There is nothing my husband and son love more then a chicken breast slathered in flavor + cheese for dinner. So when I eyed all of the tomatoes and basil I saw in the produce section, I thought what if what I love slathered on bread they would love on a chicken breast?
Turns out I love it too.
This dinner gets bonus points for being totally easy + doable on a busy sports night. You can easily chop up the shallots, garlic and tomatoes earlier in the day, and then prep is a snap.
Turn on a 350 oven, pour the marinade over the chicken breasts for 10 min. 
Toss the tomatoes with a duplicate version of the marinade plus some julienned basil, and voila, your prep is done.
Add some mozzarella cheese and the tomatoes to the chicken and let it cook while you do any of the million tasks you have to do in your house before you leave to go pick up someone from some field.
It also reheats beautifully for anyone who has to eat later or for lunch the next day (yum! flavors just get better).
What is amazing about this dish is how the sweetness of the tomatoes combines with the acidity of the balsamic, plus those lovely aromatics of shallots and garlic, to become one of the most flavorful bites of food you will ever have. The 10 minute marinade infuses the chicken with that flavor so well. And the gooey cheese is the perfect textural combination.
I had mine with spaghetti squash but the others had it over pasta. And those tomatoes look like a lot but they are the perfect amount to create the perfect tomato/chicken/pasta ratio with every bite.
My goal for this blog is always to give great dinner rotation ideas – almost everyone likes them, they are super doable, but they also could make you happy if you ordered it in a restaurant. This one is a winner on all counts. Hope you get to try it soon!
Happy Eating,
xoxo Katie
Bruschetta Chicken
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
- 4 Chicken Breasts
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots (2 shallots)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
For the tomatoes:
- 2 pounds ripe heirloom or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots (2 shallots)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup julienned fresh basil leaves, plus extra for serving
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Directions:
Combine all ingredients for the marinade: shallots, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken breasts in a cooking dish and pour marinade over them for 10 min.
While it marinates, combine a second marinade for the tomatoes (minus the Italian seasoning). Toss tomatoes, marinade, and basil together and taste. Add more salt, vinegar or oil if necessary.
When 10 minutes are up, add 1/4 cup mozzarella to the top of each chicken breasts (feel free to add more if you like of course), the spread tomatoes over all of the chicken breasts and cook in the oven for 30-35 min. or until chicken is cooked through.
Serve over pasta or spaghetti squash.
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