Pesto Chicken
Pesto Chicken made with fresh basil, spinach, garlic, walnuts and Parmesan cheese to make each bite irresistible!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast pounded to ¾-inch thickness
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Pesto
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup packed basil
- 1 cup packed baby spinach
- 3 cloves unpeeled garlic
- ¼ cup walnuts plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
Instructions
Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on both sides of 2 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast. Season it with salt and pepper to taste then place the chicken in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.
- Bake the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, about 15 to 18 minutes.
Pesto
- Place 1 cup packed basil and 1 cup packed baby spinach in a resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to lightly bruise the herbs and greens. Transfer to a food processor or blender.
- Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Toast 3 cloves unpeeled garlic until the outsides are lightly browned, shaking the pan occasionally, about 8 minutes. Remove the garlic skin and add it to a food processor.
- Place ¼ cup walnuts in the same pan and toast over medium heat, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the food processor.
- Add ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the food processor. Process the pesto mixture by pulsing five times to help break down the greens.
- Turn the food processor on low speed, as it's running slowly drizzle in ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil until a smooth pesto with some smaller pieces is formed, about 10 seconds from start to finish.
- Add ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese to the pesto and process on low speed for 5 seconds. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper as desired. Transfer pesto to a small bowl.
- Brush some pesto sauce on each cooked chicken breast. Transfer to a serving platter.
- Top chicken with additional chopped walnuts and parmesan cheese, and 1 cup diced tomatoes. Serve extra pesto sauce on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 842mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 819IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2mg
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