Baked Pesto Chicken (Crispy & Cheesy!)
Crispy chicken loaded with basil pesto and melty cheese - this is what dinners are all about!
Servings: 4
Cost: £3.50 / $4
Equipment
- Large Greaseproof Baking Tray & Tongs (for baking chicken)
- 3 Large Shallow Dishes (for dredging chicken)
- Small Pot (for seasoning)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Ingredients
Pesto Chicken
- 2x 9oz/250g Chicken Breasts
- 1 cup / 65g Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup / 35g Flour
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup / 120g Pesto (see notes)
- 5oz / 150g fresh Mozzarella, sliced into wedges (see notes)
- 1/3 cup / 30g freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp EACH: Salt, Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- Oil Spray, as needed
Side Dish (optional)
- 3.5oz / 100g Rocket/Arugula
- 10 - 12 Sun Dried Tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp Pine Nuts
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Honey
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pour breadcrumbs onto a large baking tray and give it a shake until they're evenly distributed. Coat with oil spray then place in the oven at 180C/350F for around 5mins, or until light golden (be vigilant as they turn perfect to burnt quite quickly!). Pour into a bowl to cool and increase oven temp to 220C/430F.
- Horizontally slice the chicken breasts right through the centre to make 4 even-sized chicken breasts. In a small pot, combine 1 tsp salt & garlic powder with 1/2 tsp black pepper.
- Line up 3 large shallow dishes: the first with flour and half of the seasoning mix, the second with beaten eggs and the third with breadcrumbs and the rest of the seasoning. One by one dredge the chicken breasts through the flour, into the egg, then finish in the breadcrumbs, making sure you thoroughly coat at each stage (namely the breadcrumbs). Shake off excess breadcrumbs then place on a large baking tray.
- Liberally spray with oil, then place in the oven for 10mins. Take them out, carefully flip them over and spray them again with oil. Place back in the oven for another 8-10mins, or until deep golden and visibly crispy, with the meat white right through the centre. Switch oven to grill.
- Spread pesto over the chicken, then top with mozzarella and finish with parmesan. Place them under the grill and broil until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Optional Side Dish: In a large bowl whisk together extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and salt & pepper to taste. Add rocket/arugula, sun dried tomatoes & pine nuts and toss to combine.
Video
Notes
a) Panko Breadcrumbs - These are Japanese breadcrumbs and can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. They're great because they're big and airy, meaning they come out super crispy once toasted.
b) Pesto - You can use store-bought or Homemade Pesto. If you're using store-bought try and find one that's not too oily. Same if you're doing it homemade, don't go crazy with the oil. Just because you've got the cheese, which will already release oil as it melts.
c) Mozzarella - Try and use fresh low-moisture mozzarella. That or use fresh mozzarella in brine and thoroughly pat it dry. You want to keep the chicken nice and crisp, so don't want to melt watery mozzarella on top of it.
d) Serving - Here I've served with a simple side salad and Sweet Potato Fries (check out my Sides for more inspo), but this chicken also works so well in a toasted sandwich!
e) Calories - Calories for the chicken only (slight overestimate as not all the flour/Panko is picked up). The salad is 459 calories total.
Nutrition
Calories: 677kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.93g | Protein: 58.23g | Fat: 42.62g | Saturated Fat: 13.413g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.551g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18.469g | Trans Fat: 0.132g | Cholesterol: 583mg | Sodium: 1540mg | Potassium: 717mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 2.02g | Vitamin A: 1346IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 423mg | Iron: 4.03mg