Caprese Skillet Chicken Dinner
Disclosure: KitchenAid Canada has provided me with product as compensation for my posts but all the posts represent my own opinion.
Big decisions make me nervous. Honestly, it’s painful for me to make a choice when it comes to something really important. If I need to decide between two pairs of shoes I always know what I want. However, there are some decisions I have an impossible time making and spend a whole lot of time second guess myself. I alway have to remind myself of the old adage that there is comfort in a decision. Otherwise, I can wallow on the side of indecision for a long time.
Take picking a new cooktop and stove for my kitchen. As a serious home cook with a food blog, suddenly picking these appliances for what is essentially my office seemed like a really big deal. That is until KitchenAid stepped in. With very specific measurement I had to adhere to, KitchenAid made it possible for me to not only meet my requirements for space but was able to help me navigate the world of Induction vs. Even-heat Technology. If you want to read the story of how I chose my new oven and cooktop you can read it here. If you want to hear the story of how my cooktop and oven as well as this dinner make my life easier, then keep reading.
Ever since I’ve gotten my new appliances, they’ve made making our meals so much more exciting since I feel like there is nothing I can’t make. For instance, my KitchenAid Self-Cleaning Built-in Electric Convection Oven gives me a range of functions from conventional, grill, Turbogrill, forced air and convection bake. In addition, I can select from special functions like defrost, keep warm, rising for sweet or savoury doughs, slow cooking as well as yogurt which allows me to prepare homemade yogurt. And those aren’t even any of the professional functions. So you can see, if I can do all that as well as proof dough and whip together my own brand of yogurt then I can certainly get dinner on the table in 30 minutes on a Thursday after we’ve just flown through the door from yet another dance class.
By Maya Visnyei
Ingredients
- Makes: 4 servings
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 30 minutes
- 6 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 pound mini red, white and purple potatoes, halved or quartered if large
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) bocconcini (if you can't find pearl size cube about two slices of fresh)
- 8-10 large basil leaves, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 400.
Rub the chicken thighs on both sides with olive oil and then generously season each side of thighs with salt and pepper.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken, cover and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes.
Turn the chicken; add the potatoes to the skillet.
Allow the chicken to cook another 3 minutes to brown and then add the cherry tomatoes; transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are cooked, about 20 minutes.
Remove skillet from oven and toss in the cheese and garnish with basil.
This skillet dinner is definitely a crowd pleaser since it brings together the traditional flavours of the caprese salad using juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella and sweet basil. A summer staple, the Caprese flavours feel at home with boneless, skinless chicken thighs that are both light and delicious simply prepared with oil and seasoning. I’ve been making this dish now for a few months and it my family really never tires of it. And I never tire of how simple it is to now cook thanks to my new cooktop and oven. I’m also never bored with how easy cleaning one pot is after a long day.
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Hey, thanks for stopping by!
We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
3 Comments
Heather
September 29, 09:21I made this one over the weekend (one batch with thighs and one batch with chicken breasts). Both batches were extremely tasty, and very quick. I will be adding this one to my go to recipes, for easy and delicious family dinners. You really know you have a winner, when your husband stands over the cast iron pan and asks you if he can eat all of it, or if you want to have some 🙂
Laura
October 05, 10:55Hi Heather, How are you? Always so nice to hear from you. You had us at “husband stands over the skillet!” We’ll keep easy skillet recipes coming your way.
Heather
October 05, 18:40Excellent! I may have to invest in a second skillet (his and hers) 😉