Iron Chef Challenge: Chicken in Tomato and Basil Cream

I'm so glad I went searching for some new and exciting canned tomato recipes's for this month's Iron Chef Challenge, because this recipe is delicious! It just so happened that my mom is thinning out her cookbook collection, and she gave me a copy of Southern Living's Ultimate Quick and Easy cookbook, which by the way is filled with lots of delicious-sounding recipes.






I decided to try their recipe for Chicken in Tomato and Basil Cream...and it was heavenly!

Start by melting a tablespoon of butter in a skillet, then add 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes per side until browned,then remove from the skillet.






Next, cook 1/2 cup of chopped onion to the skillet and cook in 1 tablespoon of melted butter until the onion is tender and translucent. It will take about 5 minutes.






While the onion is cooking, shred enough fresh basil to yield 1/2 cup. Here's how I shred my basil:

Stack several fresh basil leaves together, one on top of the other.






Then roll them together into a little "log" of basil.






Then take your knife and slice the basil like this:






There you have it...shredded basil.

Once your onion is cooked, increase the heat to high and add a 16-ounce can of whole tomatoes coarsely chopped. Cook on high until the liquid is almost absorbed.






I used Red Gold tomatoes and poured them into a shallow bowl, then coarsely chopped them before adding them to the skillet.






Here is that the sauce looks like when slightly thickened. Notice how it will "stay" on one half of the skillet when you push it around with your spatula?

Next, add 1/2 cup whipping cream and cook until slightly thickened.






Then remove the sauce from the heat and add your basil, along with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.






Once your sauce is done cooking, placekick chicken in a baking dish and pour the sauce over the chicken. Bake uncovered at 459 degrees for 10 minutes and enjoy!






We cooked up a little rigatoni to go with tit, but buttered penne or any other type of pasta would be fabulous as well.

Here's a printable copy of the recipe for your convenience. Enjoy!

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