Easy Weeknight Tomato Basil Chicken (30-Minute Dinner!)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walmart. The opinions and text are all mine.

Not to brag, but I've been killing it with quick recipes lately (peep this 15-minute number if you don't believe me)--especially one-pan meals because cleanup is everybody's least favorite part of cooking. Today, we're talking about another scrumptious dinner dish and this one is made with locally grown produce found at Walmart. Let's get into this tomato basil chicken, y'all! It's an easy, light, weeknight dinner and a great option for those following keto, paleo, or Whole30 lifestyles. It's even gluten-free! (If you're vegan, this isn't the one for you, sorry. Here's a one-pan all veggie dish in case that's more your speed!)

Are you short on time? Aren't we all? Well, this simple recipe clocks in at exactly 30 minutes and, if you multi-task a little, even fewer. While the chicken does its thing in the pan, I like to slice and dice up my veggies, which cuts out that little five minutes of prep time. Speaking of veggies, the Heavenly Villagio San Marzano tomatoes are actually the star of this dish. They're locally grown at Village Farms in Marfa, TX and carried at Walmart. Before incorporating the tomatoes into my tomato basil chicken, I got to taste them at Pondecheri in Chef Anita Jaisinghani's seasonal Khichri + Soup dish as part of Walmart's Rediscovering America program. The dish was filling and comforting without being heavy, which inspired me to whip up something with similar qualities.

This tomato basil chicken dish totally fits the bill. The chicken breast is seasoned simply and pan-fried in a bit of olive oil. After than, I use butter to cook down the locally-grown tomatoes, onions, and garlic but you can go with olive oil only if you want and it will still be good. Juicy tender chicken, spicy sautéed veggies, and a hint of sweetness from the basil all come together wonderfully in one pan and the result will make you proud of yourself. Make this and you'll feel like you have the finesse of Rachael Ray during her Food Network days! This isn't a mouth-burning type of spicy dish but it does have a kick, so feel free to dial back the amount of crushed red pepper if you aren't into that. My feelings won't be hurt at all and it will still be yummy. 🙂 Win meet win.

To make a proper meal of things, you can serve tomato basil chicken up over pasta, sautéed veggies or veggie noodles. My favorite combination is with spiralized sweet potato because it balances out the spiciness just perfectly. I don't even cook the sweet potato. Just place the chicken and veggies on top and the steam from that will make the sweet potato just tender enough. This chipotle skillet dish is another classic sweet and spicy combo. Another easy way to add to this dish is to toss in some spinach leaves when cooking the tomatoes and onions. I'd be remiss not to mention that.  For more weeknight dinner inspo, check out all of my quick dinner ideas. If you try this recipe, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

5 from 7 votes

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Easy Weeknight Tomato Basil Chicken

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

A one-pan chicken dinner full of fresh produce and flavorful herbs and spices--ready in just 30 minutes!

Course: Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken with fresh basil, easy chicken dinner recipe, easy weeknight dinner, one pan chicken dinner, veggie noodles dinner

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Jazzmine from Dash of Jazz

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• sea salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic diced
• ¼ onion chopped
• 10 ounces tomatoes cut in halves
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• juice of one lemon
• 6 leaves basil sliced into thin strips

Instructions

1. Cut each chicken breast in half (butterfly-style) so that you end up with 4 thin pieces. Season both sides of each breast piece with sea salt and black pepper. 

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high flame. Saute chicken breasts until cooked through (about 6 minutes on each side). Turn down heat to medium and remove chicken breasts from pan. As the chicken cooks, you can cut up your vegetables as indicated in the ingredient list.
   

3. Add butter to skillet and allow to melt then add tomatoes, garlic, onion, crushed red pepper, lemon juice, and a bit more salt and pepper. Stir all ingredients well then return heat to medium high. Cook for about 8 minutes or until tomatoes start to break down and onions are translucent. Turn off heat.

4. Sprinkle in basil then return chicken to pan and stir. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes

This is tomato basil chicken is good over pasta, veggies, veggie noodles or alongside a salad.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walmart. The opinions and text are all mine.