#22 (2/30)

22. Try 30 new recipes (2/30)

I’ve actually done this one more than twice already, but haven’t really found anything worth sharing…until now.

My boyfriend and I had a romantic candlelight dinner last night (See No. 81) and tried out a few new recipes. We cooked everything together and it came out fabulous. The first recipe is for garlic-herb chicken stuffed with tomato basil and cheese. We accompanied this with pasta covered in a tomato-basil cream sauce. DELICIOUS!

Chicken:
4 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 (12 ounce) bottle garlic and herb marinade
16 fresh basil leaves
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
4 slices provolone cheese
12 slices bacon
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Slice chicken breasts horizontally, without slicing them completely in half. Open the chicken breasts like a book. Place chicken and marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees

Place opened chicken breasts on a broiler pan. Place 4 basil leaves on the bottom half of each chicken breast. Top each with 2 or 3 tomato slices and 1 slice of cheese, and fold over top half of chicken (if necessary, fasten with toothpicks). Wrap 3 slices bacon around each chicken breast.
Cook for 15 minutes. Turn chicken, and cook additional 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan and return to oven, until cheese is melted (2-3 min).

Tomato Cream Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 cups peeled, chopped, and seeded tomatoes
1 sprig thyme
Kosher Salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and thyme. Season with salt and crushed red pepper, and cook until the tomatoes give up their liquid, about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the chicken broth and tomato paste, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by 1/3 in volume. Add the cream and cook until reduced thick enough ot coat the back of a spoon. Add the butter and basil and stir. Remove the thyme sprigs. Usin ga blender or food processor puree the sauce. BE CAREFUL IT IS HOT! Serve over pasta.