Oven-Baked Pesto Chicken
with sauteed green veggies

Name: Oven-Baked Pesto Chicken
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless; 2 cloves Garlic, minced; 1 Onions, diced; 1 lb Asparagus, sliced into 1" / 2.5cm segments; 1 bunch Chard, any type; 1 1/2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 1 1/2 cups Peas, frozen; 1/2 cup Homemade basil pesto (ingredients listed separately); 1/2 Lemon, juice of; 3 Tbsp Pine nuts; 2 cloves Garlic, peeled; 3 oz Basil leaves; 1 tbsp Lemon juice; 6 Tbsp Oil, cooking

Active: 30 min Total: 45 min

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

A simple basil pesto takes simple chicken breast and green veggies to the next level. Everyone will love the ease and flavors of this meal!
Smarts: It doesn't take much more work to double your pesto for easy freezing.

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Pesto Chicken with Sauteed Green Veggies:

Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless - 2
Garlic - 2 cloves , minced
Onions - 1 , diced
Asparagus - 1 lb , sliced into 1" / 2.5cm segments
Chard, any type - 1 bunch
Oil, cooking - 1 1/2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
Peas, frozen - 1 1/2 cups
Homemade basil pesto (ingredients listed separately) - 1/2 cup
Lemon - 1/2 , juice of

Basil Pesto (2 dinners):

Pine nuts - 3 Tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves , peeled
Basil leaves - 3 oz
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Oil, cooking - 6 Tbsp

Prep

Chicken breasts - Sprinkle with salt and pepper and tenderize with a fork. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
Make pesto - (If prepping day of, you can make this while chicken cooks in the oven.) Toast nuts in a dry skillet or frying pan until fragrant and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Peel garlic cloves. Place nuts, garlic, basil leaves, and lemon juice into a food processor. Pulse until all ingredients are well chopped. With food processor running, drizzle in oil until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Save 1/4 cup (59 mL) for Tuesday night’s dinner (amount for 4 servings; adjust accordingly if customizing). (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Garlic / Onions - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 4 days ahead)
Asparagus - Snap off ends and chop into 1” / 2.5cm segments. (Can be done up to 2 days ahead)
Chard - Chop.

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Make

Heat oven to 375F / 191C.
Heat a skillet (or other oven-safe pan) over medium-high heat . Add first part of oil and then sear chicken breasts for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes on each side, until golden. Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until chicken is cooked through (165F).
While chicken bakes, heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add second part of oil and then garlic and onions to heated oil. Saute until softened, ~2 minutes.
Add asparagus with a sprinkle of salt and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes.
Fold in chard leaves and peas and saute until leaves are wilted and peas are warmed up. Stir in half the pesto (make sure you’ve already reserved ¼ cup / 59 mL for tomorrow night’s dinner). Finish with lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
After chicken has rested for ~5 minutes, slice (try to angle your knife so it slices through chicken at 45 degrees to expose more surface area). Drizzle with rest of pesto and enjoy with your pesto-sauteed veggies.

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