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Summer Caprese Chicken

Print Recipe
Sauteed Chicken with Tomatoes, Pesto & Burrata
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken breast cutlets
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto
  • 8 oz fresh burrata or mozzarella
  • 2 small heirloom tomatoes, or 1 pint large cherry tomatoes, cut into large chunks
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • honey to drizzle on the finished dish
  • 1/2 cup torn fresh basil, for garnish
  • flaked maldon sea salt for finishing

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
  • Pat the chicken cutlets dry, and season liberally with kosher salt and black pepper - liberally! Place the flour in a shallow plate and dredge the cutlets through the flour to lightly coat, shaking off excess - you just want a very thin layer to help crust the chicken when you sear it.
  • Melt 2 Tbsp of butter and 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil in the skillet, and add the chicken breasts, cooking about 4-5 minutes each side until golden brown and just barely cooked through. You want to leave a little cooking time as you will finish the dish in the oven. This process will usually be done in two batches, as you want room around the chicken breasts so they sear instead of steaming.
  • After the chicken is cooked, put it all aside on a plate to make the sauce. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter, the white wine, and thyme to the skillet, swirling to combine. Add the chicken back to the pan, spooning the sauce over each cutlet. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the tomatoes, scattering amidst the chicken and layering into the pan. Spoon the pesto around the chicken and tomatoes, and tear the burrata as well, arranging evenly. Top everything with some red pepper flakes, and throw it into the oven for a few minutes to roast the tomatoes and burrata.
  • Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle heavily with freshly torn basil, and finish with flaky salt and a drizzle of runny honey if desired. Serve this hot chicken mess straight from the pan with a big spoon, and crusty bread on the side. The sauce is amazing to mop up.

Notes

This dish is very adaptable - it's loosely based on a dish from Half Baked Harvest that uses peaches, but I like the tomatoes as well here.  You can use Goat Cheese, even Feta - as long as it gets into the sauce it's all gorgeous at the end.  The honey is a nice touch to balance the savory tones of the chicken.  
If you prefer larger pieces of chicken, simply adjust the cooking time.  
NOTE - the ingredients picture shows an egg, which I omitted in one testing of this dish, and found the results to be just as good.  If you want the egg wash, just dredge the chicken in a mixture of egg and water before breading lightly in the flour, and pan sear as directed.