My Any Time Tomato-Basil Chicken is my easy and flavorful take on this “any occasion” recipe. Perfect for a nice night in alone or to dazzle visiting guests, this a recipe you will find yourself making over and over again.
This is one of my favorite dishes to make any time I can get my hands on some garden-fresh basil and tomatoes. I have a family friend who has a green thumb and an amazing garden that is always overflowing with more harvest then they can eat. Of course, me being the great friend that I am, I always offer to take some goodies off their hands. After all, what kind of person lets free herbs go to waste?! Obviously, if you don’t have a random garden on hand, store-bought fresh produce is just as tasty.
Many recipes suggest cooking chicken breast stovetop but since I am the type to get one dish going, then moving on, I’d rather bake my chicken breast. It’s just so easy to season, pop in the oven, and start on my side dishes or enjoy a nice glass of wine as I wait. I know some people get a little frazzled when it comes to baking chicken breast. It can either be pink and undercooked or dry and overcooked. Neither of those options makes for an A+ dinner. In my experience, the trick to tender, juicy, and most importantly COOKED chicken breast is high temperature and short cooking time. Roughly 20 or so minutes at 400 yields rave-worthy chicken breast. The cooking time certainly varies with regard to how thick/thin your cuts of chicken breast are, so to play it safe use a meat thermometer. Chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
I served my tomato basil chicken alongside my ranch & Italian dressing potatoes, yeast rolls, and a side arugula salad. Topping the potatoes with the buttery juices from the chicken dish adds a tangy and delicious finishing touch. When selecting sides, try to go for simple dishes. The chicken is already flavorful and robust, you don’t want too many herbs and spices on the plate that it becomes overwhelming.
I paired this dish with a dry and bold white wine. I had a chilled bottle of cool climate Chardonnay on hand and it was absolutely delish!
Ingredients
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Main Ingredients
- Seasonings
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Inside of a baking dish, melt the butter by popping in the oven for roughly 3 minutes. Allow for butter to cool to touch before continuing.
- Inside the buttered baking dish, season both sides of the chicken with seasonings.
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Top both sides of the chicken with chopped tomatoes and basil.
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Bake for 22-26 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through. Chicken is ready when the center is no longer pink and internal temperature reaches 165 F. Serve hot and enjoy!
