This yummy dish is great served over pasta, beside it, with some other starch or all by itself (if you are carbohydrate conscious). If you like goat cheese, which I can't get enough of, this will be right up your alley.
Begin with two frozen chicken breasts and start to defrost them in the microwave. When they are about half way thawed, take them out and cut them into three very thin slices. This is an alternative to pounding them thin that I like for this recipe. The thin slices of meat will allow the chicken to cook quickly so that it is tender and moist.
When you have sliced both the breasts, pop it back into the microwave to complete defrosting.
Next, take three garlic cloves
and slice them into as thin of slivers as you can.
Take the slivers of garlic and rub them over the chicken and than salt and pepper generously. Discard the garlic that was used to rub down the raw chicken. If you are serving the chicken with pasta, now is the time to put some salted water on to boil.
Put about a half a cup of flour on a plate next to the prepared chicken breasts. This will be used to dredge the breasts right before cooking them.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter in it once hot.
Take one slice of chicken at a time and drop it into the flour, dredging on one side
and flipping to dredge the other
before placing it into the saute pan.
Continue the process with the remaining chicken slices.
Let the breasts cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are nice and brown and then begin to flip them.
When they have all been flipped, continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes
and then remove them to a plate and keep warm.
To make the sauce, finely mince 4 cloves of garlic
and open a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes.
Now, take two roasted bell peppers. Here is a quick tutorial on roasting bell peppers if you need it and you missed it. I'm actually using one yellow pepper and a half a red pepper here because that is what I had in my fridge, but you can use up to two.
Dice the peppers finely by cutting in half, into thin strips and then rotating 90 degrees and cutting again.
Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the saute pan you cooked the chicken in
and start your pasta cooking, if you will be serving the chicken with it.
Throw the garlic into the pan
and cook for about a minute, being careful not to scorch it.
As soon as it is golden and fragrant, throw in the can of diced tomatoes
and the diced roasted bell pepper.
Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce cook over low heat and move back to your cutting board.
Take about 6 large basil leaves, stack them
roll them
and then thinly slice them. This technique of cutting herbs into long this slices is called chiffonade, which means "made of rags" in French. Chop about 1/2 cup of Italian parsley while you have your knife handy.
Now for the cheese! Take a log of goat cheese. This is 12 oz log. You will only need about 3 to 4 ounces for this recipe, but I always buy the large log at Sam's Club or Costo because it is so much more reasonable than the smaller logs at our local grocery store, and did I mention, I love goat cheese?
Lop off the end, or about 2 ounces
and take it and squeeze it right into your sauce.
Stir it in until it is melted and creamy
and then add in the basil.
When it is all combined, retrieve your chicken breasts and nestle them right into the sauce. You can't even see them in this picture, but they are hiding under the tomatoes and peppers.
Now, lop off another slice of goat cheese
sprinkle it right over the top of the chicken and sauce and then top with chopped Italian parsley.
Put some pasta on a plate and scoop out a couple of the chicken slices with lots of sauce and set it on top.
Yum! The goat cheese on top melts so nicely.
Or, if you have picky eaters, like I do, who have an aversion to food "touching", then you can plate the chicken slice beside the pasta.
and then watch him devour all the plain pasta before meticulously trying to remove all the goat cheese from the chicken and eat it. Oy!
Chunky Roasted Pepper and Tomato Chicken Scallopini with Goat Cheese
serves: 2 (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)
- 2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 c flour
- 2 T butter
- 1 T olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 roasted bell peppers, diced
- 4 oz goat cheese, divided
- 6 basil leaves, sliced chiffonade
- 1/2 c Italian parsley, chopped
- 8 oz thin spaghetti
Take three garlic cloves and slice them into thin slivers. Rub the slivers of garlic over both sides of the chicken breasts and salt and pepper; discard garlic. Bring salted water, for the pasta, to a boil.
Put half a cup of flour on a plate next to the prepared chicken breasts. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Take one slice of chicken at a time and drop it into the flour, dredging on one side and flipping to dredge on the other before placing it into the saute pan. Continue the process with the remaining chicken slices. Let the breasts cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are nice and brown and then flip them. When they have all been turned, cook for another 3 to 5 minutes and then remove them to a plate and keep warm.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
To make the sauce, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the saute pan you cooked the chicken in and add the garlic; cook for about a minute. When it is golden and fragrant, add the can of diced tomatoes and the diced roasted bell pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Squeeze 2 oz of goat cheese into the sauce and stir to combine; add the basil. Nestle the chicken breasts under the sauce in the saute pan. Sprinkle another 2 oz of goat cheese over the chicken and sauce and finish with the Italian parsley. Serve over or beside the pasta.
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