One of my absolute favorite things about summer (aside from the fact that I have a lot of time off work), is enjoying the things that I plant in my garden. I wish I could say that I’m as adept at gardening as my Mammaw and Pappaw were (they had gardens that would make Martha Stewart jealous), but I am a much more modest grower. I plant several varieties of peppers, fresh basil, and several types of tomatoes. I’ve tried planting more, but I’ve come to terms with what my time commitment can be (maybe more when I retire, right?) and also have gotten familiar with some of the folks at our farmer’s market.
The summer combination of fresh tomatoes and basil is definitely one of the things that keeps me gardening and those perfect flavors are why this Bruschetta Style Italian Chicken is frequently on our table this time of year. And as every good gardener knows in those moments of “What am I going to do with all of these tomatoes?” a good, fresh tomato recipe makes all of that gardening work worthwhile. ~Tracy
For the chicken:
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- garlic salt
- Italian seasoning (I use McCormick)
- black pepper
For the tomato topping:
- 4 large tomatoes, diced (enough chopped tomato to equal 2 cups)
- 2 T. finely chopped (chiffonade style) fresh basil
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- ½ T. balsamic vinegar
- Shredded parmesan cheese
Combine all topping ingredients (except parmesan) in medium size bowl and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for thirty minutes allowing the flavors to marry well.
Trim any fat from each chicken breast and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly season both sides of each chicken breast with garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper (a light dusting of all three on each side). Grill the chicken on an indoor or outdoor grill.
Top each grilled chicken breast with 1/2 cup of the tomato topping. Top with shredded parmesan cheese if desired.
This recipe is ZERO WW Freestyle points, not including the parmesan cheese.