I have another easy chicken dinner idea for you!
I feel like we’re always looking for new and interesting (and simple!) ways to enjoy the humble (and often boring) chicken breast.
We eat chicken more than any other protein in our house, and I am often in a rut when it comes to creative ways of cooking it so that it is tender, juicy, and flavorful.
Not always an easy feat.
This sundried tomato pesto caprese chicken is the answer!
First, this dish is freaking delicious. Oh my gosh, there is so much tangy-sweet-savory flavor going on.
Second, it takes 30 minutes to make from start to finish (including the pesto!), and is easy to prepare.
It starts with the pesto. Now, I LOVE a good ol’ fashioned basil and pine nut pesto. It’s one of the highlights of summertime, for me.
Since we don’t have an abundance of basil at our fingertips right now, I decided to try out a pesto made with a pantry staple: jarred sundried tomatoes.
And instead of pine nuts, we’re using pistachios! Clearly one of my favorite nuts. That said, pine nuts or toasted almonds would be fabulous here. Use whatever you have on hand!
Into a food processor go the sundried tomatoes, pistachios, some of the tomato oil from the jar, fresh basil (just a little bit), tomato paste (to drive home that rich tomato flavor), and parmesan cheese (duh).
Everything gets blitzed together until smooth and almost creamy. You can make it as chunky or smooth as you like your pesto! The only challenging part is not eating a lot of it straight with a spoon. It has such rich flavor and is a fantastic mix of sweet, salty, tangy, and savory.
We slather the delicious pesto all over chicken breasts that have been seared for a couple minutes in an oven-proof skillet. All that’s left to do is top the chicken and pesto off caprese-style with lots of fresh mozzarella and another grating of parmesan.
The whole situation goes into the oven to cook for about 10-15 minutes to allow the chicken breasts to finish cooking without drying out and the cheeses to melt and get gloriously gooey.
My mouth is watering just talking about it.
The resulting dish is nothing short of spectacular. The chicken is tender and juicy, the pesto is rich and savory, and the cheese is…well, cheese. It’s awesome already.
This meal surprised me. It really did. I mean, I knew it would be good, but I had no idea just how crazy delicious it would be. The flavor is out of this world and the cheesy gooey factor makes it incredibly satisfying!
And it’s completely ready in 30 minutes! Truly another chicken win.
Sundried Tomato Pesto Caprese Chicken
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Sundried Tomato Pesto Caprese Chicken is a flavor-packed and satisfying meal that is ready in 30 minutes or less. Juicy, tender chicken is slathered in a homemade sundried tomato and pistachio pesto and topped off caprese-style with mozzarella cheese. Everything gets baked until ooey and gooey and wonderful! A simple but delicious chicken dinner idea!
Ingredients
For the Sundried Tomato Pesto:
- ⅓ cup shelled, toasted pistachios
- ½ cup jarred sundried tomatoes
- ¼ cup oil from the tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup dry white wine (you can sub low-sodium chicken broth)
- The pesto
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- Fresh basil leaves, for serving
Instructions
For the Pesto:
- Add the pistachios and sundried tomatoes to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse a few times to break down the nuts and tomatoes to a fine dice.
- Add in the oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, and parmesan cheese and run the machine until desired texture is achieved. I like a mostly smooth pesto.
- Add the basil, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, and pulse a couple more times to incorporate.
- Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
For the Chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and then add them to the hot pan. Sear for 2 minutes per side, or until deeply golden brown.
- Reduce the heat to low and add in the wine (or chicken broth), scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for a few minutes to allow the liquid to mostly reduce.
- Spread the pesto evenly over the chicken. You want a couple tablespoons for each piece of chicken – any leftover can be saved for serving.
- Top with the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly over top. Season the cheeses with another pinch of salt and pepper.
- Transfer the pan to the hot oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheeses are melty and bubbly.
- Serve hot and garnished with fresh basil leaves. Serve any leftover pesto on the side.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: chicken
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
Thanks for the recipe.
Can you tell how much calroes are in the dish?