Last night, after a long run on the beach, I was revved up to create a beautiful, lavish, and wholesome meal. Exercise for me works like magical drug that stimulates my mood, creativity, and excitement for cooking. Post-workout hunger may be part of it, but I feel like it’s much more than that. Anyone else?
Meatballs were on my mind, but unfortunately my food processor wasn’t cooperating (broken I guess?), so I took the meal a different direction.
And I’m glad I did.
This scrumptious, restaurant-worthy dish can be thrown together right on the stovetop with simple ingredients and a fool-proof method, and even be ready in under 30 minutes! And it’s a perfect way to use gorgeous ripe summer grape tomatoes.
The chicken is rubbed with Dijon and minced garlic for extra flavor (highly recommend trying this!), seasoned with a sprinkle of Tuscany (I used this Tuscan blend, but Italian seasoning or dried basil/parsley/oregano with salt and pepper would also work), and pan-seared to perfection in a little olive oil.
Then the grape tomato pan-sauce comes together in a snap: Just deglaze with broth or wine, sauté some yellow onion, garlic, and a handful ripe grape tomatoes a couple minutes, then lightly crush to form a sauce. So easy!
I finish it off with a squirt of lemon and pimiento-stuffed olives. Feel free to try different toppings and let me know what you think! (capers? feta? truffle oil? pine nuts?)
And finally, you can serve this over pasta (linguine with an extra drizzle of EVOO, orzo, couscous, etc.), rice (risotto!), farro, buckwheat, or…
POLENTA!!
Don’t let me influence your decision, but polenta (white corn grits) is my go-to for indulgent and rich-tasting, but also quick and healthy. Stir in some shredded cheese and my heart melts just a little.
- 8 oz raw skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 1/2 tsp whole grain Dijon
- 1 tsp minced garlic, divided
- 1 tsp Tuscan herb seasoning, divided*
- 1/2 tsp EVOO
- ~1/4 cup chicken broth, divided
- 2 Tbsp chopped yellow onion
- 4 oz grape tomatoes**
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 pimiento-stuffed green olives, thinly sliced***
- If necessary, slice chicken into 2 filets and pound to even thickness. (Or just use 2 chicken breast cutlets.) Rub both sides with Dijon and 1/2 tsp of the garlic, then sprinkle with Tuscan seasoning (about 1/2 tsp total).
- Heat EVOO in a medium nonstick skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes per side, or until done. About halfway through, add onion and whole grape tomatoes to pan. Remove chicken when done. (Leave tomatoes and onion in.)
- Add 1-2 Tbsp broth to pan and scrape up browned bits. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 tsp minced garlic and an additional sprinkle of seasoning (1/4 - 1/2 tsp). Stir in 2-3 Tbsp more broth, cover, and cook on medium-low about 5 more minutes.
- Crush tomatoes with the back of a spoon and stir, adding more broth or water as necessary to reach desired consistency. Simmer 1-2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.
- Spoon sauce over chicken and top with olives. Serve over creamy polenta, if desired.
- *Or Italian seasoning plus a pinch salt and pepper
- **about 3/4 cup, or more if you want extra sauce
- ***You can sub 2-3 tsp capers
- 1/2 cup polenta*
- 1 cup water
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup 1% milk
- 1 oz shredded cheese**
- Boil water with salt in a small saucepan.
- When the water begins to boil, stir in grits and reduce heat. Add milk.
- Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes. Cover 5 minutes longer.
- Stir in cheese and enjoy!
- *I use Bob's Red Mill white corn grits
- **mozzarella, fontina, parmesan, or an Italian blend
This looks fantastic! I’m always looking for new ways to cook chicken and this looks delicious. My family would love it.
http://marblecrumbs.com
Thanks! Hope you enjoy it!