Chicken Breast with Bruschetta Topping
Bread disappears from this bruschetta. Small rectangular chicken breast pieces take its place, grilled with pressed garlic until the edges pick up char marks. Each piece is sized to hold a spoonful of topping.
The bruschetta mixture sits in its bowl while the chicken grills. Cherry tomato cubes, balsamic vinegar, cottage cheese, and Italian seasoning, resting. In those few minutes, the balsamic and the salt pull juice from the tomatoes, turning the mix into a chunky, self-dressed topping.
Spoon it over each grilled piece and serve with a raw spinach salad and halved cherry tomatoes on the side. 359 calories, 26 grams of protein, 8 ingredients, fifteen minutes.
Bread disappears from this bruschetta. Small rectangular chicken breast pieces take its place, grilled with pressed garlic until the edges pick up char marks. Each piece is sized to hold a spoonful of topping.
The bruschetta mixture sits in its bowl while the chicken grills. Cherry tomato cubes, balsamic vinegar, cottage cheese, and Italian seasoning, resting. In those few minutes, the balsamic and the salt pull juice from the tomatoes, turning the mix into a chunky, self-dressed topping.
Spoon it over each grilled piece and serve with a raw spinach salad and halved cherry tomatoes on the side. 359 calories, 26 grams of protein, 8 ingredients, fifteen minutes.
Ingredients
- cherry tomatoes 8 piece
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- balsamic vinegar 0.5 tablespoon
- cottage cheese, 4% milkfat 1.5 ounce
- Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon
- chicken breast 3 ounce
- garlic 1 clove
- spinach 1 handful
Method
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Cut half of the cherry tomatoes into tiny cubes and place them in a small bowl. Mix half of the oil, the balsamic vinegar, cottage cheese, and Italian seasoning into the tomato cubes. Let it sit for a while.
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Cut the chicken breast into small, rectangular pieces, about 1½ to 2 inches in size. Press the garlic and spread it over the chicken breast 'toasts'. Season with pepper and salt.
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Heat the remaining oil in a grill pan and grill the chicken breast on both sides for 3 – 4 minutes. Season with pepper.
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In the meantime, halve the remaining cherry tomatoes and mix them into the spinach salad.
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Place the chicken breast 'toasts' on a plate and top them with the bruschetta mixture. Serve the salad with cherry tomatoes on the side.
Let the bruschetta mixture sit for the full time the chicken takes to grill. The balsamic vinegar and the salt in the cottage cheese pull juice from the cherry tomato cubes, turning a dry scoop of ingredients into a self-dressed topping. Skip the rest and the bruschetta goes on as separate chunks. Give it the time and it goes on as one cohesive spoonful.
Behind this recipe
Is 26 grams of protein enough for one meal?
The commonly discussed per-meal protein threshold sits around 25 to 30 grams. This meal’s 26 grams from chicken breast lands right in that range. The threshold itself is debated, and recent research suggests your body can use more than previously thought. For the full breakdown, see our analysis of the protein per meal limit.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use mozzarella instead of cottage cheese?
Fresh mozzarella works but changes the macros and the texture. Cottage cheese at 4% milkfat adds protein with less fat than most mozzarella, and its curds break apart into the tomato mixture instead of melting into a single layer. The texture difference is the point of the swap.
Does heating the olive oil in the grill pan destroy its healthy compounds?
Olive oil loses polyphenols when heated, but research found that at standard cooking temperatures, the remaining amount still meets the EU health claim threshold for olive oil polyphenols. This recipe splits the oil: half goes into the raw bruschetta mixture (all polyphenols intact), half goes into the grill pan. For the full story, see Does Cooking Olive Oil Destroy Its Benefits?
Read the full evidence review
