Creamy pesto chicken with roasted tomatoes
By Emma Lewis
A fast and filling, all-in-one chicken dish
-
Prep:15 mins
Cook:25 mins
- Serves 4
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
-
kcal 545
-
fat 33g
-
saturates 10g
-
carbs 22g
-
sugars 3g
-
fibre 1g
-
protein 40g
-
salt 0.82g
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp Homemade pesto (see recipe below)
- 85g mascarpone
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 100g breadcrumbs, preferably from day-old bread
- 175g baby tomatoes, on the vine
- handful pine nuts
- handful basil leaves
Tip
Homemade pestoIn a small food processor, whizz together a large handful basil leaves (about 40g), 25g toasted pine nuts, 25g finely grated Parmesan, 1 crushed garlic clove and 3 tbsp olive oil. Keep in the fridge for 1-2 days or cover with a layer of oil and keep for 3-4 days.
Method
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Use a small sharp knife to make a slit along the side of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Mix together the pesto and mascarpone, then carefully spoon a quarter of the mixture into each chicken breast and smooth over the opening to seal.
Brush a little oil, about 1 tsp, all over each chicken breast and season well. Tip the breadcrumbs onto a large plate and season. Place each breast on the plate and press all over with the breadcrumbs. Place in a lightly oiled shallow baking dish along with the tomatoes (kept together on the vine in a couple of bunches). Drizzle over the remaining oil.
Cook in the oven for 20-25 mins until the chicken starts to turn golden and is cooked through. Scatter over the pine nuts and cook for 2 mins more. Sprinkle with basil leaves and serve with new potatoes or crusty bread.
