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–+ servings
Tomato basil chicken which is hicken breasts with chopped tomatoes, garlic, and basil in a cast iron skillet.

Tomato Basil Chicken

Grace Stewart
EASY. DELICIOUS. QUICK. 5 STAR. You will LOOOVE this fantastic dish! Served over pasta with lots of parmesan this is true perfection!
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people
Calories 216 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cups tomatoes chopped fresh
  • 2 ts garlic minced
  • 4 tablespoon butter
  • ½ cup fresh basil chopped or hand torn
  • parmesan grated, for garnish!

Instructions
 

  • Season chicken breasts with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to your skillet.  This may seem like quite a bit, but it will form the base for the sauce.
    Chicken breasts sizzling in a cast iron pan seasoned with salt and coarse pepper
  • While waiting for the oil to heat up, go ahead and get your water going for the pasta. When the oil is HOT, add the chicken breasts. After about 4-5 minutes, the chicken breasts should be ready to turn.  By the way, when did chicken breasts get SO HUGE?!   You'll want to cook them on the second side another 4-5 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you pierce them with a small sharp knife.  You don't want to OVER cook them, or they will be dry and tough.  If you pounded yours out thinner, they will cook faster than this.
  • After the second side has been cooking for about 4 minutes, go ahead and add in the fresh tomatoes that you have chopped up.  Next, add the fresh basil that you have chopped into ribbons, the cold butter, the minced garlic, and you will probably want to add some more salt and black pepper to season the sauce. Now give it all a good stir so all those flavors will marry together.
    Chicken breasts with garlic, basil, tomatoes
  • When your chicken is "done," turn the sauce down on the lowest setting to keep it all warm until the pasta is cooked, which should be any minute now. At this point, if still waiting for the pasta, you can remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board, and after resting just a couple of minutes, cut the chicken into slices on the bias.
  • Divide the pasta among individual bowls, and top each with half of a chicken breast, sliced into pieces, and equal portions of the tomato basil sauce.  Top with more fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

This recipe is from a newspaper clipping which I have held onto for years.  Unfortunately I do not know the author of this recipe so this recipe was not created by myself but I had to share it as it is AMAZING!
If your chicken breasts are very thick, I recommend slicing them in half lengthwise or pounding them to make them thinner.  This will help the chicken to cook quicker and it's also much easier to tell when the chicken is completely cooked through. 
You won't believe how much flavor is in this dish!  Serve over your favorite pasta with lots of parmesan and a side salad for an absolutely delicious meal!!!

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 25gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 151mgPotassium: 629mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 838IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
Keyword basil, Chicken, Pasta
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