Pesto sauce is a flavorful and fresh sauce having its roots in Italian cuisine. Pesto is among the most popularly used condiments in the world today. Pesto is used in pasta, pizza, and other Italian entrees to make them more delicious and flavorful.

This recipe combines chicken with the wonderful flavor of pesto. Pesto adds a rustic flavor to the chicken making it a delicious entrée. This article discusses how to make pesto chicken from scratch. Pesto chicken can be served as an entrée in itself or you can serve this dish with any Italian style pasta. Plain rice is also a perfect accompaniment to this delicious chicken dish.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves
2-3 cloves fresh garlic
½ cup pine nuts
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
3 spoons freshly ground black pepper
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 onion finely chopped
2-3 skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into medium sized pieces
½ cup mushrooms sliced
1 cup chicken broth
2 spoons fresh lemon juice
2 spoons crushed paprika flakes
4 spoons oil

Method

Begin making pesto chicken by preparing the pesto sauce from scratch. To make pesto sauce, combine fresh basil leaves with the garlic cloves in a food processor. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add olive oil and pine-nuts in the food processor. Blend till you get a smooth paste. Finally add the grated parmesan cheese and mix well. Your pesto sauce is ready for use.

To make the dish, take oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions till they turn slightly brown. Once the onions turn brown, add the sliced mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms till they get done. Season the onions and mushrooms with salt and crushed paprika flakes. Next add the chicken which has been cut into small or medium sized pieces.

Add about 4-5 large spoons of the prepared pesto sauce to the chicken. Add the chicken broth and let the chicken simmer with the pesto for 4-5 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove from flame and add the fresh lemon juice. Mix everything well and adjust the seasoning.

Serve Chicken pesto garnished with chopped fresh basil leaves and grated parmesan cheese.You can also add other veggies to this dish and make it healthier. Add zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc. along with onions and mushrooms. Ensure the veggies you use are thinly sliced. The veggies must not get over-cooked since we want them to remain crisp. This will impart great texture to the dish.

Pesto chicken goes very well with warm garlic bread. When served with warm garlic bread and a fresh lettuce salad, this dish makes for a complete meal. The lettuce salad can include cherry tomatoes and croutons and must be flavored with an Italian style dressing.

To make the Italian style dressing combine red wine vinegar with salt, pepper, olive oil and freshly minced garlic. Drizzle the salad dressing all over the lettuce salad and serve along with the pesto chicken. Plain rice seasoned with caraway seeds also tastes great with Pesto Chicken.

Photo Credit: Topchickenrecipes.com