Tuscan Chicken

This flavorful chicken in a creamy Tuscan sauce with cherry tomatoes can be a delectable surprise.  While white meats are typically served with a white wine, we chose a smooth Malbec to compliment the thickness of the sauce with a nice full flavor.

The Good:  After trouble-shooting this recipe it turned out to be a pretty tasty dish!
The Bad:  Unless you live to eat tomatoes, there is an excess of tomatoes in the original recipe.
The Ugly:  The original recipe said to cook each side of the chicken for 7 minutes... that was the worst blackened chicken I've ever seen.  Keep an eye out for my Behind the Blog for a juicy story.

Suggestions before starting:
Unless you are a huge tomato enthusiast I would cut back on the amount of tomatoes.  While they add a nice flavor, they can become overbearing especially if you're not a huge tomato fan.
Understand that while starting the chicken in the skillet, you're only goal is to brown the outside.  The inside will still be pink and will finish in the oven.
Remember to constantly stir the sauce so it does not burn in the skillet.

Recipe Total Time: Approx 30 min

Recipe Yield 4 servings

Preheat oven: 300

Ingredients

• 4 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup Kraft 4 Cheese Italiano Shredded Cheese

Directions

1. Heat large nonstick skillet drizzled with olive oil on medium heat. Add chicken; cover skillet with lid. Cook chicken until lightly golden on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet and place in oven at 300 degrees until thoroughly cooked (170 degrees with thermometer).
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add cream cheese spread, water, pesto and tomatoes to skillet. Cook, uncovered, 2 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.
3. Return chicken to skillet. Cook and stir 1 min. or until chicken is coated and heated through. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.