Italian-Seasoned Chicken Breasts with Hearty Tomato Blend

This meal came from Southern Living. Normally, I stay away from Southern Living, not because its recipes aren't delicious (they are) but because those recipes are typically highly fattening. This one seems relatively harmless, with just one tbsp. vegetable oil in the whole deal.

ITALIAN SEASONED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH HEARTY TOMATO BLEND

Recipe Notes

Recipe for Hearty Tomato Blend follows. In my skillet, the cooking time on the chicken was more like 5-7 minutes per side to get it cooked all the way through.

Ingredients

• 1 c. uncooked extra long grain rice
• 1/3 c. chopped celery
• 4 skinned and boned chicken breast cutlets (3/4-1 lb.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 c. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 c. Hearty Tomato Blend (below)
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Prepare rice according to package directions, adding celery with rice.

2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Combine breadcrumbs with 1/4 tsp. salt in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg; dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

4. Cook chicken in hot oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet (medium-high heat) 3-4 minutes per side or until lightly browned and done. Remove from skillet and drain well on paper towels. Keep warm.

5. Heat 2 c. Hearty Tomato Blend in a small saucepan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

6. Toss hot cooked rice with parsley and place on a serving plate. Top with chicken. Spoon Hearty Tomato Blend over the chicken and rice. Garnish if desired.

HEARTY TOMATO BLEND

Recipe Notes

Sorry about the ugly jar in the picture - I like to reuse old jelly jars when I can, and I haven't quite gotten the label off of this one yet. This recipe makes WAY too much for just Corey and me, so I personally halved the recipe. For the sweet onions, I used sweet yellow onions.

Ingredients

• Three 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained
• Four 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
• 2 medium sweet onions, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

Instructions

1. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to seven days.