This quick and easy chicken recipe is delicious and light with fresh mediterranean vibes. It is one of my quick go-to chicken recipes, when I am not sure what to cook for dinner. You can easily adapt the below recipe to your own tastebuds depending on how much pesto, fresh tomatoes, or basil you would like!
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25-27 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved (cherry tomatoes can be used as well)
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil, chopped
- 1 Mozzarella Ball (or 2 Mozzarella cheese slices)
- 2 Tbsp Basil Garlic Pesto Sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions:
Prepare a small baking dish or pan with either cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. (I prefer to line mine with parchment paper to assist with clean up and ensure nothing sticks, but this is personal preference)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
For the chicken: In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 Tbsp of the olive oil, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside. Place chicken breasts onto a large piece of parchment paper and fold the parchment paper back over the top of the chicken completely covering the chicken breasts. (I like to use this method for easier cleanup, although you can also place chicken breasts into a large ziplock bag) Using a meat mallet flatten the chicken breasts until they are about ½ inch thick and the thickness is even across both of the chicken breasts. Brush the seasoned olive mixture onto your chicken.
In a large saute pan heat the 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat and add your chicken. Cook for about 3-4 minutes and then flip the chicken over and cook an additional 3-4 minutes. (The chicken will finish cooking in the oven, so there is no need to ensure that the chicken is cooked all the way through at this point. This step is done just to lightly brown the outside of the chicken breast) Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking dish. Top with either slices of mozzarella from the mozzarella ball or the pre-sliced mozzarella cheese (I like using slices from a fresh mozzarella ball, just because I love cheese and the taste of the cheese from the mozzarella ball, but either will work!) Once the cheese is on the chicken, place the baking dish into the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
For the tomato topping: While the chicken is cooking in the oven, mix into a small bowl your 1 cup halved grape (or cherry) tomatoes, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Gently stir to combine and set aside.
Assembly: Once the chicken has been cooked through, remove from the oven and top each chicken breast with 1 Tbsp of the basil garlic pesto sauce, spreading across the chicken breast and a generous scoop of the tomato mixture. Serve Immediately!
~Love Kristen
