Quick Basil Chicken
This is my teenage son’s favorite dinner right now…which is fine by me. It is quick and easy and good…plus he always volunteers to help make it.
Here’s what you need:
*4 chicken breasts (although we only use three and I cut them in half)
*1 can of diced tomatoes
*1/4 cup of olive oil
*1 handful of fresh basil leaves
*2 tablespoons of minced garlic
*1/4 cup butter
*salt and pepper
*Pasta noodles of your choice
Here’s how to make it:
1. Cover your chicken with plastic wrap or wax paper and pound to an even thickness (about 1″). I usually cut each breast in half before doing this.
Meanwhile heat olive oil in a heavy skillet
2. Sprinkle both sides of your chicken with salt and pepper. Drop them into the pan and cook them for several minutes on each side. (You want to get them cooked through and nicely colored on each side.)
Meanwhile put your pasta water on the boil.
3. Once chicken is cooked remove from the pan and set aside. Then place all of the remaining ingredients into the pan to cook down into a savory sauce. This should take about as long as it takes your pasta to cook…so after you add your ingredients into the pan add your pasta into your boiling water.
4. Add the chicken back into the pan with the tomato sauce and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Meanwhile drain and plate your pasta.
5. Place chicken and sauce on top of your pasta and enjoy!
We eat this often with some foccacia bread and it is delicious!
(We also eat this a lot in the fall when we have fresh tomatoes from the garden….it is soooo good with fresh tomatoes…and I just planted a herb garden that is full of basil and rosemary so while we wait for the garden tomatoes we can be using our garden basil for the chicken and rosemary for the bread!)
