Baked Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Butter

Baked Chicken With Sun-Dried Tomato Butter
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
8 sun dried tomatoes halves, not packed in oil
½ packed cup basil leaves
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 small clove garlic, minced to a paste
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 ¾ pounds chicken breast, diced
3 Tablespoons dry bread crumbs  

METHOD:
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven preheat oven to 450�F. To make the butter, cover the tomatoes with very hot water and let sit for about 20 minutes to reconstitute. Drain, blot dry, and chop.

Bring a saucepot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the basil leaves and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain, then shock in a bowl of ice water. Drain again, then squeeze very dry. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze some more. Chop roughly.

In a food processor, puree the tomatoes, basil, butter, and garlic until light and fluffy. Season with salt.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Smear about 2 Tablespoons of the tomato butter in the bottom of a 1 1/2-quart gratin dish. Set the chicken into the dish (it may be a snug fit) and spread 4 Tablespoons of the tomato butter on top of the scallops. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake for 10 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.



Adapted by StarChefs.com
Yield: 4 Servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

  Round Out the Meal:
With steamed green beans.

  Kid Friendly:
This is kid friendly!

  Wine Pairing:
A Pinot Noir such as the 2003 Julia's Vineyard from Santa Barbara or a Tempranillo such as the 2001 Manyana Crianza from Carinena, Spain.