herbed chicken with spicy cherry tomatoes

My Dad has never ever liked chicken. He won't even eat any food that has been near chicken. He must have been traumatized as a kid. Poor guy. He's missing out on delicious chicken like this!

Chicken with spicy herbed cherry tomatoes. Mmmm. Oh me oh my. This dish warmed my tummy and made my taste buds dance. I served it with couscous and broccoli.

I've never been very good at preparing chicken but pounding it out into a thin, even thickness, really helped. It was cooked through and still moist. I was thrilled because my previous experiences with chicken ended with really dry parts and undercooked parts. This technique is a must for quick cooking! It even fools you into thinking you are eating more than you really are. It's also super cheap but looks gourmet.

I served the chicken and tomatoes alongside lemon orzo. The lemon-y taste of the orzo paired well with the hint of lemon on the chicken and tomatoes. Orzo cooks up in 10 minutes so this side dish is a snap.

Chicken with spicy herbed cherry tomatoes
adapted from One Lovely Life

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast cutlets (these were labled "thin sliced" in my market)
2 1/2 tbs of butter
1 tsp of oregano
2 tsp of fresh basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 c cherry tomatoes
3 tbs flour
extra virgin olive oil

Make it:
Combine butter, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to incorporate. In a shallow dish mix flour, salt and pepper. Pound out chicken to an even thickness, the thinner the quicker it will cook (I used my rolling pin and some plastic wrap).

Heat pan to medium/high and coat with a thin layer of evoo. Dredge chicken in flour, shake off excess. Add half the butter and the chicken to the pan (if working in batches, divide the butter accordingly so all chicken gets a bit of butter). Cook chicken for 7 minutes then flip and cook for 4-5 more minutes. Set chicken aside. Add the remaining butter to the pan along with cherry tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occaisionally.

Get it on the table faster with some night-before prep:

1. Prepare the herbed butter, store it in the refrigerator until you need it.
2. Put the flour salt and pepper on a shallow plate and cover with plastic wrap.
3. Pound out the chicken and store in a plastic storage bag.

You already have all the hard work done! Now you can get this dish on the table in 20 minutes.

Eat this!