sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste about 1/4 teaspoon each
4fresh garlic cloves, minced
2Tbspshigh quality olive oil, divided
4boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 - 1/2 lbs total
1/4cupshredded mozzarella cheese
2cupscherry tomatoes
1/4cupfresh basil leaves, sliced
3-4Tbspshigh quality balsamic vinegar
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Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees f.
Add chicken into a shallow bowl and stir in the seasonings, garlic, sea salt and pepper to your taste, and 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Toss until really well coated on all sides pressing seasonings into the chicken a bit, then cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
Remove your seasoned chicken from the refrigerator 10-15 minutes prior to cooking.
Heat a large cast iron, or oven safe skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining oil. Sear the chicken for 3 minutes on each side to give it a nice color, then add in your cherry tomatoes, and drizzle everything with balsamic.
Place this entire skillet into your preheated 400 degree oven and bake uncovered until cooked through and no longer pink in the inside, about 10-12 minutes.
Sprinkle chicken with shredded mozzarella, then return to the oven and continue to bake for just a minute until cheese is nice and melty.