Baked Pesto Chicken

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning chicken
1/2 cup basil pesto (a recipe for a light version of pesto follows, but you can use any pesto recipe, or store-bought.)
1/2 cup grated low-fat mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken pieces, then cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces.

2. Spray a 9" x 12" baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup basil pesto over the bottom of the dish. Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread 1/4 cup more basil pesto over the chicken. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (or use a baking dish with a tight-fitting lid) and bake the chicken for 20 minutes, just until chicken is barely firm and cooked through. (Don't cook too much at this point, or the chicken will be overcooked by the time the cheese is melted and browned.)

3. Remove foil and sprinkle chicken with 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Put dish back into the oven without foil and cook 5 minutes more, just until cheese is melted.

Served with orzo and overcooked edamame beans

Results: The original recipe warned about over-cooking the chicken, so I was a little paranoid about that. I lowered the cooking time from 375 to 350, and baked for 25 minutes (instead of 25-30 minutes) and the chicken was still a little dry. Next time, I will lower the cooking time to 20 minutes (with 5 more minutes for melting the cheese.) I also used an 11x13 casserole dish, and since the chicken had lots of space, I think that helped it over-cook. Next time I'll use a smaller dish.

Other than the chicken being a little dry, this was delicious! I love pesto and usually only use it on pasta. Adding it to chicken and smothering it with cheese was awesome. Yum!

I used pesto sauce that I had in the freezer, so this was a super easy meal to prepare.

Recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen.

"Light" Pesto recipe
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp salt

1. Place pine nuts in a small skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook until
nuts are golden, shaking pan frequently to prevent burning, about 3 minutes. Transfer nuts to a plate to cool.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine nuts, basil, broth, cheese, oil, garlic and salt; process until smooth and thick. Yields one cup.

Pesto recipe from Weight Watchers

Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Spinach Pesto (makes about 3/4 cup)
1 cup baby spinach (packed)
1/4 cup fresh herbs (I used basil and parsley)
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon walnut pieces, toasted
1/4 cup reduced-fat feta cheese
1/2 lemon, zest & juice
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend. Add olive oil and chicken broth, process until smooth.

Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
(ingredients per sandwich)

2 tablespoons Spinach Pesto (above)
2 tablespoons gruyere cheese (grated)
2 slices bread
Butter flavored cooking spray

1. Spray one side of each slice of bread with cooking spray. Put one slice of bread, sprayed side down (DUH!) in skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle cheese and drizzle pesto over bread, top with other slice of bread. Cook until golden brown on each side.

Served with strawberry & spinach salad

Results: I found this recipe on Closet Cooking and it looked AMAZING. Seriously. Click on over (I'll wait...) and see for yourself. But I knew that would NEVER work with my diet...er...lifestyle change, (since Weight Watchers isn't actually a "diet", even though this "non-diet" has helped me lose 24 lbs in the last four months!) I had to try this sandwich, so I had to change the ingredients up.

Oh my freaking GOOD! What a great twist on a great sandwich! This pesto is awesome and added so much to a grilled cheese sandwich. Now, my "lighter" version was delicious, but if you aren't watching your weight, you should seriously try the Closet Cooking version. All that cheese! All that olive oily goodness pesto sauce! Yum!

Recipe from Closet Cooking.