Chicken with Olives and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

chicken-olives-tomatoes-0405-mea101244.jpg
Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
45 mins
Servings:
4

Common pantry items really bring flavor to simple chicken breasts.

Ingredients

  • 8 dry-packed sun-dried tomato halves (about ¼ cup)

  • Zest of 1/2 lemon, cut into very thin strips (about 2 tablespoons)

  • ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved lengthwise

  • 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • Coarse salt and ground pepper

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (6 to 8 ounces each)

Directions

  1. In a small saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil; add tomatoes and lemon zest. Reduce to a simmer; cook until tomatoes have softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch strips.

  2. In a medium bowl, toss tomato mixture with olives, 1 teaspoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper.

  3. Rub chicken all over with remaining tablespoon oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Place chicken in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; sprinkle with tomato mixture.

  4. Cover tightly with foil; refrigerate until ready to use, up to overnight.

  5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake (covered with foil) 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Cook's Notes

Use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove the lemon zest in long pieces; cut away any remaining white pith with a paring knife. (If not making ahead of time, skip step 4.) Unlike those packed in oil, dry-packed tomatoes need to be softened in boiling water before they're used in recipes.

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