Recipe of the Week: Florentine Butter Chicken with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

The thing I love most about summer is the abundance of produce. Whether you’re growing your own herbs, have an extensive backyard vegetable garden, or are simply picking up items from the Farmers Market, there’s no shortage of produce. And for me, this provides me with an endless amount of inspiration.

Of course, there are those moments when I am not sure what recipe to make next. However, when this happens I turn to the items I have on hand. In the fridge, growing in the herb garden, or just the produce I have on the counter. I let the food direct me in the kitchen. Sounds a bit cheesy, I know, but this is just how I end up developing my favorite recipes.

Enter this Florentine Chicken dish. It’s a delectable one-skillet dinner that comes together in just twenty minutes with minimal ingredients. All of these are currently in season and readily available at the Farmers' Markets.

Keep things colorful and super easy with this 20 Minute skillet chicken. Serve with mashed cauliflower, or angel hair pasta, or keep it super simple and serve with crusty bread to soak up all that sauce!

Florentine Butter Chicken with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes

1 large egg, beaten
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets (about 3/4 inch thick)
kosher salt and pepper
10 Tbsp. cold salted butter, cubed
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped thyme
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup fresh basil, torn

Place the egg and flour in separate shallow bowls. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge both sides of the chicken through the egg, and then through the flour, tossing to coat. Place the chicken on a plate. In an oven safe skillet set over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the tomatoes, garlic, 1 tablespoon thyme, and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the tomatoes begin to pop, about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the tomatoes to a plate. In the same skillet, melt together 4 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook until the bottom side is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken and add 6 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon thyme, swirling the butter around the chicken. Cook, basting the chicken in butter until the chicken is cooked and golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the mozzarella around the chicken. Spoon the tomatoes and lemon juice over top. Serve topped with lots of fresh basil. Enjoy!

--contributed by Jill Rozier
Lake Tahoe Markets
www.LakeTahoeMarkets.com