Vampires don’t like garlic. I do. This chicken has a lot of it in there. Because “Balsamic Garlic Clove Chicken with Diced Tomatoes” sounds silly, Vampire Repellant Chicken it is.

Taking another shot at an original concoction after the Southwest Turkey Meatloaf idea I came up with didn’t turn out too terribly. Hoping this photographs better than the Peach BBQ Chicken from last week. Tasted good, but eeks it did NOT look appetizing when it was time for my pre-dinner photo shoot. Onward to the kitchen.

To make sure the vampires stay away (and anyone else who doesn’t appreciate garlic breath), here is how I made dinner.

The Ingredients

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• A bunch of garlic
• Oregano
• Basil
• Whatever other seasoning you think is appropriate
• 1 can of Diced Tomatoes

The Incredibly Easy Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• With a little bit of EVOO for its adhesive properties, season the chicken with your herbs. Go as heavy as you like. I actually wish I put more on than I did. Always too timid to go overboard. Darnit.
• Grab your paring knife for a few things. First cut the garlic into little spears, and then cut tiny slits in the chicken.
• Next up, insert a garlic spear into each little cut you’ve made in the chicken.
• Transfer from the cutting board to an oven-safe pan if you haven’t already done so, and grab your can of diced tomatoes. Absolutely COVER the chicken with the entire contents of the can.
• Cover the pan and bake for 38 minutes. Ok, so 35-40. After 38 minutes of puttering around and doing the dishes (and kindasortamaybe snacking on a few Goldfish crackers), my chicken was done. Voila!

NOTE: I’m going to give you readers some insight now that I’m sitting here eating my creation for dinner. While it tastes good, I don’t think I went hard enough on the flavor. Thinking I could have used more herbs and a bit of salt. Maybe next time I’ll pan fry chicken cutlets in seasoned coconut flour and do the same garlic tomato idea on top. Just a thought.

I’m still a bit of a wuss when it comes to adding in seasoning on food. I grew up without feeling the need for any condiments on stuff (I was quite the boring eater in my youth), so I’m still not as gung ho with the contents of the spice cabinet as I probably should be. If you decide to give this one a try, go to town and add whatever you think is lacking, and please let me know so I can make this recipe even better. As jazzy as I could get was a bit of Trader Joe’s Balsamic Glaze for flair.

Bon appétit!