Do you ever have those days where your refrigerator is full but there's still nothing to eat? We were given...GIVEN tons of lovely produce this week by a friend that went out of town and didn't want her food to go to waste. So, we have a TON of vegetables. But, because I didn't really do a prep day, there isn't much around to just snack on. That's what I get for slacking at the beginning of the week.
Enter a Target run for one thing (a new planner), from which I emerge with a carton of wine (classy), a bottle of kombucha, and free bananas for the kids. I was able to stop myself from buying a Snickers in the check out line, but it was tough. I mean, they stare at you saying "HUNGRY?" right on the wrapper. My favorites are the ones that say "CRANKY"... that was, and is often, me. Hungry and cranky after chasing my toddlers around Target and asking them a million times to stop climbing on the cart. Dear God! Please just get away from the cart! But I powered through and basically inhaled my kombucha on the way home.
When we got home, I started on dinner and remembered that I had eliminated mozzarella from our grocery cart to save a few bucks this week. I thought I would just get creative with all these fresh veggies and cut down on our cheese consumption all at once. I get ambitious when we're tightening our budget. Case in point: this week, I also only purchased one package of pull-ups for the girls to share and told myself this was going to be my push to finally get Charlie potty trained. How well do you think that's going?
Anyway, I had to modify one of the recipes in our meal plan because 1. I didn't have mozzarella and 2. I didn't feel like grilling. Grilled chicken mozzarella melts turned into this happy-almost-accident dish that I'm sharing here, and I'm so glad it did. It was absolutely divine!
In case you're wondering, the kid version of this meal was an extra cooked chicken breast, sliced into strips in a bowl with ketchup. I called them "chicken dippers" and my kids LOVED them.
Balsamic and Feta Chicken Bruschetta
Serves 2
Active time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
2 Boneless and skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Canola oil spray
1 Quart cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered (depending on their size)
Pinch of sugar
1 Tbsp good balsamic vinegar (or more, to taste)
1 Clove garlic, smashed
Feta cheese
Fresh basil
Directions:
Butterfly the chicken by using a knife to cut lengthwise into a wider, flatter piece. To do this, sandwich the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound the chicken breast using a sort-of sweeping motion going from the middle to the edges. Stop when the chicken is 1/4" inch thick across the whole piece. Lay all the chicken breasts flat on a plate or platter and season with kosher salt.
Spray a large cast iron skillet or griddle with the canola oil and heat to medium. Place the chicken on the pan, seasoned side down. While that side is cooking, season the top with more kosher salt. Spray the tops of the chicken pieces with a little more oil. Check for doneness after 3-5 minutes and flip when the bottom is nice and golden brown. Cook on the other side until it looks the same. Remove from the heat.
If you used a griddle, grab another pan for the tomatoes. Otherwise, they can be cooked in the same cast iron skillet, right after the chicken. Add a little olive oil to the pan and heat to medium. Add in the tomatoes, season them with kosher salt, and cook until they begin to soften and lose some of their juices. You may even try pressing on them a little with the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with a pinch of sugar and continue to stir and cook them down. Once they're pretty soft, drizzle in about a tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar. Stir to incorporate. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute more.
Place a piece of chicken on each plate. Top each piece with half of the balsamic tomatoes. Crumble about 1/2 oz feta over the top. Garnish with torn fresh basil leaves.
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