Chicken with Tomato, Basil & Walnut Pesto
Chicken with Tomato, Basil & Walnut Pesto. Tomato Basil Chicken Recipe This healthy Tomato Basil Chicken is ready in less than thirty minutes and made with just a few ingredients. The rich tomato sauce with fresh basil and butter is just so good. Serve it with freshly cooked pasta or creamy polenta. Fresh roma tomatoes, garlic and basil simmered in olive oil and butter till the tomatoes completely break down into a nice creamy consistency that coat every bit of the chicken. I like to add a little bit of cream towards the end to give this dish a luscious consistency. To make Chicken with Tomato, Basil & Walnut Pesto you need 13 ingredients and 7 steps quickly.
The ingredients needed to make Chicken with Tomato, Basil & Walnut Pesto:
-
1/4 cup of Walnut kernels
-
1/3 cup of Basil leaves, firmly packed
-
1 1/2 tsp of Grated lemon rind
-
1/2 cup of Sundried tomatoes
-
2 tbsp of Water
-
4 of Chicken breasts
-
1 of Olive oil for frying
-
1 tsp of Crushed garlic
-
1 of (Smashed Canellini beans on the side)
-
2 can of (400g) cannellini beans, drained and washed
-
1/3 cup of Chicken stock
-
1 tbsp of Lemon juice
-
1 of Steamed veggies of your choice
Steps to make Chicken with Tomato, Basil & Walnut Pesto:
- Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan forced.
- Process walnut, basil and lemon rind in a small food processor until finely chopped.
- Add tomato and water. Process until thick and spreadable.
- Cut a horizontal slit in thickest part of each chicken breast to create a pocket, taking care not to cut all the way through. Fill pockets with pesto mixture. Use toothpicks to secure.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Spray with oil. Cook chicken for 2 minutes each side or until golden. Transfer to a baking tray. Bake for 12 minutes until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the beans and stock. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add juice. Coarsely mash. Season.
- Remove toothpicks. Slice chicken. Serve with Canellini bean smash and veggies. Enjoy!
Add chicken breasts and press down into the sauce. Remove the chicken from the oven and top with slices of mozzarella and tomato. While the chicken is broiling, you can chiffonade (cut into thin strips) the basil. Drizzle the balsamic glaze over the chicken and top with basil. Chicken broth, tomato juices and chicken flavours, mixed through with chopped tomatoes, fresh basil leaves AND the addition of sun dried tomatoes if you so desire.
