Monday, December 20, 2010

Pesto-Presto Chicken


  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (or 4 tsp dried)
  • ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (or 2 tsp dried)
  • 1 (5.4-ounce) round of Boursin garlic & herb soft cheese
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a small pan over medium heat, lightly toast the pine nuts, then set aside to cool. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, pine nuts, Boursin cheese and ¼ cup of the Parmigiano. Season with a little salt and pepper and process into a smooth mixture.

Butterfly each piece of chicken breast by slicing into but not all the way through the breast at the equator. Open the two halves as if you were opening a book. Pound the split breasts with a meat mallet to about ¼-inch thickness. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, then divide the herb-cheese mixture among the four pieces of chicken using a couple of small spoons. Fold the chicken in half (like closing a book) to enclose the cheese mixture.

Transfer the chicken to a nonstick rimmed baking sheet and shingle 3 slices of tomato over each breast. Drizzle the stuffed breasts with about 2 tablespoons of EVOO and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano.

Bake the chicken until it’s cooked through and light golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Things I learned from this recipe-
1. you can leave out the pine nuts & use dried basil and parsley and save $12 on making this recipe :0
2. this is a REALLY easy & simple recipe that only looks fancy!
3. this was so good it will be on the standard rotation at the ray house

Rating: so YUM-O!

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