French-Cut Chicken Breast With Mozzarella, Pesto, and Balsamic Reduction Caprese Salad
(from castro15’s recipe box)
Categories: Meals
Ingredients
- 6 oz. Heirloom Cherry
- Tomatoes
- 3 Basil Sprigs
- 4 oz. Fresh Mozzarella, Whole
- 2 Airline Chicken Breasts
- 1 Tbsp. Sicilian Spice Blend
- 7 oz. Spinach
- 1 1/2 oz. Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 oz. Pesto
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with foil or use a nonstick baking sheet. Thoroughly rinse produce and pat dry. Halve tomatoes. Stem basil, stack leaves, roll into a long cylinder, and slice across the length to create very thin strips (chiffonade). Cut fresh mozzarella into 1" pieces. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Slicing basil into thin strips helps basil stay green by not bruising the leaves, which can sometimes happen when it’s chopped.
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Warm a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp. olive oil. Rub chicken breasts with the Sicilian Spice Blend and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add chicken to hot pan and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer chicken breasts to prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is cooked throughout and a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached. Remove from oven and set aside to rest.
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Wipe out pan used for chicken and return to medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp. olive oil and spinach to pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until just wilted. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer spinach to a plate. Wipe out pan.
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Add vinegar to the same pan used for spinach and cook over medium heat until reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm. If glaze hardens before serving, heat over medium-low heat with a tsp. of water until syrupy consistency is achieved.
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Place a serving of spinach on the plate. Rest a chicken breast atop the spinach. Arrange an even amount of cherry tomatoes and mozzarella next to the chicken. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and pesto. Garnish with basil chiffonade.