Skillet Chicken and Bruschetta

By barbsjustagirl

Ingredients

• CRISPY SKILLET CHICKEN:
• 4 chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
• 1 C Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 t salt
• 3 T olive oil
• BRUSCHETTA PASTA:
• 1/2 (16 ounce) box bowtie pasta
• 2 pints grape tomatoes
• 1 t balsamic vinegar
• 5 T fresh basil, chopped and divided
• 1 T fresh garlic, minced
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 t fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 1 C Parmesan cheese, grated

Details

Adapted from Jamiecooksitup.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Pour 1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a loaf pan and toss it all together with a fork to combine.
2. Cut your chicken breasts into three equal sized strips and place them in a freezer safe gallon ziploc bag. Take a meat tenderizer (or the rim of an aluminum can will work as well) and pound the chicken out flat.
3. Dredge the chicken in the Italian Bread Crumbs and then set each one aside on a plate.
4. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and allow it to get nice and hot. Carefully place the chicken pieces into the hot oil. I could only fit half of the chicken in my pan, and thus cooked the chicken in two batches. When they are golden brown along the bottoms turn each piece over and allow it to cook on the other side. You may have to add just a bit more oil if the pan starts to get too dry.
5. Boil some water and cook your bowtie pasta according to package directions. I cooked the whole package, but only used about half of it for the Bruschetta Pasta. Some of my kids prefer to eat it plain with butter and salt (lame, don't-know-what-they-are-missing kind of nerds, aren't they). When your pasta has cooked through, dump it into a strainer you have set in your sink.
6. While the pasta and chicken cook pour 2 pints of grape tomatoes into a large mixing bowl.
7. Chop 5-6 tablespoons of fresh basil. Set 3-4 tablespoons of the basil aside to add at the end. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of basil and 1 tablespoon of fresh garlic to the tomatoes.
8. Add 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar to the bowl. Hit it with a bit of salt and pepper and stir it all up to combine.
9. Heat another large skillet up over medium high heat. (If you only have one skillet, and have used it to cook the chicken be sure that you wash it before you cook the bruschetta. The chicken drippings will end up getting a bit burned if you leave them in the pan.)
10. Add 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil to the pan. Allow the oil to get hot and then add the bruschetta mixture. Let the tomatoes get nice and puffy and the garlic to cook through. Should only take about 5 minutes. Carefully press a spatula over the top of the tomatoes allowing some of the juice to flow from each one.
11. Pour the pasta (I only used half of the box) into the cooked bruschetta.
12. Add about 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and the rest of the fresh basil. Give everything a nice stir. Taste it and add more salt, pepper or basil to your liking.