Tonight’s dinner was from my garden! I am starting to get my beautiful heirloom tomatoes and I decided to try making this wonderful dish. I have a bounty of basil, which is perfect for making homemade pesto. You can use pesto bought from the store, but if you can get your hands on fresh basil, make this simple pesto yourself! I sautéed my fresh zucchini and topped it with Italian seasonings and grated Parmesan as a side. This caprese chicken tastes fresh and delicious, just like summertime!
Here’s what you need:
1 T olive oil
4 thinly sliced chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning
1 large fresh tomato, sliced
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced or you can use about 4-6 oz shredded mozzarella
fresh basil to garnish
Balsamic glaze to garnish
For the pesto: (this recipe will make extra)
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
Make the pesto by placing all pesto ingredients into a food processor add pulse until smooth. Set this aside. Heat oven to 400. In a cast iron, or heavy ovenproof skillet, heat the 1 T olive oil. Salt, pepper and lightly sprinkle Italian seasoning on each chicken piece. Brown both sides of the chicken in the skillet for about 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat per side. Turn off heat. Spread about 1-2 T of the pesto on each piece of chicken. Place 1-2 slices of tomato on each piece. Top with a slice or two of mozzarella. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 400 until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes and serve each piece with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and fresh basil ribbons. Yum!!!
Comments