You can never have too many weeknight meals, especially chicken recipes! For this dinner, I combined two Cooking Light recipes (Pesto Chicken with Blistered Tomatoes and Orzo and Herb Pilaf) to make one dinner, and served it with a simple salad on the side.
Any recipe that uses pesto is a winner in my book. This particular pesto uses spinach, basil, and parsley to deliver a more complex flavor.
Ingredients:
Pesto:
- 2 cups packed fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 6 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Chicken:
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 (6-oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 6 tablespoons spinach pesto (recipe below)
Tomatoes:
- 3 cups multicolored cherry tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Orzo and Herb Pilaf:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3/4 cup uncooked orzo
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- blistered tomatoes (recipe below)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
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