Florentine Butter Chicken with Burst Cherry Tomatoes, Basil & Mozzarella
This is a great midweek meal full of flavor. It's crispy buttery chicken that's pan-fried until golden. It's served along side tomatoes that have been kissed with a bit of heat, some thyme, and a little bit of chile flakes and it's all served up with some fresh buffalo mozarella and linguini to finish. You could alternatively serve this with some lovely sourdough bread to mop up that delicious sauce!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- pinch chilli flakes
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup all-purpose flour seasoned with salt & pepper
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3 boneless-skinless chicken breasts flattened slightly to about a 1 centimeter thickness and even all around.
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 4 ounces fresh buffalo mozzarella torn
- handful basil leaves chiffonade
- 12 ounces freshly cooked linguine
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the chicken (do ahead, time permitting):
- Remove the chicken tender from the breasts. You can either bread them up and cook them along with the breasts or save them for another use.
- Place a chicken breast in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag and pound out the breast with a meat mallet to about a 1-centimeter thickness. Repeat with the remaining breasts.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. If you have the time, let the hang out uncovered on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet for a couple of hours before you are ready to cook the chicken.
Prepare the pasta pot, egg, and flour:
- Bring a pot of water for the pasta to a simmer and season generously with salt.
- Put the egg and flour separately into two shallow bowls.
- Season the flour with salt and pepper.
Cook the tomatoes:
- Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat.
- While the butter is melting down, add the thyme, chile flakes, and tomatoes and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Let it simmer away on a low to medium heat. Keep the tomatoes moving in the pan, coming back once in a while to give them a shake.
- Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to soften but are still holding their shape, then tip them out into a bowl.
- Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
Batter and cook the chicken:
- Heat 2 more tablespoons of butter in the pan until foaming.
- Dip each piece of the chicken first into the egg, then into the seasoned flour, and finally, straight into the frying pan.
- Fry the chicken for 2-4 minutes on the first side, checking to make sure it is golden brown before flipping it over to cook the other side.
- Cook the chicken through on the second side, basting the chicken in the browned butter.
Finish and serve:
- Remove the chicken from the pan to a serving plate and keep warm.
- Add the remaining butter and garlic to the pan and cook for about a minute.
- Add the linguine to the pan and toss it around for a minute or so in the buttery tomato sauce to absorb the flavors of the garlic, thyme, and chile.
- Return the tomatoes to the pan and cook for another 1-2 minutes. The tomatoes should be softened, but should still hold their shape.
- Serve the chicken alongside the linguine topped with the tomatoes and garlic. Scatter with torn mozzarella and basil.