Baked Chicken with Summer Vegetable Sauce

Some recipes just happen. I decided to experiment with an old standby chicken recipe to make it even better. For a side dish, I made another old standby: zucchini and tomatoes. As we were eating dinner, Kathleen decided to combine the two and – voila! – a delicious new main course.

I made this with garden fresh tomatoes, zucchini and basil, yet you can also make this in the dead of winter with canned tomatoes, store-bought zucchini and dried basil. It won’t be as exquisite as with the fresh zucchini and tomato sauce, but it will still be tasty.

Serves 4

¼ cup buttermilk (I use reduced fat buttermilk)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 tablespoons breadcrumbs, Italian-style
2 medium zucchini
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 vine-ripened tomatoes
4-6 fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the buttermilk, Dijon mustard and honey in a pie plate; mix to combine. Place the breadcrumbs in a second pie plate. One at a time, coat the chicken breasts in the buttermilk mixture and then the bread crumbs; shake off the excess bread crumbs. Place the chicken on a rack set on a baking sheet (this will ensure that the chicken is as crispy on the bottom as on the top). Bake for 30-35 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, cut the zucchini into ¼ inch wide slices. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini to the skillet. Cook 8-10 minutes, flipping once, till slightly browned. Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes (I prefer to peel the tomatoes first using a serrated peeler, but you can skip this step if you wish). Add the tomatoes to the zucchini and mix to combine; cook for 4-5 more minutes. Roll up the washed basil leaves, and julienne (slice thinly). Add the basil to the zucchini-tomato sauce. Remove from heat.

Serve with the chicken on a platter with the zucchini-tomato sauce in a separate bowl.