Bruschetta Chicken

When the weather gets really cold outside, like -20 below windchills, I start thinking about summer :-)  One of my favorite appetizers to eat in the summer is bruschetta.  It's pretty easy to make and tastes great.  Fortunately, with produce available year round, I can bring a little bit of summer to even the coldest winter night.  My one tip here is that I tend to buy basil paste rather than fresh basil in the winter.  I try to keep the basil alive when I buy it fresh, but it usually lasts only one meal, so the paste is a nice alternative.  This recipe makes two servings.

Ingredients:

Bruschetta

2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon basil paste
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Cup grated parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 boneless chicken tenderloins

Mix the tomatoes, garlic, basil paste, balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, black pepper, and a dash of olive oil  together.  Set aside to allow the ingredients to meld for 30 minutes or so.


Bruschetta ingredients and a picture of the basil paste

Bruschetta all mixed together ...mmm it smells so good!

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the 2 Tablespoon oil oil and garlic in a small bowl.

Brush both sides of the chicken tenderloins with the oil and garlic mixture.  (Cook's note - I used the meat mallot to flatten the chicken tenderloins before brushing them with the olive oil mixture, I think they cooked quickly and evenly this way.





Tenderloins brushed with olive oil and garlic and ready to go into the oven.



Adding Bruschetta and Parmesan topping

Bake for 15 minutes.  Take them out of the oven.  I use a few paper towels to absorb the liquid in the baking dish. Then take one fourth of the Bruschetta ingredients that you had set aside and top each tenderloin.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.  Bake for another 5-10 minutes.  For a browner top, broil for the last minute.




Dinner!