I made this delicious dinner last night to rave reviews. It was very easy to make with very few ingredients. Cooks in about 1/2 hour. Prep is fairly quick – maybe 15 minutes. I go to a local butcher when I am in the city but if I buy the chicken from Whole Foods or somewhere I pound them myself with a mallet which is a great tool to have on hand. You want chicken breasts to be about 1/2 thick.

Enjoy with spaghetti on the side , a fresh green salad, or zucchini noodles would be great.

*this recipe would probably serve 4 with a pasta and vegetable/salad on the side.

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes — your choice, Campari Tomatoes are also delicious when available I used cherry tomatoes

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons balsamic glaze, plus more for serving — this is a must and it’s available in most food stores

1 1/2 Teaspoons kosher salt

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts mine were small but it was just for the two of us so make sure yours are larger if you are cooking for 4 (app. 2 lbs. total)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese or grated mozzarella — I used grated because that’s what I had in the house

fresh Basil — about a 1/4 of a small bunch

Directions:

Arrange rack in the middle of the oven and heat oven to 425 degrees

Mince 3 garlic cloves

Use cooking spray on a 9×13 inch broiler safe baking dish

wash tomatoes and add to the sprayed baking dish

In a small dish I mixed 3 minced garlic cloves, 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 2 Tablespoons balsamic glaze, and app. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt — stir to combine and pour over the tomatoes and using clean hands mix around on the tomatoes making sure tomatoes get covered

Pound 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts if not already pounded by butcher: Season all over with the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Add the chicken to the baking dish 1 piece at a time, turning to coat all over with the balsamic mixture. Push the tomatoes to the edge of the baking dish and nestle the chicken in a single layer in the middle ( see photo)

Roast until the chicken is cooked through and registers at least 165 degrees on an instant read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part about 20 minutes.

If using fresh mozzarella slice thinly, Pick the leaves from the bunch of basil and chop it or thinly slice it as well.

Remove the chicken from the oven and I took a fork and smashed tomatoes which happened very easily to release the juices and then heat the oven to broil . Place the cheese over the chicken and return to the oven and broil for app. 2 minutes. All ovens differ so check on it after 1 minute, mine needed 2.

Drizzle with more balsamic glaze if desired ( recommend) and garnish with fresh basil.

Spoon the tomatoes and sauce over the chicken and over pasta if you’re using. It’s a light sauce but should yield enough for a small amount of pasta.