Pesto Chicken

Pesto, mozzarella and tomato is such a great flavor combination!  It combines classic Italian flavors to add something extra to baked chicken.  This is a quick and easy weeknight dinner.  Pair it with a veggie (I chose frozen peas because we didn't have anythign else on hand) or a side salad.  The original recipe comes from Skinnytaste - her version includes a recipe for making your own pesto.  I don't have a food processor so I went with a store-bought pesto, but I would love to try out making my own some day!

Servings: 4

Size: 1 piece of chicken

Points Plus: 6 pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (16 oz total)

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tsp. pesto

1 medium tomato, sliced

6 Tbsp. shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the chicken breasts horizontally in half to get 4 thinner chicken cutlets. Season each cutlet with salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with foil (this saves a TON of time when cleaning up/doing dishes later!). Put the chicken cutlets on the baking sheet. Spread 1 tsp. of pesto on each cutlet. Bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove from oven to add tomatoes slices and mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes to make sure the cheese is melted. 

Tip:
Slicing the chicken breasts in half can be a kind of difficult task.  I made my fiance do it. :)  Another great option is to ask the butcher at your local grocer to cut them for you.  These are people who are much more experienced at cutting meat, so why not ask for the favor and save yourself some time?

XOXO - Megan