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Keeping things colorful and easy today with this 20 Minute Florentine Butter Chicken with Burst Cherry Tomatoes. Lightly breaded chicken seared until golden in browned butter with fresh thyme. The chicken is topped with garlicky burst cherry tomatoes, lots of basil, and a squeeze of lemon. It’s simple but mouthwatering. Serve this simple skillet chicken over creamy mashed cauliflower. Or keep it super simple and serve with crusty bread for soaking up all that delicious lemon butter sauce. This dish makes great use of those summer tomatoes. It’s the 20 minute summer dinner that everyone will love!
The thing I love most about summer is the abundance of produce. Whether you’re growing your own herbs, have an extensive backyard vegetable garden, or are simply picking up items from the market, there’s no shortage of produce. And for me, this provides me with an endless amount of inspiration.
Of course, I have moments of not being sure what recipe to make next. In fact, I have them often, but when this happens I turn to the items I have on hand. In the fridge, growing in the herb garden, or just the produce I have on the counter. I let the food direct me in the kitchen. Sounds a bit cheesy, I know, but this is just how I end up developing my favorite (effortless) recipes.
Enter this butter chicken. Yes, butter chicken. In the words of little miss Asher, it’s a delectable one skillet dinner that comes together in just twenty minutes with minimal ingredients. All of which are currently in season (and potentially growing in your backyard).
The background.
I made this recipe last week, after purchasing one too many tomatoes from Whole Foods. In an effort to use them up before they went bad, I made Florentine Butter Chicken. Which is not to be confused with Indian Butter Chicken (chicken in a creamy Indian curry sauce). Or Chicken Florentine (Italian chicken in a white cream sauce with spinach).
If you’re unfamiliar, Florentine Butter Chicken originated in Florence, Italy. And to put it very simply, it’s chicken breasts in golden browned butter. Some recipes I’ve seen are literally just three ingredients…chicken, flour, and butter. Other’s add an egg, some add lemon juice, but all very simple ingredients.
Florentine Butter Chicken is all about the butter, it’s meant to be simple. But trust me, just because this is simple does not mean it’s lacking in flavor…
Because anything in browned butter is always going to be delicious. Especially when summer tomatoes and herbs are added.
Here’s how to make this summery 20 Minute Florentine Butter Chicken.
As you can imagine, this is pretty straight forward. You’ll need chicken breast cutlets and a good amount of butter. Dredge the chicken through a beaten egg and toss in flour to coat.
Once the chicken is prepped, start cooking the tomatoes. Cook them in olive oil with plenty of smashed garlic and fresh thyme until they just begin to char. Once the tomatoes are charring, slide them out of the skillet and cook the chicken.
Next, add the chicken to the pan with a bit of butter and pan-sear it. This allows the chicken to form a nice golden crust on the outside. Using thin chicken cutlets is key. The thin chicken cooks evenly and browns nicely in a short amount of time.
When you flip the chicken, add more butter, this time allowing it to get golden brown around the chicken. Once the chicken is crispy and the butter browned, remove the skillet from the heat. Next, add fresh lemon juice, mozzarella cheese, and then spoon those cherry tomatoes over top. Transfer the entire skillet to the oven and broil for a minute, just until the cheese is melted.
Serve the chicken topped with lots and lots of fresh basil. And done. Dinner in twenty, with very little effort.
The butter.
if you can find it, use cultured butter (sometimes referred to as European butter). Unlike traditional butter, Cultured Butter is fermented for 20 hours then churned to 82% butterfat. This provides the butter with an incredibly rich taste and a high smoke point, making it perfect for browning.
It’s also just delicious. It’s my favorite butter to use for both cooking and baking, I especially love Vermont Creamery’s Cultured Butter.
Some other notes for you…
If your grocery store does not carry chicken cutlets, as a swap, try asking your butcher to pound out chicken breasts for you. This is a super easy task to do at home, but truthfully…it’s just not that much fun. The butcher can quickly pound out the chicken and save you the trouble…and the mess.
Also, you can easily make this chicken piccata gluten-free by replacing the flour with almond flour. Or your favorite gluten-free flour blend (I like cup4cup).
For serving, I recommend my creamy cauliflower mash for a lighter summer side. Or make a quick angel hair pasta tossed with fresh basil and butter. Or if you’re looking to keep this super simple…just add some crusty bread!
It’s the perfect recipe to jump into easy summer cooking.
And most importantly, it’s just really good. The chicken soaks up all that delicious browned butter sauce. It’s perfectly seasoned with fresh thyme and lemon. And the tomatoes…they’re garlicky and juicy…and well, they taste like summer.
And when paired with this butter chicken…well it’s summer in a skillet and so mouth-watering!
Looking for other summer skillet recipes? Here are some favorites:
Skillet Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Chicken
One Skillet Cheesy Cuban Chicken Rice Bake
One Pot 30 minute Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Bake
Lastly, if you make this 20 minute florentine butter chicken with burst cherry tomatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Florentine Butter Chicken with Burst Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or use gluten free
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets , (about 3/4 inch thick)
- kosher salt and pepper
- 10 tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed , (see note)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 ounces buffalo or regular mozzarella, torn
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, torn
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the broiler. Place the egg and flour in separate shallow bowls. 2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge both sides of the chicken through the egg, and then through the flour, tossing to coat. Place the chicken on a plate.3. In an oven safe skillet set over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the tomatoes, garlic, 1 tablespoon thyme, and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the tomatoes begin to pop, about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the tomatoes to a plate. 4. In the same skillet, melt together 4 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook until the bottom side is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken and add 6 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon thyme, swirling the butter around the chicken. Cook, basting the chicken in butter until the chicken is cooked and golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. 5. Remove from the heat, add the mozzarella around the chicken. Spoon the tomatoes and lemon juice over top. Transfer to the oven, broil 1 minute, until the cheese is melted. Serve topped with lots of fresh basil. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
So yummy! this has become one of our favorite go to recipes.
Hey Julia,
Awesome! So glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Delish!!! The butter was amazing. I had no idea of the difference. I paired this with the caprese pesto pasta bake. So glad I found you on instagram. My family sure does, lol.
Hey Amy,
I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! ?xTieghan
I made this last night. It was easy and wonderful. Added a side of pasta with spinach. This will go in my regular rotation for those nights when I can’t figure out what to do with the chicken (again)! Thank you!
Hey Shari,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This is for sure a family pleaser or, when we’re allowed guests, a total dinner party pic for colour, flavour and ease of putting together while guests hang out with you at the island stove. I will for sure make this recipe again. Another success Tieghan.
Hey Tabitha,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a go! I am thrilled it was enjoyed. xTieghan
I made this dish last night. Oh my goodness!!! It was delish!! Best part was I had all the ingredients on hand except the basil. It’s winter time here and I can’t grow basil right now….so…. I had to buy it!
My husband and I like to be careful and not serve lots of carbs so I used sautéed spinach as my side dish. It was a great compliment to the dish.
I’ll try to send a pic of my plate. I went a little overboard with the basil. Mainly because I love basil and tomatoes together. It was perfect for my taste.
Hey Lynne,
Thank you so much for making the recipe, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
my leftovers-hating husband took the leftovers to work the next day – I’d call that a TOTAL win! Delicious – I made with dried thyme, since that’s what I had. Served with pasta – I mashed the burst tomatoes into more of a pasta sauce and tossed with a bit of pasta water. YUM!
Hey Anna,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try. I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Excellent. Will add more mozzarella next time.
Hey Jessica,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This was the first recipe I ever tried by you! It is now a staple in our house! Thank you
Hey Stefani,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Thanks for sharing this chiken recipe is so nice and must taste really good! For me its a masterchef dish!
Hey Daniele,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
My sister and I made this and WOW it was SOOOOO good. We will be making this again. Cheers!T
Hey there!
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a go! I am so glad it was a hit! xTieghan
My family and I loved this recipe! I riffed on it a little bit (replaced some of the butter with white wine, tossed in capers), but it’s soo savory and easy to make. The basil is the perfect herb to tie it all together. I served it over angel hair and poured the buttery sauce over top.
Thank you so much Gail! xTieghan
Just made this for supper. One of the best meals I’ve ever had. We loved it. My daughter called it restaurant quality and she wasn’t wrong. Delicious!
Yes! So happy this turned out well for you, Betty! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Great recipe; we had it over angel hair and it went wonderfully. We enjoyed it quite a bit like many of your other recipes.
But like many of your other recipes, your given time to make severely underestimates actual time required. For instance, cooking the tomatoes and chicken is a sequential process. The times stated in the recipe add to 12-15 minutes; it’s literally impossible to achieve a 10 minute cook time. I’m not the fastest cook, but I’m certainly proficient. I consistently double your time guidelines for a realistic picture of actual time required. It’s not that much of an issue, but when the name of the recipe is ‘20 minute…’ and the time required is double that, it’s a bit disingenuous.
These are minor gripes. All in all, we love your work and please keep it up.
Hi Andrew! I am sorry about that.. I will look into the prep times again. I am really glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Made this for dinner last night. I found I didn’t need to add all the butter required to cook the chicken, but other than that followed the recipe except forgot to add the lemon juice. Family loved it! It was easy to make and will be added to my dinner meal rotations. Loved that it used thyme. This is the second recipe of yours I’ve used and you will be my go-to for new ideas.
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Leslie!! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Made this for dinner last night. Really delicious! Served over angel hair. Will definitely make it again.
Thank you so much Janet! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan