Dinner Recipes,  Easy Weeknight Dinners

Bruschetta Chicken

July 21, 2019 /

This is a really easy weeknight dinner with a ton of flavor. This is a perfect summer dish especially if you have a garden. I don’t have a huge garden but enough to keep my summer staples going, mainly tomatoes and basil (I can’t get enough of caprese salad!) What makes this dish is the caprese/bruschetta topical and the balsamic vinegar. I don’t have a really good balsamic vinegar but my stepmother gave me a really good idea of just reducing my balsamic vinegar and it works great….you get that thicker syrupy consistency that you get when you buy a really good aged balsamic.  I know this dish may seem like there are a lot of steps but all of the steps are quick and easy. This dish from start to finish should take around 45 min or less. I served this dish with a side of grilled Naan. Let’s get cooking:)

Serves 4

Lets start with the topical, as you are going to want to make this first so the salad has time to meld:)

Ingredients:

  • 8oz of mini mozzarella balls
  • 4oz of cherry tomatoes halved
  • 4 basil leaves chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic minced (if your cloves are really small mince 2 cloves)
  • 1 Tbs of olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1/4 tsp of truffle oil (optional)

Whisk olive oils, garlic, basil, and salt and pepper. Fold in mozzarella and tomatoes. Let stand until chicken in complete

Next we’re going to make the balsamic syrup.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar

In a small sauce pan simmer balsamic vinegar over a low-medium heat, continue to stir and check on as you don’t want the balsamic to burn. I started this while I was searing the chicken and found the timing was perfect. Just a cooks note, if you would like the vinegar to taste a little sweeter, add a touch of brown sugar. When your vinegar has a thicker consistency (your vinegar should be reduced by half), remove from heat about 10 minutes.

Next we’re going to prepare chicken

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
  • 1 Tbs of olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp of Italian Seasonings
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Seared Chicken Directions:

(Preheat your oven to 375 degrees) The next step is going to be searing the chicken, I had 2 huge chicken breasts and that served four people as I sliced the chicken on top of the lettuce salad.

In a oven safe sauce pan place over medium high heat, add 1 Tbs of olive oil and add chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper and Italian seasoning. When chicken is brown on one side turn over. When both sides of chicken breast are brown place in oven for about 10-15 minutes or until thickest center of chicken is done or thermometer reads 165 degrees. When chicken is done cooking remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Finally, we’ll prep the salad while the chicken is resting

Ingredients:

  • 5 oz of bagged mixed greens
  • 1/2 Tbs of olive oil
  • about 2 Tbs of reduced balsamic glaze
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Salad Directions:

Place greens in a large mixing bowl, drizzle half of the balsamic glaze over lettuce with a 1/2 Tbs of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mix gently and portion on plates evenly. Add sliced chicken on top of lettuce and spoon bruschetta on top of chicken. Finish off with drizzling the rest of the glaze on top of your chicken. I served this with a side of Naan and it worked perfectly.

Enjoy,

Jessi XOXOXOX