Easy mid-week Creamy Pesto Chicken Recipe

This is so easy that once you have all the ingredients, it is literally a 10 minute preparation job with 45 minutes in the oven. Perfect for a mid week supper but don’t be fooled as it is so yummy, this pesto chicken could pass for a dinner party dish. In fact I made this for our friends David and Tracey the other week and Tracey is very keen for the Creamy Pesto Chicken recipe, so here you go Tracey…..

This recipe is one that came like a gift. I literally took as my inspiration “Chicken Charlton” and filled in the blanks with what I had in the fridge. My girls absolutely love this and ask for it often.

You could also use different sorts of pesto, such as water cress pesto or coriander pesto

Creamy Pesto Chicken

Serves 6

6 chicken breasts

150g (5 or 6oz) pesto

200g (7 oz)or 400g (14oz) mozzarella (depending on richness requirements)

150g (5 or 6 oz) goats cheese

1 lg clove garlic pressed

salt and pepper

“Butterfly” each chicken breast with a sharp knife like in the photo above. This is so they lie flatter in the casserole dish and so the cooking is more even. Looks like a heart doesn’t it?

Mix all the goat’s cheese thoroughly with all the pesto and the garlic clove.

Put a small amount of olive oil on the base of the dish and lay 3 of the chicken breasts covering the base as evenly as possible.

Spread all the goat’s cheese/pesto mixture onto the chicken breasts and season with some salt and pepper.

Now….you can be really cheeky and add an extra layer of mozzarella here in which case you need to use the double amount. I’ve done it both with and without and both are good. Its just with the extra layer of mozzarella, its a bit richer.

Layer on the remaining 3 butterflied chicken breasts and cover with the remaining mozzarella.

Cook uncovered in a 180ºC (350ºF) oven for 45 mins to an hour. Just check by cutting through a thick piece to see that the chicken is fully cooked.

I tend to serve this chicken on a bed of brown basmati rice, but you could use courgetti, noodles or puréed cauliflower