Balsamic Chicken with Shallots & Sun-dried Tomatoes

So tonight was another one of those nights...nothing in the fridge, not a lot of time to cook or plan a meal etc. Luckily, I bought some chicken at the grocery store while I was out getting my morning coffee. I had no plans for the chicken but ended up with a delicious new recipe! The following is my new creation...I call it 'balsamic chicken with shallots & sun-dried tomatoes'. My husband thought I should give it a proper name, but I am sticking with tradition and naming it after what's in it!

I served this tonight with some store-bought gnocchi in alfredo sauce and we ate in front of the TV while watching the Lost finale (thank God for DVR).

Ingredients & Preparation:

Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers.

• 6 chicken breasts
• handful of sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), julienne
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 5-6 basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella

Marinade:

• 3/4 cup of balsamic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• dash of lemon juice (I added this but I doubt it is really required)
• few grinds of fresh pepper

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients (I do not add any salt as the sun-dried tomatoes are salty enough). Place chicken in a shallow baking dish and pour marinade over top. You can let this sit, covered, for an hour or so in the fridge if you have time.

Sprinkle the shallots, sun-dried tomatoes and basil over the chicken. Arrange the peppers around the edges of the chicken and over top if you have enough to cover. Sprinkle the cheese on top of everything. Place the covered dish in the centre of the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Take the cover off and broil for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese on top.

Serve with your choice of side and enjoy!