Creamy pesto chicken with roasted tomatoes

A fast and filling, all-in-one chicken dish

Recipe uploaded by

Emma Lewis

162 ratings 5

Recipe by Emma Lewis

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Tested

Difficulty and servings

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Prep 15 mins

Cook 25 mins

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Use a small sharp knife to make a slit along the side of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Mix together the pesto and mascarpone, then carefully spoon a quarter of the mixture into each chicken breast and smooth over the opening to seal.
Brush a little oil, about 1 tsp, all over each chicken breast and season well. Tip the breadcrumbs onto a large plate and season. Place each breast on the plate and press all over with the breadcrumbs. Place in a lightly oiled shallow baking dish along with the tomatoes (kept together on the vine in a couple of bunches). Drizzle over the remaining oil.
Cook in the oven for 20-25 mins until the chicken starts to turn golden and is cooked through. Scatter over the pine nuts and cook for 2 mins more. Sprinkle with basil leaves and serve with new potatoes or crusty bread.

HOMEMADE PESTO

In a small food processor, whizz together a large handful basil leaves (about 40g), 25g toasted pine nuts, 25g finely grated Parmesan, 1 crushed garlic clove and 3 tbsp olive oil. Keep in the fridge for 1-2 days or cover with a layer of oil and keep for 3-4 days.

PER SERVING

545 kcalories, protein 40g, carbohydrate 22g, fat 33 g, saturated fat 10g, fibre 1g, sugar 3g, salt 0.82 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2009.

Latest comments and suggestions

Results 141-160

kellyb

13 July 2011

kellyb rated and commented on this recipe

delicious! made this for friends and the kiddies and it was a big hit all round! will definately make again :)

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Bluemooncooka

19 July 2011

Bluemooncooka rated and commented on this recipe

Hey! If I can do this one and get compliments on the dish......this IS a simple, quick but very tasty serving! I took Mandy's (Apr 2009) tweak re mascarpone & pesto and my daughter was impressed with the results [had expected Dad to bottle it and get a takeaway when I had to cater for her when wife was away!] :-)

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Jane

21 July 2011

Jane rated this recipe

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Jo

25 July 2011

Jo rated and commented on this recipe

Very easy, I didn't have a food processor so i used jared pesto adding a bit of chopped basil and pine nuts and it worked well. I also steamed a few veg for a side.

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Jo

25 July 2011

Jo commented on this recipe

Very easy, I didn't have a food processor so i used jared pesto adding a bit of chopped basil and pine nuts and it worked well. I also steamed a few veg for a side.

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Jo

25 July 2011

Jo commented on this recipe

Very easy, I didn't have a food processor so i used jared pesto adding a bit of chopped basil and pine nuts and it worked well. I also steamed a few veg for a side.

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Moose

09 August 2011

Moose rated and commented on this recipe

Made this Saturday for guests. Went down very well. Used shop bought pesto which worked well. Cooked for a little longer as chicken breasts were quite large. Added the tomatoes for the last 15 minutes or so. Served with courgettes and roasted new potatoes. Only given 4 stars because it wasn't quite a good as I had hoped. Still fab and I will do it again very soon!

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mikey

10 August 2011

mikey commented on this recipe

easy and tasty i whizzed ciabatta and pitta in the food processor (had them in the cupboard) for my breadcrumb topping and was very nice

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Julie

13 August 2011

Julie rated and commented on this recipe

Served this to friends and family - all plates cleared with enthusiasm. Easy to do and a great summer dish to make the most of basil.

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KatieB

16 August 2011

KatieB commented on this recipe

This was a huge success when I served it at a supper party, not only did it taste delicious, it was easy and quick to prepare and looked nice in the dish with the vine tomatoes. I used an egg to baste the chicken instead of oil and the breadcrumbs adhered better. Fab dish thanks.

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KatieB

16 August 2011

KatieB rated this recipe

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KatieB

16 August 2011

KatieB commented on this recipe

Forgot to mention that I found it a little dry so I added more pesto which I made into a sauce with a little wine so that it would dribble over the chicken once served.

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Vickiloulou

18 August 2011

Vickiloulou rated and commented on this recipe

Made this for friends and all loved it. Used the remaining juices from the pan to pour over the salad potatoes. Delicious. Definitely cook it again. Homemade pesto tastes amazing.

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madmoo37

27 August 2011

madmoo37 rated and commented on this recipe

absolutely love this recipe , simple and so tasty

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Rose

31 August 2011

Rose rated and commented on this recipe

So so good! I added mixed peppers and chunks of courgettes to the tomatoes and used a jar of pesto that I already had. My husband asked for it again a few days later! I served it with rice the second time. Delicious, will definitely be a regular in our house, so easy!

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Tanya

04 September 2011

Tanya commented on this recipe

Very tasty and quick to rustle together. Family loved it. Will definitely make again!

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Food_lover

05 September 2011

Food_lover rated and commented on this recipe

Great if you love pesto! I wouldn't recommend to anyone who isn't that keen as pesto is mostly all you can taste. Nice light dish, I won't make again in a hurry though. As there are few ingredients the dish is very simple tasting.

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elizabeth-ann

06 September 2011

elizabeth-ann rated and commented on this recipe

Made this at the weekend for friends we had around and it was fab! Lots of compliments and everyone really enjoyed it. I added the tomatoes half way through the cooking time of chicken and they were still slightly overcooked but not a huge problem. I also made two pockets for filling in the chicken breast. Served with small roast potatoes and green beans. Very tasty!

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nicki

09 September 2011

nicki rated and commented on this recipe

A fantastic dish.. I have made this a few times now and is a favourite with all the family and friends..

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jzl

17 September 2011

jzl rated and commented on this recipe

This is a fantastic recipe! I used a jar of pesto. I find you don't need as much of the pesto mix as the recipe says nor as much breadcrumbs. Didn't bother with the pine nuts either. Served it with tagliatelle with extra pesto mixture to my 9 yr old daughter as she is not a potato lover - she asked for seconds! Impressive dish for very little effort.

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