Easy Pan-Seared Chicken Bruschetta
When it’s cold and wintry, or when I just want to be lazy, this Easy Pan-Seared Chicken Bruschetta is my go-to recipe. Made it one pan, it’s done in under one hour. It’s flavored like an amazing tomato-basil bruschetta, using chicken in the place of crostini! Do I have your attention??
Tomato bruschetta is baked along with an Italian-spiced seared chicken and finished with tiny mozzarella balls, toasted pine nuts, balsamic glaze and fresh basil. Make it now!
I like to use smallish chicken breasts but even if they are thicker, you can slice them in half horizontally. I also like to pound the chicken so that it’s roughly the same thickness all the way through.
Rub a bit of olive oil all over the chicken and sprinkle the rub all over.
Prepare the bruschetta per this recipe.
To cook the chicken, sear the chicken in a heated pan that has olive oil and melting butter in it. Cook the breasts for 3-5 minutes until they are golden brown. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Add the juices from the bruschetta and some chicken broth to the skillet that had the chicken in it. Bring to a boil and reduce until it is syrupy.
Add the chicken breasts and any accumulated juices back into the pan and cover tightly. Lower the heat and cook another 3 minutes.
Uncover and add the tomato bruschetta mixture along with fresh mozzarella balls. Cover again and just let it sit off the heat for 7 minutes, to melt the cheese.
To serve, garnish with basil leaves and toasted pine nuts and drizzle some balsamic glaze.
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Easy Pan-Seared Chicken Bruschetta
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the Rub:
- 1 & 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 & 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
For the Chicken:
- 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 & 1/2-2 pounds (680-900g)
- extra virgin olive oil
For the Bruschetta:
- 1 batch Any Time of Year Bruschetta (I like to halve the cherry tomatoes for this recipe but you can also quarter them.)
To Finish:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 4-6 ounces fresh mozzarella balls, or one larger piece, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
For Garnishing and Serving:
- fresh basil leaves
- balsamic reduction
- toasted pine nuts
Instructions
For the Prep:
If your chicken breasts are very uneven in thickness, place them between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound the thicker part with a meat pounder or small sauté pan. If your chicken breasts are really large and thick all over, slice them in half horizontally to create 2 thinner portions.
For the Rub:
Combine all rub ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.
For the Chicken:
Pat the chicken breasts dry on both sides with a paper towel then drizzle each one lightly with the olive oil and rub with your hand to coat. Sprinkle the chicken with the rub on both sides, using all of the rub mixture. Cover and refrigerate the chicken breasts while you prepare the bruschetta.
For the Bruschetta:
Prepare 1 recipe of the tomato bruschetta mixture (not the crostini) from this recipe.
To Finish:
Heat a large cast iron or stainless steel sauté pan over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the butter and olive oil and swirl the pan until the butter is melted and lightly sizzling across the surface of the pan.
Add the chicken breasts, smooth side down in a single layer. Cook for 3-5 minutes (5 if using larger chicken breasts) or until the bottom surface is a beautiful golden brown. (Regulate the heat while the chicken is cooking, at a level where the oil/butter mixture is lightly sizzling but not spattering all over the stovetop.)
Flip the breasts to the other side, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan to a clean plate (it won’t be completely cooked but will finish cooking later).
Drain the bruschetta and add the tomato juices into the pan along with 1/2 cup chicken broth.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes until reduced and syrupy.
Add any juice that has accumulated on the plate with the chicken breasts and stir to combine.
Add the chicken breasts back to the pan and cover the pan tightly. Lower the heat to very low and cook for 3 minutes. (If your chicken portions are really large, cook for 5 additional minutes instead of 3.)
Uncover and add the tomato bruschetta mixture along with the fresh mozzarella scattered over the top. Cover again immediately and allow the mixture to sit for 7 more minutes. (This will allow the chicken to finish cooking without overcooking and the tomato/mozzarella mixture to warm.) The mozzarella should be soft and just starting to melt a bit.
For Garnishing and Serving:
Garnish with fresh basil leaves and freshly ground black pepper. Serve balsamic reduction and toasted pine nuts at the table, if desired.
Recipe by The Cafe Sucre Farine
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