Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter stops foaming—this takes about 90 seconds. Pat your chicken breasts dry first; moisture is the enemy of a golden surface. I learned this the hard way after years of steaming chicken instead of searing it.

Season both sides of chicken with black pepper and a pinch of salt, then place in the hot skillet. Don't move them for 4 minutes—you want a golden crust forming underneath. Flip and cook another 4 minutes on the second side, then set the chicken on a clean plate. The reason you skip moving them is that constant flipping prevents browning, and browning is where most of the flavor lives.

In the same skillet, add diced onion and cook for 3 minutes until it turns translucent at the edges. Add minced garlic and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant—this is when your kitchen starts smelling like a trattoria. These aromatics create the foundation for your creamy sun dried tomato chicken cozy sauce, so don't rush this step.

Add sun-dried tomatoes, dried oregano, and dried basil to the skillet and stir constantly for 2 minutes. This blooms the spices and releases their oils into the pan, a technique that changes everything about the final flavor. I used to skip the blooming step because it felt redundant, but it's what separates restaurant-quality from okay.

Pour in the low-sodium chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon—that's pure flavor you'd waste otherwise. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer for 12 minutes uncovered, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F at the thickest part. The broth reduces slightly while the chicken finishes cooking through, which concentrates the tomato flavor.

Reduce heat to low and stir in the heavy cream slowly, mixing it into the sauce instead of dumping it all at once. This prevents the cream from breaking and keeps the sauce silky rather than separated. Cook for 2 more minutes at a gentle simmer, then add the mozzarella cheese and stir until it melts completely into the sauce.

While the final step happens, cook the linguine according to package directions in a separate pot, drain it, then add it directly to the skillet with the sauce. Toss everything together for 1 minute so the pasta absorbs some of the sauce. This is why cozy one pan dinners save your sanity—you drain and toss instead of juggling multiple plates.