We have a ton of fresh basil in the garden, so I wanted to make use of that. I decided to do this chicken sauté dish with a delicious, fresh garden salsa. I was also inspired by a recent issue of my favorite cooking mag that featured various grain dishes. I had barley in the fridge, so I made this great, lemon and bay leaf-scented pilaf as a side (I’m very keen on things flavored with lemon and bay leaf!). The main and side went so well together — I hope you’ll give them a try!
Chicken with Summer Garden Salsa
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears)
12 oz grape tomatoes, cut lengthwise into thirds
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 Tbsp finely sliced fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded between sheets of plastic to an even 1/2-inch thickness
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 1/12 Tbsp butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, toss corn with 1 Tbsp olive oil and spread mixture evenly on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Roast for about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until corn begins to brown. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in tomatoes, green onions, basil, 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then dust with the flour (shaking off excess). Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté about 5 minutes per side, until done. Serve chicken topped with tomato-corn salsa.
Barley Pilaf
1 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup pearl barley
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 tsp grated lemon peel
Heat butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, until onion softens. Add Barley. Stirring constantly, cook 3 minutes. Add the stock, salt and bay leaf. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon peel, cover and let stand 10 minutes.
Serves 4.
Lemon and bay are such great flavours together and pairing them with barley just makes me think of the delicious lemony, herby barley water cordial that we used to have as kids. Love the sound of your recipe!
Thanks so much for the nice comment!
What a gorgeous dish! I will most definitely be making this. Thanks for sharing!
Great — please let me know how it turns out for you!