Lemon Basil Pesto Chicken Breast Recipes

LEMON PESTO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Roll lemons on cutting board to activate juices. Squeeze juice from two lemons, should be approximately 1/4 cup lemon juice.
• Whisk pesto, lemon juice and black pepper.
• Place chicken in marinade (be sure it is thoroughly coated), cover, and refrigerate for 2 -24 hours. Remove from refrigeration.
• To bake: Pour marinade and chicken into glass baking dish. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165.
• To slow cook: Pour marinade and chicken into slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours.
• To grill: Place chicken breast cutlets on grill over low heat. Grill 5-6 minutes on each side, brushing with marinade after turning.

BASIL PESTO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken pieces, then cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces. Spray a 9" x 12" (or 8.5" X 12.5") 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 25-30 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.) When chicken is barely cooked through, 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. After I melted the cheese for 5 minutes I switched my oven to broil and broiled for 5 minutes more, just long enough to get the cheese lightly browned. Serve hot. There will be some flavorful juice in the bottom of the dish when this is done, so you may want to serve with rice, couscous, or quinoa to soak up the juice, or just pour over the chicken.

LEMON BASIL CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts on a cutting board. Flatten slightly using the smooth side of a meat mallet. Dust both sides lightly with flour.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until bubbling. Saute chicken breasts until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Add chicken stock, lemon juice, basil, and lemon zest. Cover and simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a warm platter. Cover loosely to keep warm. Boil remaining liquid over high heat, uncovered, until reduced to 1/2 cup. Spoon sauce over chicken.

LEMON BASIL PESTO CHICKEN BREAST

Steps:

• 1. Pound out a 4 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast with meat mallet until thin. Put oil of your choice in fry pan, heat on medium heat. Salt and pepper the chicken, place in heated pan.
• 2. Cook 1 minute, then turn chicken over and turn heat to low. Cover pan and let it cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let set for 10 more minutes. Check with meat thermometer. 165° reading is done. Set aside.
• 3. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, set aside.
• 4. In another pan saute kale greens in oil of your choice, add a little salt and pepper, remove greens to a plate, add a little more oil and saute the yellow squash until soft.
• 5. Combine Pasta, Greens, Squash, Artichoke Hearts in a bowl, I added the fresh lemon juice in the basil pesto sauce with the roasted red peppers. Pour over ingredients, reserving a little. toss to coat.
• 6. In a pan and the combined ingredients, top with the chicken breast and drizzle the reserved pesto sauce over the chicken. Heat and serve.

LEMON PESTO BAKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken, pesto and lemon juice into a large zip tight freezer bag.
• Remove air from bag and close.
• With your hands massage bag to combine chicken, pesto and lemon juice. Set aside.
• Load cheese into a small freezer safe zip top bag. Squeeze out air and close.
• (This is an optional step to keep everything together). Take another large zip tight freezer bag and place both the chicken and the cheese bags inside. Remove air and close.
• Label outer bag using a permanent marker with contents, date assembled and cooking instructions.
• Freeze.
• Remove contents from outer bag.
• Place cheese bag in the refrigerator.
• In the refrigerator thaw bag of Lemon Pesto Chicken over night.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• When thawed place Lemon Pesto Chicken into a 9x13-inch casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, covered.
• Remove foil and sprinkle cheese on the top of the chicken.
• Bake for 5 minutes.
• Turn broiler on high and broil for 5 minutes.
• Serve over pasta.

BAKED CHICKEN BREAST WITH LEMON AND BASIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Wash chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Trim and discard fat. Tenderize chicken with a meat mallet. Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil on each breast, lightly covering both front and back. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and set on the prepared baking sheet.
• Squeeze juice from one lemon half over the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with basil. Cut 2 slices of lemon from the remaining half and set 1 slice on each breast. Reserve remaining lemon for another use.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chicken breast is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove from oven, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 7 minutes before serving.