Pesto Chicken

I still had some basil left over after making my pasta last week, so decided to whip up a batch of pesto. I love the versatility of pesto and nothing beats that smell of fresh basil! I like basil pesto made the traditional way – toasted pine nuts, basil, parmesan, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. It really is so easy to whiz up in a food processor and any leftovers store well in the fridge, covered with a thin layer of oil to prevent the basil from oxidising and going black. You can even freeze it in ice cube trays for a simple meal when you don’t have the time to make it from scratch.

Not only can pesto be tossed through fresh pasta, but you can use it to add some extra flavour to a risotto, as a base for bruschetta with tomato and feta, mixed with ricotta for an easy filling for ravioli or as a marinade for chicken.

I decided to marinate some chicken in the rest of my pesto to make a tasty Monday night dinner that was really easy. If you don’t have much time when you get home after work, just toss the chicken pieces in the pesto before you bake them, but if you have time give them a couple of hours to really take on the flavours of the pesto. If you want to keep the chicken breasts whole, you can. I prefer to cut mine into tenderloin sized pieces to cook them a bit quicker. They are also nice this size if you plan to toss them through a salad.

Tonight I’m serving my pesto chicken with roast potatoes, garlic butter mushrooms and some steamed beans and snow peas. If the weather is warm, you could have a salad, or you could just use up whatever vegies you have in the fridge. The chicken is the hero of this dish, so it doesn’t really matter what you serve it with.

Pesto Chicken

2 chicken breasts, cut into tenderloin sized strips

2 Tbs basil pesto

Combine chicken and pesto in a bowl or container and mix until the chicken is well coated.

If you have time, allow to marinate for a couple of hours.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Place chicken on a lightly greased oven tray so that the pieces are not touching.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and the centre is cooked.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

While the oven is on for the chicken, roast your potatoes or other vegetables.

I like to roast my potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and white pepper, but use whatever oil and seasonings you prefer.

Flat mushrooms are beautiful for roasting, especially when they go soft and start to release their juices. Simply place mushrooms on a baking tray with a knob of butter and some crushed or finely chopped garlic and thyme on top. Bake for 15 minutes or until softened. The size of the mushrooms will influence how long they take to cook. Large field mushrooms can be a meal in themselves!