My husband is a wonderful cook. He enjoys it, and he’s good at it. But when he needs a break, and therefore I have a file on Pinterest of recipes to try. This mozzarella chicken recipe comes from Little Spice Jar , and what I liked about it was her very interesting sauce tip that lived up to expectations. That tip, is adding a tablespoon of sun dried tomato pesto to the homemade sauce. I was amazed how such a small addition truly did make the sauce taste like an Italian grandmother had labored over it in a simmer all day.
Again you can find the original recipe here. I like less red pepper flakes, but essentially everything else I do is the same.
Ingredients:
- 4 small chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato pesto
- salt and pepper + ¼ cup water
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese (or 1 cup shredded)
TO SERVE:
- chopped parsley or basil + pasta or crusty bread
Directions:
- CHICKEN: Salt and pepper the chicken and place in a nonstick skillet, with olive oil in it, over medium to high heat. Cook each side 3-5 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. If you are planning on serving this with pasta, get the water going and cook the pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, move the chicken to a plate.
- TOMATO SAUCE: Preheat the oven on the broiler setting. Add the onions to the oil remaining in the pan, and saute them about 3 minutes til soft, then add the garlic for 30 seconds. Now add that can of crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, dried basil, and pesto. When the sauce reaches a simmer, add a ¼ cup of water, lower the heat, cover and add the cooked chicken breasts back in. Allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes. This will let it reduce and become thicker.
- Presentation : Top each breast with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese just melts. Top with chopped parsley or basil. This is excellent on top of linguine, and with crusty bread!
