These one-pan Caprese chicken thighs incorporate all the flavors from a Caprese salad. They are turned into a main dish skillet meal with chicken. Why, yes, please! We like this dish with a green vegetable or salad, with warm crusty bread. As usual, I forgot to take a shot of my dish. I even forgot to note the wine we paired with it. No matter, it was very good and will make it again, and again.
Here we go.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 lemon, zested and juiced, divided
1 teaspoon honey
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 pinch salt
4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
torn fresh basil leaves for garnish
Directions
As always, pat the thighs dry and then season with salt and pepper.
Grab a large mixing bowl. Combine the balsamic, broth, tomato paste, and lemon juice. Do not add the zest yet. Add the honey, 1 TBSP of minced basil, and the garlic.
Throw in (gently) the chicken thighs and mix until coated. At this point, you have two options. You can cover the result and refrigerate it for up to 4 hours. Alternatively, you can carry on to the next step. Up to you, either way the next step is the same.
Gently place the chicken and mixture into 12 inch skillet over medium heat. When the liquid boils, cover and reduce heat to med/low. Simmer for 7 minutes or so, turn the chicken and increase to medium, uncovered. This should take 7 minutes or less for them to no longer be pink in the middle.
Remove the chicken and juices to a serving dish. Tent to keep warm. Wipe the skillet and add the oil. Add the tomatoes once the oil is hot. Watch for splatter. Let them sit for a few minutes until they blister. Stir then allow them another couple of minutes. Add a pinch of salt if desired.
Once the tomatoes are done, pour them over the chicken, top with mozzarella, lemon zest and basil. Serve promptly.
Here is a story. I once edited and wrote for a short time for a now-dormant online magazine, The Harmony Chronicles. It was a magazine dedicated mainly to independent artists of any genre, recipes, self-help, and anything else we considered interesting. We, as several partners, willingly gave our time. We aimed to make a go at a collective dream. We wrote about what we loved.
It was a good time for all, but it became all-consuming. We wore ourselves out editing, interviewing, and creating material. We hoped this material would interest the public. It basically fell apart from there.
Enough maudlin! I recently felt the urge to start something like this again. I initiated contact with my friend Don (more on him later). The website for his online radio group was active (obviously). Luckily for me, the blog we had started to help out the magazine still existed.
With his and Sam’s (more about him later) permission, I again have access to that website and will begin writing again on various subjects that I love, not just music, but slanted in that direction.
I hope to start churning out some new material very soon, and I will post here and there simultaneously. All articles here will be mirrored on the Kat Radio Group site at HARMONY CHRONICLES
At this point, I am calling any musicians or groups that would be willing to interview for some free publicity. Send your request to johnlorieh@gmail.com
In addition to interviews, I am working on several new recurring series and resurrecting some old ones. Stay tuned.
Since retiring, I have indulged myself in a wide variety of projects, basically all the stuff I’ve wanted to do since, like, forever. One that I am having some fun with is cooking. It is easy to combine with one of my other loves, wine. As my co-conspirator in life has similar tastes, this was a no-brainer to move forward. So, I have put writing a book, learning to speak Spanish and becoming a guitar hero on the back burner while concentrating on this one. Unfortunately, I returned to work and have had to cut back on some indulgences.
Our Saturday night dinner on this occasion was Tuscan Pork Tenderloin. A very simple recipe, quick to prepare with very little fuss or muss. Here’s the recipe. Note it is for 4 servings, but we find far too often that 4 equals 2.5.
Ingredients
Ingredient Checklist
4 servings
1 ⅓ teaspoons garlic, minced
⅘ teaspoon dried rosemary
⅘ teaspoon dried oregano
⅓ teaspoon salt
⅓ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ⅓ pounds pork tenderloin
Directions
Step 1 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Step 2 Combine garlic, rosemary, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over the pork tenderloin. Place in a baking dish.
Step 3 Bake in the preheated oven until pork is slightly pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Like I said, it’s very simple. We would suggest upping the time to 30 to 35 minutes. That was the only issue we had. The clean-up was super easy as well. We used Jasmine rice for a base, mixed with frozen broccoli and butternut squash. The vegetables were cooked in a bit of olive oil and spiced with salt and pepper to taste.
We paired the dish with one of our go-to wines, Meiomi Pinot Noir. The two went together very nicely. The wine is a typical California Pinot, although it has more of a vanilla taste than most. A popular brand, it goes in the $20.00 range.
Overall the supper was a success and one we will repeat in future. The tenderloin was excellent. The minimal spice only accented the overall taste and melded with the wine. I’d rate it a 9 of 10, very subtle, very good.
Today’s adventure in Saturday night suppers is Chicken Thighs in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce. As a bonus we prepped a side dish, Roasted Asparagus in Lemon Vinaigrette. Both are reasonably simple recipes, however, we made a few changes due to a poor shopper, me. We used 18% cream instead of heavy cream, and dried basil instead of fresh basil leaves for the chicken. The asparagus did not have lemon zest because someone forgot to buy lemons and we did not have parsley either. Still, both turned out fine, and after the second bottle of wine, we didn’t care very much.
Today’s adventure in Saturday night suppers is Chicken Thighs in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce. As a bonus we prepped a side dish, Roasted Asparagus in Lemon Vinaigrette. Both are reasonably simple recipes, however, we made a few changes due to a poor shopper, me. We used 18% cream instead of heavy cream, and dried basil instead of fresh basil leaves for the chicken. The asparagus did not have lemon zest because someone forgot to buy lemons and we did not have parsley either. Still, both turned out fine, and after the second bottle of wine, we didn’t care very much.
Chicken Thighs in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
These chicken thighs are quick and easy dinner. Eat them as is, or serve over pasta or rice.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 566kcal
Ingredients
1 1/2 lb. chicken thighs skinless and boneless
Salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth/stock sodium free
1 cup cup heavy cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup parmesan grated
1 cup basil leaves
Instructions
1. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towel
2. Preheat a large skillet on medium high heat. Add olive oil and then add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides.About 6-8 minutes total. Remove onto a plate.
3. Chop your sun-dried tomatoes and add them to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes.
4. Add white wine and simmer for 2 minutes to let the alcohol evaporate.
5. Now add chicken stock heavy cream, Dijon mustard, salt, Italian Seasoning, onion and garlic powders. Bring the mixture to a low simmering point and then add Parmesan cheese. Use a whisk or a wooden spoon and mix it in until you have a smooth mixture.
6. Add basil leaves and cook until wilted.
7. Return chicken to skillet and allow it to warm up for an additional 5 minutes.
8. Serve chicken with sauce on top.
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette
Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 22 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Servings 4
Calories 91 kcal
INGREDIENTS
1 pound (450 g) asparagus
2 tablespoons (30 g) very finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar
Freshly grated zest from one lemon
1 tablespoon (25 ml) fresh lemon juice
½ – ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 green onion root end and one inch green top trimmed
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
Flaky sea salt optional
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450 (225C) degrees.
2. Trim off the tough ends from the asparagus and place on a small rimmed baking sheet.
3. Whisk together shallot, vinegar, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Taste and season with additional salt, if needed.
4. Pour 2 tablespoon of the vinaigrette over the asparagus and season to taste with black pepper. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon water.
5. Slice the green onion into thin rings. Combine the green onion, parsley and remaining lemon zest in a small bowl.
6. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast10 – 12 minutes, until the asparagus is beginning to brown at the tips.
7. Transfer asparagus to a serving plate. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and sprinkle with the parsley mixture. Finish the dish with a pinch of flaky sea salt, if you like.
We served with a bed of white Basmati rice and paired with Chilean wine, one of our favourites, Coyam. It is a blend of a variety of organic grapes. A very good wine, in the $20.00 range and is great with food and and as a glass when the doctor orders it.
