Weeknight Wonderful: Baked Pesto Chicken!

It was 7:30 a.m.on the Monday morning after Easter break when I looked in my freezer to take out something, anything, for dinner that night. All I could see that I could make something edible with very little fuss was boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

We probably have chicken breasts, one way or another, at least once a week. That's a minimum of 52 times a year. Sure, there would be some recipes that I'd repeat a few times over the course of the year, but week to week? It can be a bit challenging giving a new twist to the same ol', same ol'. As I stood there waiting for my green tea to brew, my youngest daughter, post three junior high costume, uh, I mean 'outfit', changes, came into the kitchen. 'Oh...we're having chicken for dinner?'. Well, yes, my princess slash genius daughter, that's the plan! (I"m not fit to look at until I have my morning green tea, what can I say?). With that, without missing a beat she asks, 'What 'kind' of chicken?'. Now, you'd think after spending her entire 12 years of life with me she'd know better than to ask me a question that leaves the door wide open for a sarcastic response, but nope! "I was thinking we'd have the kind of chicken that clucks and has feathers, but I'm open to suggestions". She was un-amused.

Once I had downed my green tea, I rummaged through the refrigerator on the hunt for inspiration. While going to the grocery store is truly one of my favorite things to do, I try to be budget conscious and before trekking through aisle after aisle of deliciousness, I thought it best if I checked out what I had on hand thereby possibly having no need to spend more money.

What I found was a medium sized beefeater tomato, some mozzarella cheese and a jar of pesto. I just adore pesto, particularly since I discovered that it's not just for pasta. I've used pesto in meatballs, sandwiches, salads, pizza, with seafood and even in quesadillas! Pesto adds un-equaled sensuous and aromatic flavor to just about everything. Somehow, some way, I was going to incorporate pesto into dinner...I just wasn't completely sure how. Then, while standing in the shower, it struck me: Baked Pesto Chicken topped with mozzarella cheese, diced tomatoes and maybe some herbs like basil and parsley! It would work, I was sure it would!

I decided to coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the pesto and then realized that, if I was going to bake them, I should probably line my baking sheet with some parchment paper because no doubt, the pesto would run all over the place. While the oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, I slathered, which is a highly technical cooking term for 'generously coated'. the chicken breasts on both sides with pesto, about 1 Tbsp pesto per side. I then placed the slathered chicken breasts onto the lined baking sheet.

I decided not to put the mozzarella cheese and tomatoes on the pesto coated chicken breasts right away because I wanted the cheese to be gooey not crispy. But after the chicken breasts had been baking for 30 minutes, I removed the baking sheet from the oven and working quickly, topped each chicken breast with some grated mozzarella cheese, then diced tomatoes, sprinkled on some finely chopped fresh basil and Italian parsley for good measure, and topped it all off with a little more mozzarella cheese, hoping that the mozza on top would hold the tomatoes and herbs in place on top of the chicken while they cooked in the oven for another 25 minutes or so.

After a total cooking time of 55 minutes, my Baked Pesto Chicken was ready to serve. During the second baking, I whipped up a hash of potato, green pepper and onion, topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and made a simple spinach salad topped with a white wine vinaigrette.

The aroma in my kitchen was simply fabulous, no other way to describe it! The chicken breasts were moist and tender and deeply flavored from the pesto, while blanketed in ooey gooey wonderful melted mozzarella cheese. The diced tomato and fresh herbs added a little more 'oomph' and overall, this dish got a two thumbs up rating from my family, (and me!).