Pesto Chicken
Rating
Ready in under an hour, this chicken breast recipe gets a flavorful upgrade with homemade pesto and melty cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 c. tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- ½ c. extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ c. toasted pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1½ tsp. (or more) kosher salt, divided
- 1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ c.)
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- Cooking spray
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lb. total)
- ½ c. shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. In a food processor, process basil, oil, pine nuts, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt until smooth. Transfer basil mixture to a medium bowl and stir in Parmesan and lemon juice; season with more salt, if needed.
- Grease an 11"-by-8" baking dish with cooking spray. Pat chicken dry with paper towels; season all over with pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Arrange in a single layer in prepared dish. Spread pesto all over chicken, spooning a bit more over top.
- Bake chicken 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with mozzarella. Continue to bake until chicken is cooked through, an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165ºF, and cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes. (Optional: If your baking dish is broiler-safe, broil until cheese is browned, 1 to 2 minutes.)
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