Mediterranean Chicken

This week Wife is on Spring Break and I can't think of a more frustrating prospect: here I am, stuck at work, while she enjoys some leisure time. My disgruntled attitude got me daydreaming about vacations that I've been on, and the first place that popped into my mind was Cinque Terre.

You can find this beautiful place on the western coast of Italy, just a stones-throw away from Florence. To me, no other place has come closer to being paradise than Cinque Terre. It has all the necessary elements of paradise: the ocean, mountains, wine, delicious seafood, and to top it all off, it is the (alleged) birthplace of pesto! Wife and I traveled there with two of our closest friends after a summer study program in college. Ever since then, we've been scheming on how we are going to make our way back.

More to the point--I knew that daydreaming could only get me so far, and that I had to do something that made me feel just a little bit like I was in my Mediterranean paradise. I think you know where this is going...

Mediterranean Chicken
from Martha Stewart Living

1 pint grape tomatoes

16 pitted Kalamata olives, halved

3 tablespoons capers

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 bonless chicken breast halves, with skin

Coarse salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Toss tomatoes, olives, capers and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until hot. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil; heat until hot but not smoking. Place chicken in skillet, skin sides down. Cook until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn chicken over and add tomato mixture to skillet.

Transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken is cooked through and tomatoes have softened, about 18 minutes. Serve with Mediterranean couscous and a glass of your favorite Italian wine.