Braised Chicken and Tomatoes with Late Summer Vegetable Baked Bruschetta

This is my overzealous attempt to squeeze in one last summery meal before we officially hit the ‘EMBERS.

Which, if your garden slash farmer’s market is anything like mine, it’s still coughing up the last of the bumper crops. And I’m like, what a bunch of crop!

Just kidding.

So this blog post is a two-parter. Get excited.

First, we’ve got a crazy simple braised-chicken-in-tomatoes dish as the main act (INSANITY). And on the side? The most slap-ya-mama baked vegetable and cheesy bruschetta thingy ever. I’m calling it bruschetta because I piled a bunch of summer birthage on some thick crusty bread, blanketed it with a few feet of cheese and baked it. And all was right in the world.

But before we dive into the food, can we just talk about the color of THESE DISHES MY GASH.

If you hadn’t yet heard, Le Creuset just released a brand new fabulous color called TEAL. And you know me, I’m not big on color. Everything in my home is in the neutral family, but there’s something about the romance of this deep blue green that just slays me. It goes perfectly with all my creams, duncha thank?!

And you know how you think about an arbitrary number, and then you see it everywhere? Or you think about a person, and they randomly email you or show up outside your bedroom window at midnight? That’s exactly what happened with this color in my life! The second they arrived to me, I started noticing this sexy deepish teal tone everywhere. A pole at a park. My SOS pad. Some bras at the store. You know.

And now I’m completely underwater obsessed with it. This is the deal – Williams-Sonoma exclusively carries this brand spankin’ new Le Creuset color, so you best be git git gittin’.

But before you git git git, be sure and check my Instagram page today, because I’m hosting a Le Creuset product giveaway! CANNOT miss that.

Now for the food…

But wait! Look at that color. Are you not so dead?

Okay, I’m done. I swear.

The baked vegetable bruschetta – PREPARE TO BAWL FOR MONTHS.

Find a good loaf of ciabatta, and cut it into 1-inch slices. Layer with thinly sliced heirloom tomatoes, zucchini and fresh corn. Then sprinkle 45 truckloads of shredded aged white cheddar (<–aged white cheddar is my life), and bake it for about 20 minutes. Or until the cheese is good and browned and bubbly and you can’t see through your tears. Garnish with fresh basil and slip into a delicious coma.

Listen, if you do ONE THING before summer’s end, make it this.^^

But also this braised chicken thingy I’m about to tell you about.

Sear some chicken breasts in a braising pan, then sauté lots of garlic for a few seconds. Add some pulsed fresh garden tomatoes into the pan; let it simmer for a bit, then drape all the garden herbs on top. Dust with parmesan cheese and start viciously sobbing again.

I’ll never quit it.

Braised Chicken and Tomatoes with Late Summer Vegetable Baked Bruschetta

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Ingredients

• For the braised chicken:
• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 Tbs. Italian seasoning
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4-5 medium tomatoes, cored and pulsed in a food processor until smooth
• Fresh parsley and oregano, for garnish
• Parmesan cheese for dusting
• For the Baked Vegetable Bruschetta:
• 4 thick slices of ciabatta bread
• 4 thin slices of heirloom tomato (from one large tomato)
• 8-12 thin slices of zucchini (from one zucchini)
• 1 ear of corn, kernels sliced off
• About 2 cups of shredded aged white cheddar cheese
• Fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and a pinch of salt and pepper. Evenly rub the spice mix all over each chicken breast. Heat the oil in a braising pan. Sear the chicken (covered) for 4 minutes. Flip and sear another 4 minutes, or until the chicken is browned all over. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Pour the tomatoes into the pan and simmer on medium (partially covered) for about 20 minutes, until the sauce reduces and thickens just a little bit. Season with a pinch of salt. Garnish with parmesan and herbs!
2. Serves 4.
3. In the meantime, preheat oven to 400.
4. Place the sliced bread in the bottom of a small casserole dish. Layer with tomato slices, zucchini slices and corn. Season with a small pinch of salt, and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and bubbly. Garnish with fresh basil!
5. Serves 4.

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https://bevcooks.com/2017/08/braised-chicken-tomatoes-late-summer-vegetable-baked-bruschetta/

THAT. COLOR.

(This post is definitely in partnership with Le Creuset and Williams-Sonoma, but all inhalings and ramblings are my own. We coo?)