skinny chicken pesto, grape tomatoes, mozzarella

All of my favorite chicken pesto dishes are with a cream sauce. Part of that is my problem as I love a good cream sauce. Like this lemon cream sauce over panko crusted chicken that helped me win the Knorr cookoff. But I always feel like I could save on all of those calories if the pasta, cream and butter were just kicked out of the dish. So I went ahead and did it myself and now we’ve got skinny chicken pesto.

skinny chicken pesto, grape tomatoes, mozzarella

I’ll tell you a secret too. I love the pesto in a jar from costco. It has great flavor and during the winter it’s cheaper than me trying to buy and make my own pesto. We pretty much always have a jar of the stuff on hand. And because I’m all about adding a little extra nutrition why not add some tomatoes for a little more vitamins and get that heart healthy?

skinny chicken pesto, grape tomatoes, mozzarella

In case you’re a little worried about perfectly cooking chicken in a pan without over or under cooking check out this how to that I posted awhile ago. This tip has seriously changed my cooking. We’ve never had such juicy chicken before. So, start out with a few grape tomatoes and sautee them in a pan. Set aside and place a plain chicken breast, seasoned with a small amount of salt and pepper (the pesto will pack enough flavor) in a hot pan following the instructions from the how-to post, and right before you’re ready to pull it, add about a tablespoon or so of pesto and the tomatoes. Top with a little mozzarella cheese, cover with a lid and allow to melt then serve immediately. Bam! Chicken in 15 minutes and it’s healthier!

What Is Pesto?

Pesto is a sauce that consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, Parmesan cheese and pecorino sardo, a firm Italian cheese, all blended with olive oil.

How Long Will Homemade Pesto Last?

Homemade pesto will keep for 5-7 days in the refrigerator.

Pesto can also be frozen for up to 4 months.

Are Chicken Breasts Healthy?

Chicken breast is a good sources of lean protein.

A 3-ounce skinless, chicken breast provides about 140 calories, 3 grams of total fat and just 1 gram of saturated fat.

Skinny Chicken Pesto

Skinny Pesto Chicken

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Servings: 2 breasts of chicken
Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 16 minutes

Description

Skinny chicken pesto is just as delicious and a little healthier than your average chicken pesto.

Ingredients 

  • 2 chicken breasts, boneless skinless
  • 4 tablespoons pesto
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
  • salt and pepper, for seasoning
  • olive oil

Instructions

  • Heat a pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
  • Once the pan is hot and add the tomatoes and saute until tender.
  • Remove to a plate.
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
  • Heat the pan with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat until the oil shimmers and add the chicken.
  • Quickly turn the pan down to low heat and cook for about 6 minutes or until the meat is white from the bottom, halfway up the chicken.
  • Flip the chicken and cook an additional 4 minutes or until the chicken is white without any pink line running around the center of the chicken.
  • Top each breast with some pesto, the tomatoes and the cheese.
  • Place a lid over the pan and allow to finish cooking and the cheese melting.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

See this post for essential tips on perfectly cooked chicken in a pan.
left overs should be refrigerated

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 763kcalCarbohydrates: 7.7gProtein: 74.1gCholesterol: 233.6mgFiber: 2.6gSugar: 3.2g
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: 100 Family Favorite Easy Healthy Recipes

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