Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken

Like it or not, one of the perks of being a teacher is being home in the summertime. It just gives you time to relax and do things at a more natural pace. I was looking in my freezer, trying to figure out what to take out for dinner. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, one of my favs. I was thinking something tomato-ey, but knew it was a little hot for a cacciatore. Over the course of the day, I thought about what I had available. Some ends of two local cheeses, one goat, one brie-like cow cheese, fresh tomatoes, and of course my herb garden. AH! Bruschetta, chicken, and gooey cheese. How can you go wrong?
So I came up with this recipe, which I served with a green salad with the addition of basil, chives, oregano, feta, and a standard red wine vinegar dressing  (note to self - the hubster will pretty much eat any vegetable if I stick feta cheese in with it...). Oh, and of course a couple of good glasses of wine.

Recipe (serves 3-4):

Chicken:

6 chicken thighs (or 4 chicken breasts)

1/4 dried basil

1/8 tsp garlic powder

Red chili flakes and s & p to taste

About 4 oz stinky, gooey cheese (whatever you like)

Bruschetta:

2 chopped tomatoes

3 tbsp fresh chopped basil

2 cloves of chopped garlic

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped (optional - I didn't have any, but they are a great addition if you have them on hand)

s & p to taste

Season the chicken thighs with dried herbs and spices. I swear, I never use garlic powder, but I knew if I used fresh garlic in this case, it would burn, and I wanted that extra layer of flavouring. Roast chicken in the oven on 425°F for about 35 minutes. Check by poking a hole. If the juices run clear, it's cooked. Broil skin if not dark enough.

While the chicken is cooking, add all the bruschetta ingredients into a bowl. It's pretty juicy, but great for bread-mopping purposes....

Slice up your cheese into smaller pieces. Remember, in this case a little goes a long way, you don't need to kill it with the cheese. A minute or two before the chicken is done, stick a couple of little pieces on top of each thigh and stick it back in the oven until it starts to ooze.

Plate the chicken, and smother it with the bruscetta, and serve it with a grean salad. Don't forget the wine!

Happy Sunday!