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    Home » Recipes » Valentine's Day

    Valentine's Day Dinner - Balsamic Chicken & Tomato Hearts

    Published: Feb 6, '20 · Modified: Feb 10, '20 · By: Beth · This post may contain affiliate links.

    This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MazolaHeartHealth #CollectiveBias

    Celebrate Heart Health Month this February by making this easy, yet festive, chicken dinner. A chicken breast sautéed in Mazola® Corn Oil is served with diced grape tomatoes with a sprinkling of feta cheese and fresh basil, all flavored with a balsamic vinegar glaze arranged on a plate to look like a heart. To keep this better-for-you Valentine's Day meal heart-healthy, use Mazola® Corn Oil. It's an all-purpose, cholesterol-free cooking oil that is a smart choice for your family. A clinical study showed Mazola Corn Oil reduces cholesterol 2x more than extra virgin olive oil and it's a great oil to use to pan sear or grill chicken breasts. See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health.​

    Chicken breast plated in a heart with diced grape tomatoes, feta cheese, basil, and a drizzle of a balsamic glaze.
    This meal is beautiful in its simplicity. A sliced chicken breast is plated next to diced tomatoes in the shape of a heart.

    Add a sprinkling of feta cheese and fresh basil then drizzle on a balsamic vinegar glaze to transform an ordinary everyday dinner into a special holiday meal.

    I love that you can make such a nutritious meal look so visually stunning.

    Slice a chicken breast then plate it next to diced grape tomatoes in a heart shape then add a sprinkling of feta cheese, basil, and balsamic glaze.
    I wanted this meal to be quick and easy to make so I simply seasoned my chicken breasts with some salt and pepper, heated the Mazola Corn Oil in a pan, then sautéd the chicken for a few minutes on each side until it reached an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.

    You can if you prefer, grill your chicken breasts by tossing them with a tablespoon of Mazola Corn Oil and cooking them on a preheated 400-degree grill.

    If you have a little more time and you want a bigger punch of flavor you can even create a marinade using the Mazola Corn Oil, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings like garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

    Season chicken with salt and pepper then saute in a stainless steel skillet until cooked through.

    How to sauté chicken breasts:

    • Season two 5-6 ounce boneless and skinless chicken breasts with salt and pepper then set aside for 10 minutes.
      • The salt will help to tenderize the chicken breasts.
    • Pat the chicken breasts dry using paper towels.
    • Set a medium stainless steel skillet on your stovetop.
    • Pour 1 ½ tablespoons of Mazola Corn Oil into the pan and turn the heat onto medium-high.
    • Allow the oil to heat until it begins to shimmer.
    • Place the chicken breasts into the pan and heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked to an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.
    • Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet, set on a cutting board, tent with tin foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.

    A bottle of Mazola Corn Oil sitting next to a heart-shaped chicken breast with balsamic tomatoes.
    What kind of oil do you use when sauteing chicken? I've recently switched to using corn oil after learning the information below.

    Benefits of Mazola Corn Oil:

    • Mazola Corn Oil has more cholesterol-blocking plant sterols than other cooking oils. To learn more about these claims, visit Mazola.com.
      • It has four times more than olive oil and one and a half times more than canola oil.
      • Clinical studies indicate that plant sterols can help reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the gut.
    • Mazola has a high smoke point of 450°F.
      • Did you know that if you heat oil past the smoke point that it not only negatively affects the food’s flavor it also affects the food's nutritional value?
    • The American Heart Association recently issued a new presidential advisory on dietary fats and cardiovascular disease (CVD) that strongly advised replacing saturated fat, like that found in coconut oil, with polyunsaturated fat, like corn oil, to reduce the risk of CVD by 30 percent. To learn more about these claims, visit Mazola.com.
      • The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans no longer emphasize a “low-fat” diet, but rather choosing quality, “good” fats.
      • This includes replacing saturated fats that are known to contribute to heart disease with unsaturated fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, like those in Mazola Corn Oil.
      • And, according to the USDA, corn oil has more than five times the amount of polyunsaturated fats compared to olive oil.
    • Reducing saturated fats and cholesterol in your meals is as easy as using Mazola Corn Oil instead of butter.

    Collage of images showing how to arrange a chicken breast with tomatoes, feta cheese, basil and balsamic glaze on a white plate to look like a heart.

    Assemble the chicken and tomato hearts:

    • Slice the cooked chicken breasts crosswise in about 1-inch slices.
    • Set one breast, in its original teardrop shape, onto each dinner place.
    • Arrange diced grape tomatoes next to the chicken breast to form a heart shape.
    • Sprinkle on some feta cheese and fresh basil.
    • Drizzle on balsamic vinegar glaze.

    Cook balsamic vinegar until thickened then pour it over a chicken breast with tomatoes, feta, and basil.

    How to make a simple balsamic glaze?

    • Pour ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan.
    • Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
    • Lower the heat to medium-low and stir continuously until the balsamic vinegar reduces by half and thickens.
    • It will continue to thicken off heat.
    • Pour into a glass bowl and allow to cool completely.
    • Then use the glaze to drizzle over your chicken and tomatoes.
    • You can just drizzle on balsamic vinegar, but the glaze will cling better to the chicken and tomatoes.

    Chicken breast plated next to diced tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil to form a heart shape are drizzled with a balsamic glaze.

    I love being able to turn a simple recipe into something that looks so pretty on the plate. When this dinner is served to your sweetheart I just know that he or she will fall in love! With you and the meal.
    This dinner is easy enough to make for a weeknight meal but special enough to serve for an anniversary, an engagement, or even a bridal shower.

     

    5 from 2 votes
    Chicken breast plated next to diced tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil to form a heart shape are drizzled with a balsamic glaze.
    Print
    Balsamic Chicken and Tomato Hearts
    Prep Time
    20 mins
    Cook Time
    5 mins
     

    Place a sauteed chicken breast next to diced grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and basil to form a heart then drizzle on balsamic glaze to make a beautiful, heart-healthy, Valentine's Day dinner.

    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: balsamic glaze, chicken, easy dinner, heart-healthy meal, Valentine's day recipe
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 366 kcal
    Author: Beth
    Ingredients
    • 2 thin chicken breasts (about 5-6 ounces)
    • kosher salt or table salt, to season chicken
    • freshly ground black pepper, to season chicken
    • 1 ½ tablespoons Mazola® Corn Oil
    • 2 cups grape tomatoes, diced
    • 1 tablespoon feta cheese
    • 2 basil leaves, torn or cut into small pieces
    • 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze
    Instructions
    1. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels.

    2. Season with salt and pepper.

    3. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the salt to tenderize the chicken.

    4. Pour Mazola Corn Oil into skillet.

    5. Set over medium-high heat.

    6. Heat until the oil begins to shimmer.

    7. Pat the chicken dry again then place into the hot oil in the pan.

    8. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees C).

    9. Remove from the heat, tent with tin foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

    10. Cut each chicken breast crosswise into slices.

    11. Set one chicken breast onto each of your dinner plates.

    12. Arrange the diced tomatoes next to the chicken breast forming a heart shape.

    13. Sprinkle ½ of the feta cheese and ½ of the basil over top of the tomatoes.

    14. Drizzle balsamic glaze over top of the chicken and tomatoes and serve.

    Recipe Notes

    To make balsamic glaze, heat ¼ cup balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan set over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir continuously until reduced by half and thickened. Cool completely. 

    Mazola Corn Oil bottle on table next to Valentine's Day dinner

    rate the recipeDid you make this recipe and think it was great or do you have any questions? Leave a comment below and don’t forget to rate the recipe using the star rating system.

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    Beth Jackson Klosterboer blogger, recipe developer, and chocolatier.I hope you enjoy making this fun Valentine's Day dinner.

    I’d love to see pictures of your special meal. You can share in our How to Make Fun Food facebook group. It’s a great place to ask questions and learn from others.

    If you love making chocolate be sure to check out my Chocolate Making Courses at The Sugar Academy.

    Have a sweet day, Beth

    • Author
    • Recent Posts
    Beth
    Beth
    Hi, I'm Beth Jackson Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com
    Beth
    Latest posts by Beth (see all)
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    1. Pamela

      February 11, 2022 at 6:00 pm

      Hi Beth, Is it possible to make the glaze the day before one plans to serve this meal?

      Reply
      • Beth

        February 11, 2022 at 6:34 pm

        Hi Pamela,
        Yes, you can make it ahead. If it gets too thick after it cools, you can always heat it just to thin it out. Enjoy!

        Reply
        • Pamela

          February 11, 2022 at 7:55 pm

          Thank you for your quick reply!

          Reply
        • Pamela

          February 14, 2022 at 8:40 pm

          Thanks, Beth. This was a delicious success! We opted to grill the chicken.

          Reply
          • Beth

            February 14, 2022 at 10:39 pm

            That is a perfect option! I love grilled chicken but sadly don't have a grill. I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

            Reply
    2. David H

      February 25, 2021 at 5:34 am

      This was simple to make and is so delicious! I HAVE NEVER LIKED TOMATOES! However, I got more when I was done with my first plate! There is so much yum to this meal and the presentation is beautiful! And I love that it’s heart-healthy! Thank you so much for this recipe!! I will be making this again!!

      Reply
      • Beth

        February 25, 2021 at 7:39 am

        Hi David, I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this dinner and the tomatoes! It's one of my favorite healthy meals. I'm glad you liked it too.

        Reply
    3. Alex

      February 08, 2020 at 7:15 am

      This looks delicious! I'm so glad to find a non-sweet idea for Valentine's Day! Thank you so much!

      Reply

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    Beth Jackson Klosterboer

    Welcome to Hungry Happenings!

    I'm Beth. I've been a professional chocolatier & baker for over 30 years, have written 5 cookbooks, and love creating fun food for holidays and special occasions.

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