Supper Time: Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes

Hello again. It’s time for cooking with the Mad Woman where I share some of my favorite recipes, whether they’re mine or not!

This one again comes from Cooking Light’s Fresh Food Fast. I’ve owned this cookbook for almost 6 months and still have yet to try every recipe. I found this one by looking at the huge harvest of cherry tomatoes my neighbor had given me a couple of months ago and then grabbing my cookbook and looking in the index for tomatoes.

I LOVE roasted tomatoes but I never found a recipe that I was able to replicate with any success, until this one. I think you’re going to like it. It calls for grape tomatoes which I suspect are always available at most grocery stores. Yes, it saddens me that I don’t have a hot house to grow cherry tomatoes year round.

The juices escaping from the roasting tomatoes combine with the honey and olive oil to make a syrupy glaze to coat the tomatoes and the chicken.
Prep: 5 minutes; Cook: 12 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 1/4 cup tomatoes)

Ingredients

  • 1  pint grape tomatoes
  • 1  tablespoon  honey
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons  olive oil
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
  • 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
  • Cooking spray
  • Balsamic vinaigrette salad spritzer (such as Wish-Bone)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; place tomato mixture on a foil-lined jelly-roll pan. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until tomato skins burst and begin to wrinkle, stirring once. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl, scraping juices into bowl. Stir 1/4 teaspoon salt into tomato mixture.
3. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Place chicken on individual plates; coat each breast half with 2 to 3 sprays of balsamic spritzer. Spoon tomatoes evenly over chicken.

The wise folks at Cooking Light paired this with an Mushroom and Zucchini Orzo.  We’ll eat mushrooms in this form when pigs fly (don’t tell the husband how many recipes I make with cream of mushroom soup!)  So I substitute a crook neck squash for the mushrooms.  I think olives would be EXCELLENT in this but Adonis feels the same way about olives as he does about mushrooms.

Ingredients

  • 1  cup  uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
  • Cooking spray
  • 1  cup  sliced mushrooms
  • 1  cup  diced zucchini
  • 1  tablespoon  butter
  • 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
2. While orzo cooks, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and zucchini; sauté 6 minutes or until tender and browned.
3. Combine orzo, mushroom mixture, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, tossing gently.

The two year old likes both chicken and tomatoes (and ANY form of pasta) so this was a hit with her as well. (Though she did pick out the squash from the orzo. You can’t win them all!)

8 Responses to Supper Time: Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes
  1. tulpen
    November 13, 2010 | 7:15 am

    Blah blah blah. Never gonna cook this.

    But.

    Hubs is making me my favorite tonight! Chicken Kiev!

    Someone wants a blow job!

  2. dirt clustit
    November 13, 2010 | 7:22 am

    That does sound good. I wonder if the taste is noticeably effected is Mrs. Dash is used as a sub or a variety of raw collared greens accompanies the dish.

    How many different ways have you tried it Amy?

  3. dirt clustit
    November 13, 2010 | 7:27 am

    Tulpen can you get me a job that isn’t reported to uncle Sam so that no taxes are taken out nor forced to pay later. I always though the term was under the table, but if you can swing it i would love a b low job, or below or however the term is used, felt,comes or goes or is sayed she ated these days

  4. BLissed-Out Grandma
    November 13, 2010 | 1:43 pm

    Interesting recipe… I like stuff like this but I’m not sure my hubby does. However, when I retire and start doing some cooking, I’m making stuff I like. So there.

  5. Coffeypot
    November 13, 2010 | 7:12 pm

    How ’bout some cold chicken breast and a couple of beers? Now that is some good stuff.

  6. Symdaddy
    November 14, 2010 | 1:56 am

    Dear Mad (ni ceboobies) Lady,

    thank you for that repsippy which is wot I am cook ing I did!

    I added sum whiksy … lots of id .

    And I ma wry ting tihs cos that waht I did was amishtake.

    And I jusht pa juked all over the taybel

    yors sickly

    Dimsaddy

  7. Organic Motherhood with Cool Whip
    November 17, 2010 | 12:57 am

    Sounds AWESOME. I love roasted tomatoes. And orzo. Going to give this recipe to my personal chef and have him cook it up for me immediately. Cuz I’m salivating already. Oh wait. I don’t have a personal chef. I guess I just eat graham crackers instead. Cuz I’m lazy like that.

  8. simple cheescake recipes
    December 5, 2010 | 8:10 pm

    Blah blah blah. Never gonna cook this.

    But.

    Hubs is making me my favorite tonight! Chicken Kiev!

    Someone wants a blow job!

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