Garlic Tomato Basil Chicken

Jesse turns thirty-one next week. The week before a birthday is its own particular mood — not the birthday itself but the week before, where you are still in the previous year but already aware of what is ending. Thirty was a marked year: the year I decided what I was. Thirty-one is not marked yet. Thirty-one is just the next year, which is probably what all the years after the marked one are: just the next ones.

Summer is properly here. The Cherokee Purples are coming in — bigger than last year, darker at the shoulder, the heritage lines getting more expressive with each successive generation of seed-saving. I sliced two of them Wednesday and put them on a plate with salt and olive oil and that was dinner, the same simple dinner they have been making since the garden came in. Kai ate four slices. Luna ate two and then rearranged the remaining ones on the plate in a pattern that made sense to her. I ate the ones she rearranged.

Hannah got some feedback this week on the curriculum she has been developing for the nutrition program — positive feedback from the Cherokee Nation's program director, who says they want to expand Hannah's summer series into a year-round offering. This is a significant thing for her program and for her career at the Nation, and she received the news the way Hannah receives good news, which is without a lot of visible emotion and with an immediate pivot to what needs to be done next. She sat at the kitchen table Thursday evening and made a list. I brought her tea. That is the division of labor for good news: she makes the list and I bring the tea.

Danny is stable. I need to say that regularly, to note it when it is true, because the not-stable moments are the ones that get remembered and the stable ones slide past unmarked. He is stable. He had three good days this week. He ate well. He talked about the old house in Sequoyah County that he heard through family channels has been sold again. He said a word I did not know and when I asked him what it meant he said: "Something like 'it was ours once.'" He did not say it with sadness. He said it like a fact. Some things were ours once. That is history. History does not need your sadness. It just needs to be known.

The Cherokee Purples have been so good this year that slicing them with salt and olive oil felt almost sufficient — and for a Wednesday, it was. But for the nights when the table needs something more complete, something that actually uses the garden the way the garden deserves to be used, this is the dish I come back to. Hannah was still at the table with her list when I started it, and the smell of garlic and tomatoes hitting a hot pan is, I have found, the kind of thing that makes even a person mid-list look up. Kai ate every bite. Luna separated the basil leaves from hers and lined them up along the rim of her plate, which I took as approval.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 22 minutes | Total Time: 32 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each), pounded to even thickness
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs ripe heirloom tomatoes (Cherokee Purple or similar), cored and roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/3 cup dry white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and the garlic powder.
Sear the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook undisturbed for 5–6 minutes until a deep golden crust forms. Flip and cook another 5–6 minutes until cooked through (internal temperature 165°F). Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Build the sauce base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, for 60–90 seconds until fragrant and just beginning to turn golden — do not let it brown.
Add the tomatoes. Add the chopped tomatoes to the skillet along with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir to coat and cook for 3–4 minutes, pressing down gently with a spoon, until the tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices.
Deglaze and reduce. Pour in the white wine or broth and the balsamic vinegar. Stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
Finish with butter and basil. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter until melted and glossy. Fold in the torn basil.
Return the chicken. Nestle the chicken breasts back into the skillet, spooning sauce generously over each piece. Let rest in the sauce for 2 minutes before serving. Top with additional fresh basil.

Nutrition (per serving)

Garlic Tomato Basil Chicken — What the Garden Gives, the Table Returns