Last summer I made this Tomato Basil Vinaigrette and I’ve been dying to turn it into a pan sauce for chicken ever since. Well, I finally did it and the result was just as easy and delicious as expected! The garlicky marinade and tangy tomato pan sauce make this simple chicken extra flavorful! Quick, easy, delicious, and perfect for busy weeknights. :)
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Can I Use Fresh Basil?
Sure! I used dried because it’s a bit more budget-friendly, but if you have access to fresh basil it will definitely take this dish over the top. I’d probably use about a tablespoon chopped in the marinade and then another teaspoon added into the pan sauce. You can also sprinkle some fresh basil over the finished dish.
What Else Can I Add?
This is my favorite part of every recipe. I love sharing ideas for other things you can add to the dish to make it extra special, if you want. Here are some modifications to take this tomato basil chicken over the top:
- Make it creamy: stir a splash of heavy cream or a couple tablespoons of cream cheese into the sauce.
- Add grape tomatoes: after removing the chicken from the pan, add halved grape tomatoes and sauté until softened before adding the ingredients for the pan sauce.
- Add bacon: cook some bacon in the pan before the chicken, then crumble it over the finished dish.
- Make it cheesy: top each piece of chicken with a slice of fresh mozzarella. Place a lid on the skillet to melt the mozzarella.
What to Serve with Tomato Basil Chicken
I like to keep things easy, so I paired my chicken with a simple side salad and some homemade garlic bread. It would also go great with something like Cucumber Tomato Salad, Lemon Parsley Pasta, or Pesto Cheese Toast.
Tomato Basil Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.64)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar ($0.20)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced ($0.32)
- 1 tsp dried basil, divided ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1.3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast ($6.24)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth ($0.07)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.14)
- 1/4 tsp sugar ($0.01)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, ½ tsp dried basil, salt, and pepper.
- Use a sharp knife to fillet the chicken breasts into two thinner pieces each.
- Place the chicken breast pieces in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over top. Flip the chicken a couple of times to make sure all surfaces are coated. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes, or up to one day (refrigerated), flipping once or twice throughout.
- Heat a large skillet over medium. Once the pan is hot, transfer the chicken pieces to the skillet. There should be enough oil from the marinade to prevent sticking. Cook the chicken for about five minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through, then remove it to a clean plate.
- Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, the remaining ½ tsp dried basil, and sugar to the skillet. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients and dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.
- Let the sauce simmer over medium-low heat for about five minutes, or until slightly thickened. Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over top. Serve and enjoy.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
How to Make Tomato Basil Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Make the marinade first. In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 4 cloves of minced garlic, ½ tsp dried basil, ¼ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp freshly cracked pepper.
Use a sharp knife to fillet two boneless, skinless chicken breasts into two thinner pieces each.
Place the chicken pieces in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over top. Flip the chicken a couple of times to make sure it’s all coated. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes, or up to one day (refrigerated).
Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, transfer the chicken to the skillet and cook for about five minutes on each side, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate.
Add ½ cup chicken broth, 2 Tbsp tomato paste, the remaining 1/2 tsp dried basil, and ¼ tsp sugar to the skillet. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients and dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.
Simmer the sauce over medium for about five minutes or until it has slightly thickened.
Return the chicken to the skillet and spoon the sauce over top.
I garnished with a bit of chopped parsley just for some color, but you don’t need it for flavor. If you have fresh basil to use as garnish, that would definitely add both color AND flavor!
I made Tomato Basil Chicken tonight and will make it again. I love your website, everything I made so far tastes very good. I love how each recipe comes with detail pictures to guide along the way. I search recipes very often, and so far your site has creative, simple and yet tasty recipes, what a hidden gem your site is!
A nice change of pace for chicken breasts. Will make again.
Is it better to sub white vinegar or apple cider instead of the red wine?
I’d do apple cider if you have it!
Loved it. Used fresh basil and made a wee bit more sauce than the recipe. I also added some heavy cream to make it creamier. Sides: Mashed potatoes and cucumber salad.
Do you transfer the marinade to the pan as well when you cook the chicken or just the chicken?
Just the chicken. If you add the marinade as well there will be too much moisture for the chicken to be able to brown. :)
Very yummy chicken recipe that I will definitely be making again.
I served it with Lemon Parsley Pasta and steamed broccoli.
I did as you suggested and softened a few halved grape tomatoes in the pan after
removing the chicken and before making the sauce.
The only thing I would do differently next time is to double the sauce ingredients.
It’s delicious, especially with pasta!
How much chicken is 1.3 lbs?
Hi Katherine, you’ll need to check the package of chicken that you’re buying to see the weight because chicken breasts can vary quite a bit in size.
I love the “what else can i add” section. Thanks for the tips!
This recipe look amazing, however I cannot use Red Vinegar, nor apple cider Vinegar, nor Rice Vinegar due to allergies….
Suggestions for substitution of the Red Wine Vinegar?
I’d really love to give this recipe a try. Thank you :)
Try white, sherry, or champagne. XOXO -Monti
We made this recipe for dinner and it did not disappoint. I was a bit nervous at first because it took a while for the sauce to thicken, but just have patience! The ingredients are things we usually have on hand from the store which makes this an excellent lazy night dinner! The flavor was very good!
You have to treat me with this, the next time we meet.
Great recipe. I made this tonight with a few of the suggestions. I added grape tomatoes and a splash of cream in the sauce. I quadrupled the sauce because I served it with whole wheat pasta. It was delicious as is but next time I might cut the chicken into chunks to cook (and adjust the cooking time accordingly) if serving with pasta again.
I loved it! Super simple ingredients for a great taste. Made it with my brother and with white rice and chickpeas. He thought it was too sweet but after testing the tomato paste we decided it was the paste that was making it too sweet. Might have to try with another brand of sauce or another type of sauce. We’re going to try the parmesan bacon pasta next. Thank you for all you do!
YUM!
We ate every bite!
So freakin good, easy to make, and healthy too
Love the recipe. Making it for company.
One guest doesn’t eat poultry or meat. Can I substitute the chicken for fish such as flounder, sole, etc.?
You could probably do that, you’ll just need to adjust the cooking time for the fish.
I made this tonight and it was amazing.
Quite simple to make this tasty looking meal.
Is there anything that can be substituted for the tomato paste? A member of my family is allergic to it.
I have substituted ketchup for tomato paste in some recipes, but I don’t know if that will cut it here.
Ketchup is tomato paste, sugar and vinegar, so I wouldn’t recommend it if your relative is allergic to tomato paste.
Substituting the tomato paste will drastically change both the flavor and texture of the sauce, so it would take quite a bit of testing to figure out exactly what to use in its place to create a similar end result.
What about pureed sundried tomatoes? I mean you’d need to be a chemist to figure out why this person isn’t allergic to ketchup ut is allergic to tomato paste!
I think I’d still need to test it to see if the pureed sun dried tomatoes create the same flavor and texture in the sauce. They’re still different enough to be a wild card.
Absolutely delicious and so simple to make! Made double the amount of sauce and added a touch of heavy cream, as suggested above.
Excellent recipe!
I love almost all Budget Bytes recipes but this one was a miss for me. It was fine, but no wow, as Budget Bytes meals usually do. Served with pasta, but just an average dinner. Probably won’t make again, but next time would include cheese to make it more exciting.
This was good! I added cooked broccoli at the same time that I added the chicken to the sauce.
As an American living in Tokyo, where many foreign ingredients are hard to find and $$$ when you do discover them, I really appreciate the recipes on this site. Most use basic ingredients that I can find even here, and my Japanese husband enjoys them as much as I do. Thank you, Beth and team!
You’ve done it again Beth. Made this tonight and it was a hit! I’d post a pic if I could. Marinated the chicken an hour and a half as that’s all the time I had. It was long enough to keep the chicken flavorful, juicy and tender. My hubby’s only complaint is to double the sauce next time as he devoured it. Thank you for creating this super-simple delicious recipe 😋
This looks so good. Love that it’s all pantry ingredients.