Chicken with Leeks and Tomatoes

2 slices thick-cut peppered bacon
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (10 ounces total), split and pounded to ¼-inch thickness
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium leek, cut in half lengthwise, washed, then sliced crosswise using
2 inches of the green part plus the bulb
½ cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly milled black pepper

Add a tossed salad, a glass of red wine and before you know it, dinner’s on.

Cook the bacon until crisp in a 10-inch skillet, then drain on a paper towel. Cook the chicken breasts in the rendered bacon fat over medium-high heat until golden brown and fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and reserve.
Add the butter to the skillet, then cook the sliced leeks until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the half-andhalf, tarragon, and hot pepper flakes and boil until slightly thickened. Crumble the bacon into the sauce, then stir in the tomatoes. Return the chicken to the pan with any juices that have accumulated on the plate.
Heat a couple of minutes, then season with salt and pepper and divide between two warmed dinner plates.