By Three hundredth post. Six years of Recipe Spinoff. The first post went up on a Sunday afternoon in March of 2016 when I was fourteen years old, a freshman at Sapulpa High, sitting at Mama’s kitchen table with a notebook and a freshly-created blog account that I had no expectation anyone would ever read. The three-hundredth goes up today, the Sunday after Christmas in 2021, when I am twenty years old, sitting at the kitchen table of the small Tulsa apartment I share with my husband and our twelve-week-old son.
The chicken margherita is the most ambitious dish I have ever centered a three-hundredth-post around — pan-seared chicken breasts topped with fresh mozzarella, sliced tomato, and basil from the small jar Mama brought up from her windowsill herb garden. I had wanted a recipe with weight for the milestone but not the kind of weight that requires a whole afternoon. The chicken margherita lands on the right side of both lines. It looks like an Italian-restaurant entrée on the plate. It takes thirty-five minutes from start to plated.
What has changed in six years: I am married now. I have a son. Cody is the day-to-day operator of Mama’s cafe in Sapulpa and is fourteen months into his twenty-four-month supervised release after his second arrest. Aunt Linda and Roy are still in Sapulpa. Aunt Patty’s family is still in Sapulpa. Mama is still in Sapulpa, working the breakfast and brunch shifts at her own cafe while Cody runs the lunch and dinner rotation. Travis — my biological father, who left when I was three — sent a Facebook friend request in October of this year. I have not responded.
What has not changed in six years: I still cook every Sunday. I still write the recipe up on the small wooden cutting board on the kitchen counter while the dish is still warm. I still photograph the plate with the same secondhand camera Mama bought me for my fifteenth birthday. I still publish on Sunday evenings. The blog is the constant thread — the line of practice that has run through every life-change of the last six years without bending.
Margherita Chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup marinara or crushed tomato sauce
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella (about 1 oz each)
- 1 medium tomato, sliced into 4 rounds
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or oven-safe skillet with foil or lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Season the chicken. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Brush both sides with olive oil, then season evenly with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Sear for color. Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 2–3 minutes per side until golden. If using a baking sheet, skip this step and go straight to the oven for a lighter result.
- Top and bake. Spoon 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce over each breast. Layer a slice of tomato and a slice of fresh mozzarella on top. Transfer to the oven and bake for 18–22 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the cheese is melted and lightly golden at the edges.
- Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest 3 minutes. Top each breast with fresh basil leaves and a light drizzle of balsamic glaze if using. Serve immediately — it’s best hot, straight from the pan.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 5g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 520mg