Grilled Tomato Basil Chicken

Grilled Tomato Basil Chicken.

January 4, 2011

I’ve got another recipe to get you out of that boring-chicken rut!

It’s super simple and packed with tons of flavor. All you must do is marinate it beforehand, and cook when ready to eat. So tasty and loaded with layers of deliciousness.

And if you’re wondering, I think I spent more on this fresh basil than my latest pair of shoes.

You can only imagine how excited Mr. How Sweet gets when I cook chicken. It’s like Garth Brooks is touring again and his openers are Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H in a “fascinating” WWF match. With a Nascar race during intermission.

Chicken is an exciting topic in the How Sweet household.

But to be fair, almost anything is better than the stuff he used to eat in his bachelor days. If chicken gets you all hot and bothered too, I suggest trying some chicken chickpea soup, one pot tortilla soup, cheesy chicken and rice bake, crunchy honey chicken, healthy crunchy chicken fingers, buffalo chicken burgers or chicken mac and cheese. Mmmmmmm… cheese.

The possibilities here are endless: you can make a toasted sandwich, a pasta dish, serve it with rice, make a chicken bruschetta quesadilla, even throw it on top of pizza.

Or you can be like Mr. How Sweet and eat it with your fingers as soon as your spouse has finished photographing it. He has no shame.

I think he loved it, but I really couldn’t tell since his mouth was full. I did manage to translate that this was some of the “most tender chicken he had ever tasted.”

Try the marinade people.

Grilled Tomato Basil Chicken

serves 2 (or 1, if you’re Mr. How Sweet)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 large tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

for marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or any vinegar you have on hand)

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

2-24 hours before cooking, tenderize meat (with a meat tenderizer or frying pan), season generously with salt and pepper, and place in a ziplock bag. Add marinade ingredients and make sure all chicken is covered. Store in the refrigerator, flipping occasionally, until 30 minutes before grilling.

Preheat oven to 375.

Preheat grill, grill pan, or skillet on medium heat (I used a cast iron grill pan) and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Grill chicken 2-3 minutes on each side, until just cooked. Place in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is baking, chop one tomato and slice the other into thick rounds. Lay slices of tomato on a platter. When chicken is done, slice and lay on top of tomato. Cover with basil, chopped tomato, garlic and parmesan.