Seared Chicken
alla Debbie's Garden

Butterfly the chicken breast (slice horizontally without cutting all the way through, then spread the halves open). If you're not comfortable butterflying it, pound it between two sheets of plastic wrap with a meat mallet — or the bottom of an empty wine bottle — until it's an even 3/4-inch thickness.

Season both sides with 1 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste) and a dash of black pepper.

Set aside in the fridge for at least 50 minutes to let the salt work its way into the chicken.

Finely dice one Brandywine tomato (a sharp knife is required) and rough chop the remaining Brandywine.

Slice the orange cherry tomatoes and the micro-dwarf ink spot tomatoes in half and set aside — these are for garnish, not the relish itself.

Chiffonade the basil for the relish. Seed and mince the jalapeño and serrano. Pull or dice the burrata/mozzarella.

In a bowl, combine the diced and chopped Brandywine tomatoes with the basil chiffonade, minced serrano and jalapeño, 2 tbsp olive oil, the red wine vinegar (or lemon juice), oregano, a dash of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Gently fold in the burrata or mozzarella.

Let the relish sit at room temperature while you cook the chicken — at least 20 minutes — so the salt pulls juice from the tomato and the flavors marry.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in a skillet (not cast iron) over medium-high until shimmering. Sear the chicken 7 minutes, flip, cover with a lid, and cook another 8 minutes.

After about 12 minutes total, remove the lid and check the internal temperature. Re-cover and repeat every few minutes until the chicken reaches 165°F throughout.

Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate to rest, tented loosely with foil to retain heat.

Lower the heat to medium. In the same pan, add the chopped onion and sauté about 10 minutes, until it starts to caramelize — lower the heat as the onions sweat and the liquid cooks off.

Add the garlic and sauté 30–60 seconds until fragrant — don't go longer, or it will burn and turn the whole dish bitter.

Deglaze with a splash of the chicken stock (or white wine), scraping up the fond from the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the stock and bring to a simmer. Let it reduce, uncovered, about 10 minutes.

Swirl in the remaining 2 tbsp butter until melted into a light, glossy sauce, then stir in the heavy cream.

Add the leftover pappardelle to the skillet and toss to coat and heat through, about 3 minutes.

Plate the pasta in the center of the plate and spoon sauce over the noodles.

Slice the rested chicken on a bias and lay it over the pasta. (Optional: scatter a little more fresh burrata or mozzarella over the warm chicken.)

Spoon more sauce over the chicken and noodles, then spoon a generous amount of the tomato-mozzarella-basil relish — and its juices — over and around everything.

Garnish with the reserved torn basil and the halved cherry and ink spot tomatoes. Serve with a vegetable of choice on the side.