Chefette: Herb-Roasted Tomatoes Over Chicken

There was a lot to like about this dish. Roasting the tomatoes in olive oil and herbs drew out tremendous flavor that elevated what was otherwise a simple preparation of chicken. The combination of searing and then roasting the chicken was also a winner - the pan sear created a nice crust and then the roasting kept the chicken breasts juicy. The total cook time wasn't too long, which makes this a candidate for a regular weeknight dinner, but I did end up needing to watch everything pretty closely. I relied on this recipe from Bon Appetit, with a few tweaks. The original recipe calls for ovenproof pans, which we don't have, so I had to get a little creative with how I used the baking dish.

Makes two servings
Total time to cook: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
2 medium/large chicken breasts
1 10.5 oz container of cherry tomatoes
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp herbes de provence
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup diced onions
2 tbsp red wine vingar

Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, mix the tomatoes, two tablespoons of olive oil and the herbes de provence until the tomatoes are evenly coated.

- Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of a small glass baking dish. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer and roast for about 15 minutes.

- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the salt and pepper. When there's about five minutes left, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken breasts, four minutes per side (or three for small pieces), until each side starts to brown.

- While the chicken is cooking, the tomatoes should finish roasting. Pour the tomatoes and any juices into a bowl, add the worcestershire sauce, and cover the mixture with aluminum foil. Keep the roasting dish as is - when the chicken is done searing, lay them in the pan and roast for another 10 minutes. Keep the pan as is, since it'll be used to make the sauce a little later.

- When the chicken is done, remove them from the roasting dish and rest them on a cutting board for at least five minutes.

- While the chicken is resting, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and cook the onions until they turn translucent, about one minute. Add the red wine vinegar and deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.