Others have written about the November Cooking Light magazine - page for page there were more recipes in it that looked interesting than just about any other magazine I've seen for years. So many that I am still working my way through them long after I would have normally moved on to other things. Last night's dinner was an example.
This was one of their series of quick recipes that are suitable for weeknight cooking when you get home from the office and don't really feel like doing a damn thing other than ordering in a pizza. Having a collection of these quick low-fat, low-stress recipes is ideal because they won't end up on making your jeans tight like that pizza will! All it takes is some planning to have everything on hand and you're good to go.
Now this recipe did take a bit longer for me because of the size of the chicken breasts - apparently those birds were on steroids. The recipe calls for 6 minutes per side in a grill pan. i'd be serving raw chicken at that point because the centres were VERY pink. I covered the grill pan in foil and baked them until cooked - the down side was that my lovely grilled marks sort of vanished in the oven. sigh - aesthetics vs food poisoning. A tough choice kids.
Giant chicken breasts aside, the recipe was easy to follow and we were both quite impressed with the results. The simple olive-tomato relish would work in so many other preparations - I'm thinking grilled fish - and adds a wee burst of summer which can't go unappreciated in the dead of winter.
Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Tomato-Olive Relish
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup chopped pitted olives
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.
While chicken cooks, combine remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil, basil, and vinegar in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add cherry tomatoes and olives; toss to coat. Serve relish with chicken.
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