In this Tomato Chicken Bake, rosemary encrusted chicken is seared and then baked in an aromatic tomato sauce. A tasty and healthy one-pan meal!
So the other day I Googled "Explain Twitter to me" and the amount of information explaining Twitter is almost as confusing as Twitter itself. I figured it was high time I joined the rest of the World in the 21st Century, because apparently everyone and their mother (well, at least my Mother and, even more embarrassing, my Grandfather) are on Twitter.
Mastering the Twitterverse (can you say that?!) is one of my goals for 2014. I’m sure you are all rolling your eyes out there but this is a serious issue. I've thought about creating an account numerous times but then I get overwhelmed by all those hashtags, which I still want to call "pound symbols", and @'s.
The whole site may as well be written in Wingdings.
But all those articles “explaining Twitter” just made my head ache and my stomach rumble for something not complex yet comforting. Tomato Chicken Bake to the rescue! I have been making some variation of this dish for over two years. It is still one of my Husband’s favorites.
Essentially it’s rosemary chicken that is seared and then baked in a homemade tomato sauce that is made all in the same pan! That’s right – sauce and chicken all in the same pan!
It’s healthy, hearty and, when served with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, it’s about as comforting as it gets.
If you’ve been around AHC, then you know how deep my obsession with cast iron skillets runs, but this Tomato Chicken Bake is one exception to my cast iron rule. After you brown the chicken and sauté the vegetables, I deglaze the pan with a dry white wine to help quickly build layers of flavors in the sauce, and one should NEVER deglaze a cast iron skillet. Apparently this is a huge no-no, and the dish can take on a metallic taste. Umm eww. So I make this in a large stainless, oven-proof pan or Dutch oven (pictured) and you should too!
The combination of searing the chicken and then baking it locks in the moisture and it will produce tender, juicy chicken breasts every single time.
And who doesn’t want tender, juicy chicken?
No one. That’s who.
Recipe
Tomato Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 4 smallish chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 1 green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 cup mushrooms (sliced)
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds (crushed)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 6 oz can tomato paste
- 28 oz can diced roasted tomatoes (drained)
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Egg Noodles & Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- In a small bowl mix salt, pepper and rosemary. Rinse and pat chicken breasts dry. Rub rosemary mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts.
- Heat a large stainless, oven-safe skillet (or enameled Dutch Oven) over medium heat until it is very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, swirling to coat.
- Brown chicken breasts on both sides; remove to a plate and tent to keep warm.
- Add the second tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic, peppers, and mushrooms until the onions are translucent and the green peppers are tender.
- Deglaze pan with white wine, scraping the bottom to get any browned bits from the chicken off. Let boil for a minute or two.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil.
- Place the chicken back in the pan along with any accumulated juice. Mound the tomato sauce on top of each breast.
- Cover and bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until an instant read thermometer registers 165°. Let chicken rest 10 minutes while you cook your noodles.
- Serve over egg noodles with Parmesan cheese! Magnifique!
Notes
Sometimes I add 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder. It gives it a slight kick and different flavor profile.
Love this recipe - Can you sub out chicken thighs for the chicken breast?
Absolutely, Kay! That would be delicious!
I'm curious can I just use extra chicken broth instead of wine?
Hi Sarah, you can but you won't have the same flavor.
I am with you on all things Twitter 🙂 I feel like such a tweet ;). The recipe looks delicious. I can't wait to try it. Good look catching up with your grandfather.
lol! I'm trying! At least I signed up and have tweeted and stuff!
I found your blog and love it! I saw this post about Twitter and it made me smile. I too don't "do" Twitter, Instagram, or Google+ because I just don't get them! I have accounts for each and have like 8 followers on Twitter. My brain doesn't work well with this stuff and I barely "get' Pinterest! Glad to know I'm not the only one. Beautiful pics!
I'm so glad you found me Jenn! You are so not the only one! A blogger friend convinced me to start with Google + and go from there - baby steps! So today I signed up for Google+ and I felt like a complete idiot. It seemed so hard! I'm going to try and add you to my Google+ circle now and as soon as I take the plunge into Twitter, you'll have 9 followers!! 🙂
Holy cow I find Google+ so dang confusing! Ugh.
Full Disclosure: it took me all day and I read tons of blog articles about it and I feel like I sort of understand what is going on. Sort of. 🙂
Looks delish! Lunch time right now. I am starving (as usual)! Your dish is making me more starving lol.
I have a twitter account but hardly use it...still trying to figure it out. For some reason, the twitter app on my phone doesn't work anymore (which I gotta figure out why), so maybe that's why I hardly use it. I seem to use Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram the most. Do you Instagram? That's my fav one!
Instagram is another one that is on my list to master in 2014. I think Instagram will be more up my alley. My Brother's GF was on it incessantly over Xmas and it looked intriguing!
I heart Pinterest. Fact.
I just like....I do twitter. But I don't DO twitter. I dunno. I do my best. But....I just can't even deal with it. #sorryimnotsorry 😛
I looove this dish-chicken and tomatoes and cheese and all kinds of goodness, mmm mmm mm!
At least you "do" Twitter at all! It just seems so scary - I'm probably going to say something and offend an entire Nation. #FirstWorldProblems (Totally catching on!)
This dish is great when you don't have time to make up a pot of sauce and you don't have any in the freezer!