used for cooking.

But things at Campbell's aren't as good as the statistics might indicate. Sales are flat and the Campbell's soup folks are testing out new recipes that add a little more oomph to a meal that's made with canned soup and, hopefully, give some oomph to sales.

One that we tried with some success and enjoyment is Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes. It'll officially debut on the backs of cream-of-mushroom soup cans in August.

What sets this apart from its other recipes, according to Campbell's, is the use of the sun-dried tomatoes, not the kind of thing normally found in the kitchen. It's something you're going to have to put on your shopping list. Same thing with the shallots. It adds a different flavor and is something you might not normally keep in the pantry.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 can Campbell's condensed cream-of-mushroom soup (regular or 98 percent fat free)
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 cups extra-wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 cup shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat;
2. Add chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides, set aside;
3. Heat remaining oil in skillet and add the shallot, cook and stir for 2 minutes;
4. Stir in the soup, water, tomatoes, vinegar and chopped basil;
5. Return chicken to skillet, heat to boil then reduce heat to low;
6. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked completely through;
7. Serve chicken and sauce over the noodles;
8. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired, and sliced basil.