Lemon and Garlic Chicken With Cherry Tomatoes
Updated July 14, 2024
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes, plus 15 minutes' marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced or puréed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup dry white wine
2 heaped cups cherry tomatoes, about ¾ pound
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or a gluten- free flour such as rice flour or corn flour
2 tablespoons grapeseed, sunflower or canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup grated Parmesan (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
10 grams carbs; 106 milligrams cholesterol; 375 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 20 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 654 milligrams sodium; 35 grams protein; 3 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cut each chicken breast into 2 equal pieces (3 if they weigh 12 ounces or more) and place in the bowl. Stir together and refrigerate 15 to 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. (Discard marinade.) Place two sheets of plastic wrap (1 large sheet if you have extra-wide wrap) on your work surface, overlapping slightly, to make 1 wide sheet, and brush lightly with olive oil. Place a piece of chicken in the middle of plastic sheet and brush lightly with oil. Cover the chicken with another wide layer of plastic wrap. Working from the center to the outside, pound chicken breast with the flat side of a meat tenderizer or rolling pin until about ¼ inch thick. (Don’t pound too hard or you’ll tear the meat. If that happens, it won’t be the end of the world, you’ll just have a few pieces to cook.) Repeat with the remaining chicken breast pieces.
- Step 3
Season the pounded chicken breasts with salt and pepper on one side only. Dredge lightly in the flour on all sides (you will not use all of it) and tap the breasts to remove excess.
- Step 4
Turn oven on low. Heat a wide, heavy skillet over high and add oil. When oil is hot, place one or two pieces of chicken in the pan, however many will fit without crowding. Cook for 1 ½ minutes, until bottom is browned in spots. Turn over and brown other side, about 1 ½ minutes. (Do not overcook or chicken will be dry.) Transfer to a platter or sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. If there is more than a tablespoon of fat in the pan, pour some off into a jar or bowl.
- Step 5
Turn heat on burner down to medium-high. Add wine to pan and stir with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring often or tossing in the pan, until they begin to shrivel and burst. Add sugar and salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook, tossing the tomatoes in the pan and stirring often, for 5 to 10 minutes, until tomatoes have collapsed but are still intact. Top chicken breasts with the tomatoes, sprinkle with parsley and with Parmesan if using, and serve.
Advance preparation: The chicken breasts can be pounded several hours ahead – but don’t marinate them until shortly before cooking – and kept between pieces of plastic in the refrigerator.
Private Notes
Comments
Delicious. Parchment paper works as well as plastic wrap for pounding chicken breasts and doesn't add plastic to the waste stream and our oceans.
I will never make basic fried chicken again. And that's saying a lot since I'm a black woman from the South.
Made this twice. First time I pounded with a cast iron skillet and got it quite thin, prob 1/4” as instructed. Cooked in the time specified and it was crisp and delicious, almost a different beast from chicken breast. Second time I used a rolling pin and ended up with 1/2” thick pieces, which cooked much more slowly. The result was more like pretty good chicken breast, but not nearly as good as the first time. So: pound thin!
I turned the oven to 350 for 10-15 minutes to allow the chicken to cook through (I had thicker than 1/4”) and the chicken was so juicy! Then added balsamic glaze— absolutely perfect summer dish
Love, love, love cooking with cherry tomatoes...the sweetnest adds such a lovely flavor
I always add the cooked chicken back into the sauce in the pan, turning quickly to coat it. This gives it a different texture/adherence to the sauce. Then I add the grated Parmesan.