Fast Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce

This was a true under-30-minute meal.  Not a under-30-minutes-if-you've-done-all-the-prep-work recipe but everything took less than a half hour from start to finish.  And not only fast but the flavors of this chicken with tomato-herb pan sauce came together so well.  The chicken is first pan-seared (butterflying the chicken breast helps it to cook much faster - mine was done in 7 minutes total).  Then you add cherry tomatoes to the pan for about 5 minutes until they heat and burst.  Add a quick butter compound and some white wine and you have an elegant and delicious dinner (as you can tell from the picture, we topped ours with a generous portion of the tomato-herb sauce).  We had ours with some leftover quinoa tabbouleh and a green salad.

 Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce
Taken from: Annie's Eats
Serves 4

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and halved (approx. 1 pound)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1½ tsp. fresh oregano, minced (I used about 1/2 tsp of dried oregano instead)
• ½ tsp. sweet paprika
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (I probably used closer to 1 cup and it was great)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

1. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.  Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, garlic, oregano, and paprika.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the oregano butter with the olive oil.  Place the chicken breast halves in the skillet and cook until golden brown on each side and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.
3. Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes to the skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining butter mixture to the pan.  Crush the tomatoes slightly to release their juices and continue stirring until the butter is melted.  Add the wine or broth to the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits.  Cook for a minute more until well blended (I cooked for a few minutes to allow the sauce to reduce).
4. Slice the chicken, transfer to serving plates, and top with the pan sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.