I LOVE tomatoes! We have had a lifelong love affair actually. My first food solid was spaghetti and I was covered head to toe in sauce and noodles. As a plus, it’s summertime and that means I can pick them right off the vine at my parent’s house and they are as sweet and amazing as ever. I think summer is my favorite time of year to brand out of the tried and true recipes from my family kitchen and look for something healthier and lighter.

Italian cooking does not have to be heavy and don’t get me wrong, I LOVE all things pasta. But on this quest of health that I’m on, I wanted to mix up my chicken option and this dish sort of created itself. If you ever cook in my kitchen, you will know recipes are hard for me because I add ingredients mainly on how I feel and what the dish tastes like. I do my very best to keep track, but when you get me in a kitchen with tomatoes, basil, oregano, and garlic… watch out. Because I get way excited and forget to write anything down (not really, but I do get excited).

Bruschetta Chicken

For your ingredients (this will be in 2 parts):

Part One – Roasted Tomatoes

• 3 Cups Cherry Tomatoes
• 1/2-1 Cup Water
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 1 TBSP Dried Basil
• 1 TBSP Dried Italian Seasoning
• 5 Second Spray of Olive Oil Spray

Part Two – Chicken

• 2 Chicken Breasts (~1.5 LBs or 24 Oz.)
• 1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil

Total Cook Time: 1 Hour

1. Before you start the recipe, take a Ziploc bag or reusable food store storage container and add olive oil, balsamic vinegar and chicken. Let sit in fridge for ~2-3 hours if able or if not able to prep that long, the amount of time it takes to cook tomatoes will work too.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Spray non-stick frying pan with oil spray and place tomatoes in pan on medium heat. Cover and let warm for ~5-8 minutes.
4. Once the tomatoes begin to swell, take the flat side of a large cooking spoon or wooden cooking utensil and smash the tomatoes down, bursting them. Add water, garlic, and seasoning. You can always add more water if they begin to dry out too much – the consistency should be more sauce like.
5. Continue to stir the sauce until the tomatoes have broken down and a thicker sauce has formed.
6. In a glass baking pan, add chicken and marinade then top the chicken with tomatoes. There is enough in this recipe to add to a side of pasta or zucchini noodles as well so feel free to put a half cup of the tomatoes on each breast.
7. Place chicken in oven for 25-35 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and you’ve done it!

Yields 4 servings per batch above. Estimated Weight Watchers Points: 2sp per serving 

A crowd pleaser for any group whether it be family dinner or for an elevated occasion! And not too terrible on working time either! I love an easy recipe!

Cheers!

Taylor Guardino, The Food Lover Gone Southern