Garlic and rosemary chicken with summer ratatouille
Seek out the best quality cherry tomatoes, courgette and pepper for this easy summer dinner – they will deliver a wonderful rich sweetness.
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves
- 4 small chicken breast fillets (about 150g/5½oz each)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 25g/1oz butter
- 500g/1lb 2oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large courgette, chopped
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 500g/1lb 2oz fresh gnocchi
- handful fresh basil leaves, plus extra to serve
- grated pecorino, to serve
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Chop the garlic on a chopping board. Sprinkle with sea salt and use the side of the knife to crush the garlic until a rough paste forms. Add the rosemary and lemon zest and finely chop everything together.
Put the chicken fillets into a large bowl along with a tablespoon of the olive oil and the garlic and rosemary paste. Stir to fully coat the chicken. (If you have time you can leave the chicken to marinate in the fridge for up to 24 hours.)
Heat a large non-stick frying pan with a tight-fitting lid over a high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, fry the chicken breasts for 2 minutes on each side until golden-brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the butter, cherry tomatoes, courgette, pepper and balsamic vinegar to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes start to soften.
Reduce the heat and return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the vegetables. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the tomatoes have cooked down slightly.
Remove the lid and cook for a further 5 minutes. Use a fork to burst some of the tomatoes to release some of their juices for the sauce.
While the chicken cooks, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the gnocchi. Cook for 1–2 minutes until they float to the surface, then remove with a slotted spoon and add straight to the chicken pan, along with the basil leaves.
Serve the chicken and gnocchi in wide bowls garnished with extra basil leaves, pecorino and a seasoning of salt and pepper.
Recipe Tips
For this recipe try to choose small chicken breasts but if they are on the larger side, score them deeply on the diagonal across the flesh to speed up the cooking.
If you don't have a large frying pan with a lid, you can cover the pan with a piece of kitchen foil instead.