This recipe is adapted from what might be my new favorite cookbook. It’s called High Flavor, Low Labor by J.M. Hirsch. It’s full of mouth-watering recipes that were created for those time crunched weekday meals, but don’t mistake this for your typical “quick and easy” cookbook. You won’t find any processed foods in these recipes, he makes good use of super flavorful “real” ingredients, and some unique techniques to make super yummy meals a reality for the weekday dinner. This particular recipe simply requires some planning ahead.
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (about 1 full breast – 2 halves)
about 1/2 cup flour
2-3 Tablespoons butter and 1 Tablespoon olive oil
In a food processor, combine the garlic, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, vinegar, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes. Pulse until well combined (but not completely smooth).
Transfer about half of the pesto to a glass baking dish. Cover the remaining pesto and refrigerate until ready to use.
One at a time, lay each chicken breast on the counter and carefully slice across the center horizontally to create 2 thin halves (you want them to be about 1/4 inch thick – if not then place them between sheets of plastic wrap and whack’em with a heavy skillet until they are about 1/4 inch thick).
Place the chicken in the baking dish with the pesto, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
When you’re ready to make dinner, place the flour in a wide shallow bowl (or on a plate). Lightly dredge each piece of pesto chicken through the flour, lightly coating both sides.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, combine the butter and olive oil, and heat until sizzling. Fry the chicken a few pieces at a time until lightly browned on both sides.
I chose to serve this yummy pesto chicken on top of a salad dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette. YUM!
It is also really good over pasta that has been mixed with some of the leftover pesto.