A Perfect Dinner Dish for Two
This Dinner is something i came up with when my mom was in town from Illinois. I wasn't sure what to make on her last night but I did have tomatoes and chicken. I always keep a large amount of olive oil and balsamic vinegar in my cupboard! After my brother Ian, the picky eater, said he liked it (and he doesn't even like tomatoes!) I decided to tweak it a bit and make it perfect! I added garlic and basil and sauteed the chicken first to make it the "just right" dinner for myself and Darren. Enjoy!
This dish is very homey, rich and acidic. After roasting, the tomatoes become like a coarse sauce to spoon over the chicken. You may find yourself looking for more tomatoes to sop up with the chicken! I like to serve it with my favorite herb fingerling potatoes, but you can simply serve it with a crisp herb salad for a lighter option!
OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN WITH BALSAMIC TOMATOES
2 boneless, skinless half chicken breasts (around a pound)
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 medium heirloom tomatoes, chunked
Fresh basil, torn
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more
balsamic vinegar
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium sautee pan, brown the garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil, about 2 minutes. Add the onion. Sautee for another 4 minutes, until the onions begin to become transluscent. Don't caramelize the onions or they will not flavor the tomatoes! Remove the onions and garlic and set aside. In the same pan, quickly brown the chicken breasts on both sides, just to give the outside some color. In an 8"x 11" glass oven dish, scatter the tomato chunks. Lightly drizzle more olive oil over top. Layer on the onion mixture. Drizzle the top with balsamic vinegar. Nestle the browned chicken deep in the tomatoes. Pop it in the oven, just under the middle rack, and roast for 40 minutes, until the chicken temperature reaches 160.
Enjoy!
Love,
Lura
