Balsamic Chicken Caprese

This one came together sort of... off the cuff. But really, we're combining some great concepts here, so it was bound for greatness!

Ingredients:

• 4 thinly sliced cuts of chicken breast
• 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 4 T olive oil
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 c chicken stock
• 2 roma tomatoes, halved and sliced
• 1/2 c baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 c fresh mozzarella pearls
• 3 T pesto
• 1/2 lb linguine

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Prepare linguine according to al dente instructions on package.

2. Heat olive oil on medium in a saute pan. While oil is heating, lightly dredge chicken in flour. Saute chicken for 3-4 minutes on both sides, until golden brown. Set chicken aside, keep warm.

3. Saute onion and garlic (in the same pan used to saute chicken) for 5 minutes, until tender.

4. Deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar, whisk gently for a minute, then add chicken stock. Stir and cook down on med-high heat for ~5 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken.

5. Add chicken and mushrooms, simmer on low an additional 3 minutes.

6. In a separate bowl, combine tomato, mozzarella pearls and pesto.

7. Remove chicken and sauce from heat, toss in pasta, tomatoes, and mozzarella pearls coated in pesto.


Voila!