I’m so excited to share a fresh, healthy, and fit chicken recipe for Day 3 of Chicken Week with you! Just to recap, Monday we made warm and hearty (and Ben-approved!) Chicken & Wild Rice Soup, then yesterday we brought take-out in-house with spicy-sweet Kung Pao Chicken Burgers (which, seriously – gobble-good.)
Today, we’re going delightfully fresh with Avocado, Mozzarella and Bruschetta Chicken, which couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. After waking up to howling winds and 4″ of snow on the ground, the bright colors and summery flavors of a sauteed chicken breast topped with creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes and basil, melty mozzarella cheese, and syrupy-sweet balsamic vinegar totally hit the spot, and temporarily distracted me from the swirling white wretchedness taking place out my window!
Avocado, Mozzarella & Bruschetta Chicken is simple, flavorful and ready in 15-20 minutes…AND it’s drizzled with reduced balsamic vinegar.
HOW YOU GONNA HATE ON THAT?!
While it may look fancy and like it takes a lot of time, this dish is really just a sauteed chicken breast topped with goodies then popped under the broiler for a few minutes. Simple enough to make on a weeknight, but yummy enough to make for your family and friends anytime. Plus it’s a recipe that can easily be scaled. Make enough for 1 or 10!
Start with the balsamic reduction that you see above (AHHH) which is so easy it’ll make your head spin. All you do is bring 1 cup balsamic vinegar to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until it’s thickened and coats a spoon.
Like this! When you reduce balsamic vinegar it’s gets to be like a sweet syrup – you would never in a million years guess it started out as balsamic vinegar. I love to drizzle it on salads, berries, pizzas, and well, Avocado, Mozzarella and Bruschetta Chicken!
The vinegar takes about 20 minutes to reduce, so just set it aside when it’s done to cool slightly. (Oh, hi!)
Next get your chicken ready. Normally I would just instruct you to season then cook, etc, but a few people have asked me exactly how I saute a chicken breast, so here’s what I do from start to finish:
First, pound out your chicken breasts to a uniform thickness. If you don’t do this, one end will end up as chicken leather, while the other will be moist and delish. What a horrible combo.
I usually pop the chicken into a ziplock bag or lay it on my poultry-only cutting board and seal it up with Glad Press & Seal (I am absolutely obsessed with that stuff.) Next, take a mallet or rolling pin and give the chicken a good couple of whacks until it’s all the same thickness.
Like this!
Next drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top and brush it on evenly, then season liberally with salt & pepper. Flip and do the same thing on the other side.
Brush the inside of a skillet with olive oil (I just use what’s left on the brush) or spray with nonstick spray then heat to medium-high. I usually set mine to 6.5 out of 10. Add the chicken then cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the underside is golden brown. Flip then cook for another 4 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.
My no-fail way to make sure the chicken is done without cutting into it, is to press into the chicken with my finger. If you press and the chicken feels bouncy or raw, flip and cook for one more minute. If you can’t really press into the chicken at all, it’s done!
K! Now transfer the chicken to a nonstick-sprayed, foil-lined baking sheet.
Time to bust out the goodies! First up – Fresh Bruschetta Sauce. I picked this up at Trader Joe’s, but you could totally make your own. The combo of fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic in here is SO SUMMER that it makes me want to scream. Who knows, maybe I did!
Plus a sliced avocado. FYI – I peel my avocados, vs scooping the flesh out with a spoon. You dirty one less utensil, plus my inner type A get SO ANNOYED when the spoon leaves some of the flesh behind in the peel. I know.
Spoon about 2 Tablespoons bruschetta mixture on top then add 3 or 4 slices of avocado.Â
Next slice up some fresh mozzarella. Tip: Pop this baby into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to make it really easy to slice!
(don’t forget a wee piece for the chef!)
Add 1oz sliced mozzarella on top then broil until melted.
Top with the reduced balsamic vinegar then INHALE.
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Avocado, Mozzarella and Bruschetta Chicken
Description
Avocado, Mozzarella and Bruschetta Chicken is simple, flavorful and ready in 20 minutes. Fresh, healthy, and fast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 4 chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup pre-made bruschetta topping
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 4oz mozzarella cheese, sliced (or 1 cup shredded)
- baby spinach or pasta, for serving
Directions
- Pour balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan then bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium then simmer and reduce until vinegar is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 20 minutes. (Vinegar will continue to thicken while cooling.) Set aside to cool.
- Place oven rack in top position then preheat broiler. Brush chicken breasts with extra virgin olive oil then season with salt and pepper on both sides. Brush a large skillet over medium-high heat with oil then add chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes a side, or until no longer pink in the center.
- Transfer chicken to a foil-lined, nonstick-sprayed baking sheet then top with 2 Tablespoons bruschetta mixture, 3-4 slices avocado, and 1 oz mozzarella each. Broil until cheese has melted then serve over spinach or cooked pasta, and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar reduction.
Notes
Inspired by Cuisine Paradise
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
I placed my Avocado, Mozzarella and Bruschetta Chicken over a bed of baby spinach which was just divine. Angel hair pasta underneath would be super yummy too. Heck, you could place it on the floor and I’d still lick it clean!
That is to say, drizzle on some more of that balsamic reduction, and get to eatin’, people! ;)
Psst! Use the leftover bruschetta mixture to make 15-Minute Bruschetta Chicken Pasta!Â
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Jenny 03.19.2014
We love your site and recipes so much we choose to feature this chicken recipe on our Easter roundup here, http://www.thehappygal.com/healthy-easter-recipes/ Thank you!
-The Happy Gal
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Jenny Layton 03.13.2014
My mouth is watering! I will be making this for dinner this week.
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Ashley 03.01.2014
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used store bought bruschetta but I bet it would have been even better if I made it from scratch. This will be a great quick weeknight recipe. Also a tip I learned today was to use an egg slicer to cut the fresh mozzarella. It made perfect oval shaped pieces of mozzarella to put on top of the chicken. Thank you for sharing a great recipe!
Rebecca 02.22.2014
Another great recipe!! Couldn’t wait to try this one and it did not disappoint! Your blog is seriously one of my favorites. Keep up the good work :)
Anne 02.21.2014
I made this for Valentine’s day and served with roasted asparagus. It was SO yummy. My husband and I both said it tasted like we were eating at a restaurant. :)
Tori 02.12.2014
I found this recipe via Pinterest back last June and it was actually the first meal me and my husband made together! It is sooooooo yummy and definitely something we always look forward to! Thank you so much for sharing it!! It’s delicious. I really love the balsamic glaze, but the first time I ever made it i had no idea what I was doing and WAY over reduced it to a thick, hard goop! Lol luckily I was able to do a quick re-do and get it right :P
Melissa 02.10.2014
Made this tonight with regular mozza, it was still amazing but next time we’ll look for fresh stuff :) This was so easy and so impressive, thanks!
Sierra 02.06.2014
I rarely write reviews or comments but I really enjoyed this meal tonight. It was everything you would want out a meal; delicious, easy, AND doesn’t take a long time. Will definitely be making this again!!
Georgiana 01.16.2014
I made this recipe today for lunch and it was delicioussssssssss!!! the mozarella with the tomatoes and that amazing tasting reduced balasamic vinegar are just omg! such a healthy but yummy recipe ! i usually have to force myself to eat green vegetables,but with this,i finished all the spinach on my plate.I couldn’t even taste it ! Amazing !
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[…] for at least five different meals. Not the most photogenic food but it is delicious and healthy!Avocado, mozzarella and bruschetta chicken. This was a new recipe we tried and really enjoyed […]
Kathy Henderson 12.29.2013
You are a genius! Our daughter (16) is a pop-tarterian or breadaterian. However, she gobbled this meal up so quickly that she cleaned her plate before her dad and I finished ours! She even is considering using this recipe for the county fair food review competition noting how healthy, colorful, fragrant, and easy to make. Your recipes have been a huge success with her palate. I am so grateful to have found you!
Christine |Taste of Divine 12.23.2013
This looks seriously good!! I love avocado and am always looking for new recipes to try. Pinning now…thanks!!
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Janet 08.29.2013
I made this for dinner last night – it was quite tasty! Couldn’t find pre-made bruschetta topping in my tiny town, so I made it from scratch. Thank you for sharing!