Cherry Tomato Chicken From Rachael Ray Reviewed

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• Time To Cook According To Recipe: 30 minutes
• Actual Cooking Time (Including Prep): 22 minutes

This meal was actually completed in less time than the recipes called for (and I even made pasta and broccolini to go with it). In fact, adding the pasta and broccolini is what took this recipe to 22 minutes. Well worth the extra few minutes of prep time!

First thing I did was preheat my oven to 375° and I put a pot of water on to boil with lots of salt (it should taste like the sea — this is the only chance you’ll get to season the actual pasta). I added the broccolini to the water as it began to boil so that I could speed up the cooking time, and also create an amazing tender, yet crunchy texture. For faster boiling, put the top on the pot and crank the fire up to high.

I used linguine for this recipe because I like linguine, but you can use whatever pasta you have on-hand. The recipe really only has about 7 ingredients — not including the salt and pepper — so it should be really quick and easy to get everything prepped and cooked.

Once the water comes to a boil remove the broccolini and immediately shock it in an ice bath (bowl of water with ice) — this stops the cooking process and holds the bright green color. Bring the water back to a boil then add in your pasta — Don’t be freaked out by the green water; its because of the broccolini) — Immediately stir the pasta to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other. It should take about 8-9 minutes for al dente (to the tooth), but follow the directions on the package to be sure.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper then put it skin-side down in a hot pan that has been lightly coated with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). Don’t mess with it — you want it to get a really good crust.

Place broccolini on a sheet pan and toss with a little EVOO, salt and pepper. Start checking them at around 7 minutes — you don’t want them to burn, and remember, they are already partially cooked.

By this time, your chicken should be ready to turn. It should look nice and golden brown like this. It also provides some more texture to the meal — who doesn't love crispy skin?

You want to make sure the chicken fully cooks so put a top on it and let it go for about another 3-4 minutes, or until the juices run clear. 

Remove the chicken and add in your sliced garlic. Make sure you move the garlic around because it burns quickly. Also be sure to scrape up the goodies left behind by the chicken. All of that is extra flavor and you don’t want to waste it.

Add in your cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat with the garlic and oil. The tomatoes will begin to burst as you move them around — this is the beginning of your sauce.

Now add in your butter and toss with the tomatoes and garlic. It should be smelling really amazing at this point, but be patient, its almost time. You want to give your cherry tomatoes and butter time to make a richer sauce, so you can go ahead and drain your pasta and get your broccolini out of the oven.

Pour in your white wine and stir to mix the sauce. Be sure to taste for seasoning.

Add your chicken back in and coat with the sauce. It will begin to thicken more and the chicken will also absorb some of the liquid. The image below is pretty much what the Rachel Ray recipe is teaching you to make, but we took it a bit further and created a whole meal with a few more items on the plate.

We added some pasta and broccolini as well. See how we tweaked this recipe!

Remove your chicken. Toss the pasta in the sauce and coat. Add in a little more butter if you’re running a little low on sauce. I noticed that I was, so I added more to coat the noodles.

Put the broccolini on the plate and you're all done! This recipe was super quick and easy to make; seriously, anyone could do it. I may try mixing it up next time — maybe using elbow macaroni noodles instead of linguine, or even garlic mashed potatoes.