Tomato Basil Chicken with Baby Arugula Salad
Consider this recipe a mini vacay to the Mediterranean — succulent chicken with a lemon butter sauce is paired with a beautiful, simple, peppery arugula salad featuring toasted almonds and salty parmesan.
Servings
Produce
Garlic (Organic)
4 2 Clove
Cherry Tomato
10 5 oz
Basil
1 0.5 oz
Lemon
1 0.5 Whole
Arugula
3 1.5 oz
Spinach (Organic)
3 1.5 oz
Yellow Onion (Organic)
0.5 0.25 Whole
Protein & more
Parmesan cheese, wedge
2 1 oz
Almond slices
1.5 0.75 oz
Chicken thighs
1 0.5 lb
Ciabatta roll
2 1 Whole
Pantry items
Olive oil
1 0.5 tablespoon
Butter, salted
3 1.5 tablespoon
Sea salt
1/2 0.25 teaspoon
Black pepper
1/4 0.125 teaspoon
Spice mix
Dried thyme
1/2 0.25 teaspoon
Basil, dried
1/2 0.25 teaspoon
Dried oregano
1/2 0.25 teaspoon
Savory, dried
1/2 0.25 teaspoon
Dried tarragon
1/2 0.25 teaspoon
Rosemary, ground
1/2 0.25 teaspoon
Lemon Vinaigrette
Olive oil
2 1 tablespoon
Lemon juice
1 0.5 tablespoon
Dijon mustard
2 1 teaspoon
Minced Garlic
1 0.5 Clove
Honey
1 0.5 teaspoon
Prep ahead (optional)
a. Chop spinach bite-sized. b. Stack basil leaves, roll lengthwise, and thinly slice ribbons. c. Thinly slice garlic and yellow onion. d. Juice half of lemon; slice other half for garnish.
Instructions
1
Cook chicken:
a. Season chicken thighs with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
b. In large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Add seasoned chicken thighs; cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook another 5-6 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside to rest.
2
Make sauce:
a. In same pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil.
b. Add yellow onion (thinly slice) and garlic (thinly slice). Cook until onion is translucent, 2 minutes.
c. Stir in ½ cup water and add cherry tomatoes (leave whole). Cook until tomatoes soften, 7-8 minutes.
d. Add juice of half the lemon, 3 tbsp butter (or more — we won’t tell!), and basil (stack leaves, roll, thinly slice). When butter melts, remove from heat.
3
Make croutons:
a. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil or melted butter. Mix in Mediterranean herb mix.
b. Add ciabatta, cut-side down. Toast and set aside.
4
Make salad:
a. In a medium sauté pan over high heat, toast almond slices, 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
b. In a large bowl, mix baby arugula (leave whole), spinach (chop small bite-sized), toasted almonds, and parmesan (shave with peeler or grate). Pour lemon vinaigrette over top. Toss to coat.
5
Serve:
a. Divide croutons among plates. Top with chicken (½” thick slices). Spoon over sauce.
b. Serve salad alongside. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Chef's notes
This recipe works beautifully with fish instead of chicken for variety or preference.
All spice mixes and dressings made by Inner Chef from scratch with organic ingredients, local when possible.
This week’s local ingredients across all Inner Chef meal-kits come from:
Gundermann Acres,
Wharton County, TX
Wharton County, TX
Fagan Family Farm
Lone Star Herbs,
League City, TX
League City, TX
G&S Groves,
Mission, TX
Mission, TX
The Farm Patch,
Pleasanton, TX
Pleasanton, TX
Kitchen Pride,
Gonzales, TX
Gonzales, TX
Fruitful Hill Farm,
Bastrop, TX
Bastrop, TX
J&B Farms,
Hondo, TX
Hondo, TX
Martinez Farms,
Pleasanton, TX
Pleasanton, TX
J&D Farms
Village Farms,
Marfa, TX
Marfa, TX