Garlic Chicken with Feta and Basil

This is such a tasty chicken recipe. It has lots of the flavors I love: garlic, tomato, feta and basil. It is quick enough to prepare for a week day meal and delicious enough to serve for a Ladies’ Lunch – I served this at my last Ladies Lunch. Don’t skimp on the feta and basil, the feta and basil really finish the dish. This recipe allows the preparation to have many interruptions and reheats well in the microwave.

Ingredients

5 cloves of garlic, minced or put in a garlic press

2 ½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 tablespoons dried oregano

3 lbs. of boneless, chicken breast made into cutlets*

2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 teaspoon

2 tablespoons of butter

3 large tomatoes, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup of crumbles feta – or more

1/3 cup of fresh, torn basil – or more

*To make cutlets: I use boneless, breast of chicken.  I cut the breast into cutlets by cutting the breast in half and then I cut the thicker half horizontally. Pound out the chicken to ¼ - ½ inch thickness by placing between plastic wrap and use a mallet or rolling pin to pound it. Chicken can be store in the refrigerator until you are ready for the rest of the preparation.

Mince the garlic and put in a bowl.  Add the salt, pepper and oregano and 1 teaspoon of olive oil and mix and mash the ingredients to form a paste. Pat the garlic mixture onto the chicken; a little all over the chicken. You are not trying to completely coat the chicken, just evenly distribute it over all the chicken – see picture. Put a little olive oil in a skittle so it just barely covers the bottom of the skillet and add 1 tablespoon of butter.

Sauté the chicken on medium high for about 2 -3 minutes per side. It will probably take you at least 2 batches to sauté the 2 pounds of chicken. Test the chicken for doneness before taking from the skillet; cut into a piece of the cutlet. The chicken should be firm with no pink, but still moist. The chicken will continue to cook a little after you remove it from the skillet. Try not to overcook. Also remember reheating will cook the chicken a little as well. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

Add chopped tomatoes to the skillet and sauté on high for 2 minutes scraping up all the bits of garlic paste from the bottom of the skillet. Then add the chicken broth and cook until heated through.

Add the chicken back to the skillet simmer until chicken is heated through. 
To serve, place chicken on a plate with a little of the sauce and some tomatoes and top with fresh basil and feta. I love to serve this with couscous because it absorbs the sauce so well.

To store, combine chicken, sauce, feta and basil into one container. Reheat individual servings in the microwave. Reheat on high for 1 minute and then check to see if it is heated enough.