Tomato & Basil Stuffed Pork with Balsamic Reduction

Barry the Basil plant has reached adolesence! He may not be big, but I did what I feel was adequate research into the harvesting of basil leaves and determined his time had come.

Feeling that his debut could be anything but ordinary (in other words, a marinara sauce with basil simply would not do), I conjured up this recipe based on the ingredients I had on hand... and the ingredients I love.

Fresh, summery tomatoes? Check.

Creamy, locally-produced feta? Check.

Apartment-grown basil? Check!

And then there's the balsamic vinegar... I don't know about you, but I cannot get enough of a good balsamic reduction. In fact, in the spirit of full-disclosure, I will say that it took everything I had in me not to lick this plate clean. (Finger-to-mouth swipes did the job quite well, so don't you worry; my restraint was due to the void of balsamic to lick!!)

The Edibles:

• 4 pork chops, flattened to 1/2-inch thickness
• Italian dressing, enough to coat the chops for marinading
• 1 tsp. choved garlic (about 1 clove)
• 1/4 white onion, finely diced
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, diced into small peices
• 2 T. (about 4-6 leaves) fresh basil, finely diced
• 2 T. feta cheese
• 1 c. balsamic vinegar

The Making:

1. Marinate chops in a sealed plastic bag for at least 1 hour up to overnight. Flip bag whenever you think of it; massage the chops to get them super flavor-infused
2. Spray a small non-stick sauté pan with non-stick olive oil cooking spray. Place over medium heat; after 30 seconds over heat add chopped garlic. Heat for an additional 30 seconds, stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add diced onion; cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes, basil, and pepper and cook for an addition 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
3. After cooling, add feta to onion-tomato-basil mix. Stir to incorporate.
4. Remove chops from plastic bag; discard mariande. Prepare each chop by placing about 1/4 cup of tomatoey mix in the center of each chop. Tie with butcher twine, using at least two pieces per chop (three if they're jumbo chops) to secure filling.
5. Grill stuffed chops over medium-high heat (375-400) for about 20-25 minutes. Check for done-ness at the 20 minute mark by slicing into a thick part of the chop.
6. While the pork cooks, place balsamic vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to medium to medium-high. Allow vinegar to gently boil for about 20 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half. The vinegar will be quite viscous, thick, and stickly similar in thickness to acrylic paint.
7. Once chops are cooked, serve with a drizzle (or heavy-handed spoonful as we like it in this house) of your homemade balsamic reduction.

Fancy Shmancy Balsamic Reduction Chicken

I still remember the first time I decided to make this… I was living at home with Mo and Mark after moving out of that crazy apartment with the crazy roommate, and I decided I wanted to try to make a reduction sauce. I had never tried my hand at anything like it, bit I would feeling up to the challenge. I’ll never forget those “mmmmms” from that oozed from my parents’ mouths! And all I did was follow a recipe!

This beauty comes from the glorious Cooking Light, where they call it Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar Pan Sauce. I prefer to call it mother-loving delicious.


I typically serve it with quinoa, but this time you’ll see I served it with rice. To be specific, I used brown basmati rice, which is probably my one of my favorites of the rice world. When it cooks, it gives off this nutty smell that is simply mouth-watering. I like to make it kind of pilaf style, with carrots and spinach, a twirl of extra virgin olive oil, some garlic salt, pepper, coriander, and onion power. Mmmm!



My recipe doubles the reduction sauce, because it is really the BEST PART of this dish. On that note, I highly suggest wearing a dark shirt for the sauce-reducing step, because it does splatter just a bit. If you want to up the fiber in this recipe, you could use whole wheat flour when you flour the chicken (step 4).



This is (yet another) of Jay’s favorites and I have to say it is most definitely one of mine as well. It is pretty intense (as in, I can’t label this post with an “easy” tag). Such is especially true if you’re like me, preparing multiple side dishes at the same time. Nevertheless, I think you’ll agree that all the dish-dirtying is super worth it!


Yields 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast and 2 tablespoons sauce)



The Edibles:

• 1 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 c. balsamic vinegar
• 4 tsp. honey (often times I’ll used 1 teaspoon honey and one packet of Splenda)
• 1 T. butter (real butter is ideal for this one)
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• enough flour to cover your breasts (chicken breasts… do I really need to clarify that? ;-)
• 2 T. finely chopped shallots (about 1 shallot, though I like these a lot so sometimes I’ll add two or so)
• chopped parsley (optional)

The Making:

1. Combine broth, vinegar, and honey. Set aside.
2. Melt butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. (I think it works best to use a skillet that is not cast iron or very dark so that you can see when the butter browns in the step that follows.)
3. While butter melts, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. (I always forget to season them, and it still turns out yum-yum yummy. That’s a testament to how much you don’t necessarily need salt!)
4. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour; shake off excess flour.
5. Increase the heat of your sauté pan to medium-high; heat 2 minutes, or until the butter turns golden brown.
6. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
7. Remove the chicken from the pan, and place on a platter or pan in a warm oven. Keep the sauté pan warm (on medium to medium low).
8. Add the shallots and sauté 30 seconds.
9. Add the broth mixture, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring it to a boil, and cook until reduced by half (about 3 minutes).
10. Serve sauce over chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Estimated Nutritional Information:
Calories: 270
Fat: 8g
Protein: 34g
Carbohydrate: 13g
Fiber: 0.2g
Cholesterol: 90mg
Iron: 1.7mg
Sodium: 331mg
Calcium: 29mg