Baked Feta Chicken

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1½ - 2 pounds chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, 4 chicken breasts)

2 teaspoons italian seasoning

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)

1 tablespoon garlic (minced)

½ cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons lemon juice

8 ounces block of feta cheese

1 pint grape tomatoes

5 - 6 fresh basil leaves (thinly sliced into ribbons)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add italian seasoning, chili powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Stir together seasonings. Then press seasoning blend into both sides of chicken.

Add oil to cast iron skillet on the stovetop. Heat to medium-high heat. Once skillet is hot, add all 4 chicken breasts to the oil. Sear until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Chicken will not be fully cooked. We're just looking for some good browning at this step. Flip. Sear the other side. (This is more oil than you need to brown the chicken but we want to get that oil flavorful with the chicken juices because it will become incorporated into the sauce.)

Once both sides of the chicken breasts are browned, add minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté until golden in color, about 1 minute.

Add chicken stock and lemon juice to the skillet. Move the chicken to the outside of the skillet and then place the block of feta in the center of the skillet. Add tomatoes to the skillet. Spoon some of the liquid over the feta and tomatoes.

Place the cast iron skillet in the oven. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Cooking time depends on how long you sear the chicken the skillet and how thick your chicken is. It takes 25 minutes for the chicken to cook through in my oven. Once chicken is cooked through, remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Use a fork or spoon to stir the feta and tomatoes into the sauce. Add the chicken back to the skillet and spoon sauce over top. Top everything with thinly sliced fresh basil.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 chicken breast + sauce
• Calories: 511 kcal
• Total Fat: 26 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
• Trans Fat: 0.03 g
• Cholesterol: 197 mg
• Sodium: 1254 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 10 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 58 g