Have you ever tried roasting your tomatoes? If you haven’t, it is a great way to add a punch of flavor to your meals. Lately I have had a serious obsession with roasted tomatoes- I want to put them on EVERYTHING! With summer only a couple weeks away, many people’s gardens will be bursting with blooming tomato plants. Roasting vegetables (tomatoes included) can completely transform your vegetables into something else entirely. Often when someone tells me they don’t like vegetables, I tell them try roasting them because I bet you will love them! Roasting vegetables reduces the moisture in the vegetable and concentrates the flavor. Roasted tomatoes intensifies their flavor so much, it can add a bang to any recipe. Now you will see in most roasted tomato recipes, the tomatoes are roasted at a low temperature for a long time (2-3 hours). I’m impatient and honestly often don’t have time for that. So what I do, is roast them on a high temp for a short period of time and I actually love how they come out. Roasting them at a low temperature will shrink the tomatoes and you get a wonderful taste and texture. Roasting them at a high temperature will make the tomatoes pop open and start to burn. A lot of people don’t like this and that’s OK! Just roast your tomatoes at a low temp. (250 degrees F) for 2-3 hours. If your like me and don’t have time, are impatient, and love slightly burnt crispy food, then follow my technique below. In this recipe, I used cherry tomatoes but honestly any type of tomato you have on hand will work. The time it takes to roast them will vary based on the type of tomato, the moisture they have, and the ripeness of the tomato but really you can’t mess this up and in my opinion you almost can’t over cook them! Just check on them every 15 minutes or so until they are shriveled up and slightly crispy .
Ingredients
- For the chicken:
- 1 pound chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- For the roasted tomatoes:
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- For the sides:
- 1 pound French style green beans
- 2 medium white potatoes
Directions
- Cut chicken breasts in half to make 4 equal breasts and set aside in a large bowl or zip lock bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, garlic, basil, thyme, oregano and salt.
- Pour over chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F., and line a baking pan with parchment paper (optional but will help with clean up).
- Cut cherry tomatoes in half and toss in olive oil, garlic powder and salt.
- Spread out the prepared tomatoes evenly on the baking pan.
- Roast in the oven for 30 minutes- check them every 15 minutes, rotating the pan for even cooking. If your roasting the tomatoes to eat alone or for another dish and want them fully cooked you may want to continue roasting them. Just keep an eye on them until they are to your liking. If they are for this dish, you can continue on to the next step regardless if the tomatoes are not completely done because you will be cooking them for an additional 30 minutes with the rest of the food.
- While chicken is marinating and tomatoes are cooking, prepare green beans by cutting off the ends.
- Prepare potatoes by peeling and cutting in small pieces.
- Remove baking pan from the oven and move the roasted tomatoes to the sides. Place chicken in the center of the pan and spread potatoes and green beans around the chicken, mixing in the roasted tomatoes.
- Pour the left over marinade over the the green beans and potatoes.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken has reached a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F., and potatoes are cooked through.
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 of recipe
- 347 calories
- 31 g carbohydrates
- 12 g fat
- 31 g protein
