When Rosemary met Cherry tomato

by:

May 29, 2020

I will have what she is having and what she is having is a marriage made in the garden bed; tomatoes, garlic and rosemary.

The chicken is part of the chorus line, no billing above title, important of course, all team players are, but all our eyes and our taste buds, are on the garden team. The chicken, sorry, birds, but you could be interchanged here for steak, tofu, zucchini, mushrooms, or tossed with pasta, yum yum. 

serves 4
 
Ingredients
  • 4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • juice from 1/2 orange and 1/2 lemon
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon or to taste red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper, to taste 
  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup of olives, pitted, black or green 
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 glove garlic, grated 
Instructions
preheat oven to 400 degresss
  1. Marinate the chicken in juice form 1/2 orange, 1/2 lemon, sprinkle of olive oil, and season with salt. So yeah, one half of each. Say what? You have a half lemon and organge left over? Ok no problem, you could use a full lemon and orange on the chicken or just boil some hot water and the citrus to it, and drink a cup of warm citrus water, add honey if you like. So soothing. Better than tea. That is what I will be having. 
  2. Marinate the skinless boneless chicken in the citrus marinade for 20 minutes up to one hour. Anything longer than that, the citrus begins to cook the meat which makes for an unpleasant texture. If you are working with a bone in and skin on chicken, you can leave it longer in the marinade.
  3. Grill or sautee the chicken on high heat, on each side until good looking grill marks appear and it is cooked through. About 5 minutes per side, pending the thickness of the chicken breast and the heat of your grill or skillet. You can also finish the chicken in the oven to cook through. 
  4. While the chicken is marinating or grilling roast:
  5. On a sheet pan, place cherry tomatoes, rosemary, red pepper flakes, garlic, olives, splash of olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and roast lightly for about 5 minutes. We want the tomatoes to begin to burst but not fully burst, whole but a little soft, cooked but with a bite. 
  6. Pour the roasted tomatoes over the chicken, or a bowl of cooked pasta, seared tofu or grilled zucchini, so many options, you choose the road to travel. 

Photo and Food Styling by Mimi Newman