Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Baked Chicken

January 11, 2012 3 Comments

Lets talk about pesto.

Its good. Like, freakin’ good.

Delicious.

And I’ve found a delightfully delicious way to utilize it’s {heart healthy} goodness.

Did I mention it was healthy? Oh- wait, ya I did.. a little.. well, kinda.

Well, it is- heart healthy fat from the EVOO and pine nuts found in the prepared pesto. And then there is the lean protein.

{You can use store bought.. or go ahead and make your own. Bree over at Skinny Mommy has an incredible looking (and sounding) sun-dried tomato pesto. I definitly would branch out to make your own one of these days.}

{Raw} chicken is so {gross}. I know, I’m weird for having a weird chicken thing. But- pesto creates world peace. So, when paired with chicken the way I’ve done here, I’ll stand to leave chicken in my life for another day, or so.

It doesn’t take much to get plenty of flavor. Just one-fourth of a cup in the bottom of a small baking dish. I just served my Fireman and I, so I used a wee little glass baking dish. It is probably the cutest little thing I have in my kitchen.

Along with my little measuring cup that portions out tablespoons.

So little and cute.

Layer your breast strips over the pesto and top with some more world peace.

Baaaake and sprinkle.

Kind of like bend and snap. But, bake and sprinkle. You get the point.

Serve with rice, couscous, or quinoa to soak up the nutty pesto sauciness left in the dish. I made the mistake of serving it without any of the listed grains, and I was just about licking my plate.

Classy.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Baked Chicken

INGREDIENTS

4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup prepared sun-dried tomato pesto (or any kind you please)

1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

2 tablspoons grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim all visible fat from chicken breasts, then cut each breast lengthwise into 3 pieces.

Spray a 9 x 12 baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup pesto over the bottom of the dish. Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread 1/4 cup more pesto over the chicken. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, or until chicken is barely firm and juices run clear.

After 25 minutes, remove foil and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Put dish back into the oven (without foil) and cook 5-8 minutes more, just until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Nutrition Information

Serves 4 (3 strips each; one breast)

Calories: 265

Fat: 16.5 g

Carbohydrate: 5 g

Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 22 g