Tomato Basil Chicken Breasts
Published July 23, 2025
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (about ¾ pound) or 1 large chicken breast, halved horizontally
Salt and pepper
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons diced shallots (about 1 medium shallot)
12 ounces assorted tomatoes, small ones halved and medium and large cut in wedges
1 tablespoon capers in brine, drained
½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
Plenty of basil leaves (large leaves torn), for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
21 grams carbs; 170 milligrams cholesterol; 515 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 29 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 932 milligrams sodium; 42 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Season the chicken breasts all over with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a shallow bowl or plate. Dredge the chicken by placing it in the flour, then turning to coat all sides evenly.
- Step 2
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium. When the mixture is bubbling, shake off any excess flour from the chicken and add to the skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip the pieces over and continue cooking until cooked through, about 4 more. Transfer the chicken to two serving plates.
- Step 3
Add the shallots to the pan and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and ⅓ cup water (this helps create more sauce and helps the tomatoes cook more quickly). Simmer until the sauce is reduced by about half, about 3 minutes.
- Step 4
Stir in the capers, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the vinegar. Turn off the heat and season with salt.
- Step 5
To serve, top the chicken with the basil leaves and the tomato sauce and season with black pepper.
Private Notes
Comments
Recipe hits all the right notes for me. Basic, delicious, and the steps and timing are perfect for the prep that needs to happen in between. My 3rd 5 star of the hundreds of tecipies I have tried from NYT. Resist the temptation to head straight to this here comment section and do major mods first time. With one exception. Using shalotts here is much better than a regular onion here. Its not really an option. Fresh midsummer tomatoes straight from a local bespoke farm and not from a store, huge difference. I used store bought and that sweet dripping just past ripe of the post-organic farm, sigh, next time. Grandmas 100 year old cast iron skillet. Huge difference. The fried chicken w/ flour technique was used in same pan by her mom during great depression w/ their chickens. It is standard chicken prep. If you are using breasts you absolutely need to fillet. It aint going to dry out. This is a 100 year old chicken technique. Exception? Always, always at least double the capers no matter what the recipe. Capers are the greatest pleasure on earth, especially, in the mod outlined below. Next time I will add a tablespoon of hardcore tomatoe pesto and up the oil. But that makes this an entirely different recipe/profile where I would add it to fresh handmade angel hair pasta w/ kalamatra olives and brine. That recipe can be found by searching for "Wa de tah, sign your pitty on the runny kind pasta".
@Henry The Miller Bespoke tomatoes?
Made this as described and doubled it, with the exception I used a red onion as I didn't have shallots. Turned out great! My only suggestion is if you choose to cut a breast don't fillet it, cut it in half so it's still thick. That way they stay nice and juicy after frying. I had 4 perfect little golden medallions to cover in the sauce. Served with leftover rice and was a hit.
Tremendously easy and delicious! I don’t often follow recipes, preferring instead to glance at a few for inspiration and then forge ahead. For this one, I mostly followed, with the help of a few comments, turning out a plate-cleaning satisfying meal! I used heirloom (bespoke😍) and cherry tomatoes in a variety of colors, which made for a delightful colorful sauce, a finely diced small onion from my garden, instead of the shallot, and added in one minced clove of garlic. I’m not a huge fan of capers, so I reduced the amount, but it definitely adds to the overall flavor. The red wine vinegar gave the sauce some lovely brightness. Cooked in stainless steel, because cast iron is not suitable for tomatoes. Used tenderloin breasts and threw them back into the sauce briefly at the very end for a tad more cooking time, then my garden fresh basil on top. No plating necessary- served directly from the pan. Served with course bulgar wheat and the rest of a leftover baguette (not optional!) to soak up the sauce, along with sautéed fresh green beans from my garden. I couldn’t not add a touch of shredded Parmesan cheese to finish. Perfect summer meal! 5 stars!!
Superb! We pounded the chicken breasts, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. this is an easy recipe to adjust for larger or smaller chicken breasts. The sauce is delicious.
Perfect. Except for how long it taook to cook the chicken to 165. 4 minutes a side! 8 minutes a side (minimum).