Grape tomatoes are just like candy to me … I love them and they are as much of a staple in our home as cloves of garlic. I also love the mini heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes … I’m not picky! Dennis loves to pack any of these types of tomatoes in his lunch and so does Kylie.

Summertime is a wonderful time for fresh tomatoes so I want to take advantage of this season and use them as often as I can in my meals. I decided I’d make a salad for dinner tonight with grape tomatoes as the main showstopper. I did add arugula, but just a couple handfuls so that the tomatoes would take center stage. I also added chicken breast that I baked and cut into cubes to add to this wonderful, healthy salad.

This morning, I made my marinade for the tomatoes and let the tomatoes marinate in this dressing for most of the day. I started with olive oil and to that added kosher salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried thyme and whisked everything together.

Meanwhile, I halved 2 16-ounce containers of grape tomatoes, which was equivalent to 5 cups. I wanted enough for leftovers for lunch for both Dennis and me tomorrow. You could easily cut this recipe in half if you aren’t interested in the leftovers. I figure those tomatoes will continue to get better the longer they sit, so by tomorrow, tonight’s amazing dinner will be even more amazing.

Once I added the tomatoes to the bowl with the dressing, I added 3 large minced cloves of garlic, 10 leaves of chopped fresh basil and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Once I mixed everything together, I placed the bowl in the refrigerator to marinate for 6 hours.

Next, I marinated 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I drizzled a tablespoon of olive oil on the chicken and rubbed it on both sides. I then sprinkled kosher salt, pepper and dried oregano on the chicken, placed the breasts into a large ziplock bag and placed that in the refrigerator for 6 hours to marinate.

I baked the chicken in a preheated 425 degree oven for 30 minutes.

While the chicken was baking, I added a couple generous handfuls of arugula to the marinated tomatoes, making sure to incorporate the arugula into the tomatoes.

Once the internal temperature reached 160 degrees, I pulled the chicken out to rest on a cutting board. The internal temperature of my chicken reached 165 degrees after sitting for 10 minutes.

I cut the chicken into cubes before adding it to my salad.

I can’t recommend this salad enough. It was really good and really healthy.

Ingredients for Marinated Tomatoes

5 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half, lengthwise

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

10 basil leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Ingredients for Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

To be Added to Salad

2 generous handfuls arugula

Directions

1. In a large bowl, add olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, thyme and red pepper flakes. Whisk.
2. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and add to bowl with dressing. Add garlic, basil and balsamic vinegar and mix well. Place in refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours to marinate, longer if possible.
3. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, and oregano. Place in ziplock bag and then in refrigerator to marinate for a minimum of 3 hours to marinate, longer if possible.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken in oven to bake for 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes and cut into bite size pieces.
5. Add arugula to tomato mixture and combine. Add chicken, toss again and serve.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris