Chicken Caprese

This pasta has such a "fresh" taste to it. It's a combination of pan-seared chicken breasts sauteed with fresh Roma tomatoes in a basil-garlic butter sauce, then topped w melted mozzarella over al dente angel hair pasta. This dish really tastes like you're eating restaurant food, but in your own home. It isn't something you'll want to try if you're short on time and wanna pull off a Rachel Ray debut. But it IS definitely worth the work!


Ingredients:


2 pounds (approx. 8-10) Roma (plum) tomatoes, *core & cut into 1-inch pieces
   (*Reserve juices & seeds when removing core... try to keep as much as possible for the marinade)
30 medium fresh basil leaves (no stems), cut into 1-inch pieces
4 TBSP of EVOO, divided
3 TBSP minced garlic, divided
3 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
1 1/2 tsp and 1 TBSP salt, divided
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups and 1 TBS flour, divided
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup White wine
   *White wine substitute: 1/2 cup water & 1 tsp lemon juice for the acidity
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or whipping cream)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pound dry capellini (angel hair) pasta
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle of Parsley for garnishes


Tomato and Basil Preparation:

• In large bowl, combine Roma tomatoes, Basil, 2 TBS of EVOO, 2 TBS garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1 1/2 tsp of salt and blend thoroughly.
• Cover, set aside and refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Pasta Preparation:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Al dente!
• Drain and set aside until needed

Sauce Preparation:

• While pasta is cooking, heat 1 TBS of EVOO in a medium sauce pan on med-low heat. 
• Add 1 TBS of minced garlic and saute for approx. 1 min. Do not brown.
• Slowly add 1 TBS of flour and stir to combine.
• Add white wine (or your substitute) and bring to a boil. Boil for approx. 1 min. 
• Remove marinated tomato and basil mixture from refrigerator. Strain tomatoes and basil into separate bowl (making a marinade liquid)...set aside strainer w tomato and basil until needed. Add 1/2 cup of the marinade liquid back to the pan on stove and saute for approx. 1 min. 
• Add heavy cream. Lower heat and bring to a simmer.
• Add grated parmesan cheese.

(It will appear that there is not enough sauce, but only a very little sauce is needed for each plate).

Chicken Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a large, nonstick skillet w vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat.
• Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 TBS of salt, black pepper and 2 tsp Italian seasoning in shallow dish.
• Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess.
• Place chicken in skillet and saute for about two minutes on each side, or until just golden brown. If skillet is not large enough, saute chicken in batches.
• When finished, transfer chicken to a large baking dish and place in oven to cook for approx. 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and internal temp reaches 165 degrees.

Assembling Chicken Caprese:

• Preheat broiler
• Remove chicken from baking dish and set aside until needed. 
• Transfer pasta to each plate and partly coat pasta with sauce.
• Evenly distribute tomatoes arranged on pasta.
• Place chicken on top of or next to pasta.
• Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over chicken and pasta. 
• Sprinkle a little Parsley on chicken just for garnish.

**There are so many things going on in this recipe, that honestly, it's very hard to have everything piping hot when you're all done cooking. Therefore, I normally throw everyone's plates in the microwave for a minute each to reheat it and melt the mozzarella on top. This dish is so worth the effort... you must try to make it at least once! With that said, Mangia Mangia!