
Creamy pesto chicken
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Serves 4
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tbsp homemade pesto(see tip below for the recipe)
- 85g mascarpone
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 100g breadcrumbspreferably made from day-old bread
- 175g baby tomatoeson the vine
- handful of pine nuts
- handful of basil leaves
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal545
- fat33g
- saturates10g
- carbs22g
- sugars3g
- fibre1g
- protein40g
- salt0.82glow
Method
step 1
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/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.
step 2
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.
step 3
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.