Stovetop Tomato Basil Chicken

So I'm a big advocate of "using what you have" but realistically,  there will come days where you do not want to eat what's in your freezer! Yesterday was a big example of that for me -- I needed a recipe, and fast. Plus, I was feeling inspired. I needed to pick up Austin from the airport after work, and that only left me an hour to grocery shop, get back to my apartment, and head to Reagan. Wonder Woman? Imagine that.

Leaving work, I started to google healthy recipes that had tomatoes. Personally, I'm not a fan of tomato-heavy recipes (my dad eats them raw and it makes me squirm, even though I know they're an incredible source of lycopene) but I was in the mood for something with Italian flair. Plus, we're on the cusp of tomato season (summer) so I knew tomatoes would be on sale. After googling for a while, I found this incredible recipe for Tomato Basil Chicken from LaaLoosh, a blog that specializes in Weight Watchers recipes (how did I not know about it before -- LaaLoosh, you are now one of my favorites!!!)

I was impressed about the way this dish is a single pot dish (eliminating the complaining mumbles that I usually hear/ignore as Austin loads the dishwasher) and is so easy to put together. It allowed me to be in and out of the grocery store in 15 minutes (and lucky for me, tomatoes on the vine were on sale, so I went with those instead of the grape tomatoes LaaLoosh used.) Besides that, I also made LaaLoosh's recipe my own by adding more basil for punch, as well as a fresh red bell pepper I had on hand. I added the pepper at the very end, so it added a nice fresh crunch! All in all, I highly recommend this next time you want to do a quick, easy, flavorful dinner -- straight from stove to table. Lay a towel down, and let's go.

Servings: 6

What You'll Need:

• 1.5lbs of raw boneless chicken breast (skin removed)
• 1.5lbs is about a 3-breast package
• 4 medium-sized tomatoes, cut into wedges
• LaaLoosh used grape tomatoes, so if you have that, go ahead!
• 1 cup fresh basil chopped (about 10-15 leaves)
• 1 good tbsp light spreadable butter (like I Can't Believe it's Not Butter or Land O' Lakes)
• Salt, Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Dried Oregano (or Italian Seasoning)
• Cooking Spray

  

  Candlelight dinner, anyone? =)

The Step-by-Step:

1. Carefully rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels. Slice each breast in two (long-ways) until you have six portions, and lay the chicken on a plate.
2. Season the chicken with the oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
3. In a pan coated with cooking spray, cook the chicken over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side. If your pan isn't big enough, you may have to do this in batches. When you are done with the last of the chicken, place all of it in the pan.
4. Add the tomatoes and most of the basil. After about two minutes, give it a good stir to make sure all of the chicken gets the flavor punch! You'll start to notice that the tomato is releasing lots of liquid at this point -- that is good!
5. After about 5 more minutes, turn off the heat, and stir in the butter. Add the remaining touch of fresh basil, and season with a little more salt and pepper until it tastes just right to you.
6. Serve over pasta, brown rice, on it's own, or even over fresh kale (we had it salad style!)

Again, I can't stress enough how much I loved this recipe (Austin raved too!) Not only that, but I want to stress how important it is to be open to other bloggers out there and learn from them -- cooking is not new and there are people out there that can teach you a thing or two -- so thank you LaaLoosh!! Lastly, be humble enough to use what you have (example: I used garlic powder because I forgot to get fresh garlic at the store) when trying something new -- and have the confidence to know that if you put enough love in it, it will taste great!

xoxo n

Recipe Adapted from LaaLoosh

Photos my own