I loved this simple and easy-to-make recipe! And, yes, here it is again- thank you Dynes Family Cookbook and thank you Tom and Rachel.
You know that simple of an intro. had to be too good to be true. I do have a few warnings.
First, you could add less dairy by not topping the dish with mozzerella, but I haven't been able to find a dairy-free pesto sauce, so I doubt this one can be completely dairy-free. (And I probably should include a bottle of Maalox to the ingredients for this week's recipes since, after being on a dairy binge for a week now, that tends to be my dessert in an attempt to reduce the acid reflux. I promise to be more restrictive next week).
Second, I made one MAJOR mistake, and here's Lesson 507 from the clueless chef- DON'T CROWD THE PAN. I had more than a pound of chicken, but thought I should add it all in rather than leaving just 1 or 2 lonely thighs to freeze for later. So, I crammed my 1 1/2 pounds of chicken thighs into a 9X9 pan. The pieces that overlapped were completely pink and uncooked. You have no idea how disappointed I was to discover how yummy this dish was when it came out of the oven only to then realize that instead of sitting down and enjoying the tastiness, I had to cut out pieces of raw chicken and throw the whole dish in the oven for another 20 minutes to appease my paranoia of serving my girls raw chicken.
Long Lesson Short: If you have more than a pound of chicken, cook a little more rice and use a 9X13 baking dish instead.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken (I used thighs but breasts are also an option)
- 1-2 TBSP olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (more or less depending on preference for spiciness)
- 10 oz. jar of pesto sauce
- 1/2- 1 cup mozzerella, shredded
- 2-3 Roma tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning OR oregano
I baked the chicken over a bed of cooked rice (1 cup uncooked). Feel free to follow my White Rice Healthified if wanting to add in a few more veggies. And yes..... I was a little worried this Italian dish would taste odd with rice, seeing as how I can't think of a single Italian dish that includes rice, but I absolutely loved it.
OR you could stick to Italan tradition and cook with 6-8 oz. of pasta instead of rice.
I also cooked My Roasted Veggies for my healthy side.
DIRECTIONS:
SUMMARY: Get the rice cooking if using - Prep and bake the chicken once the rice is finished - Cook the sides and pasta if using
STEP ONE- THE RICE AND PREP:
If using, get the rice cooking. Again, feel free to follow my rice recipe. (If using pasta, you can focus on cooking that while the chicken's baking). Chop any other veggies you plan to cook. (I sliced the tomatoes and cut up some broccoli, zucchini, and onion for my roasted veggies).
STEP TWO- THE CHICKEN:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9X9 baking dish with cooking spray if using the rice or feel free to use foil if not. Once the rice is done cooking, pour it out into the dish and spread evenly. Line the chicken in the dish, being sure NOT to over crowd them. Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and season with the garlic powder, lemon pepper, onion powder, paprika, sea salt, and crushed red pepper. Brush around to spread the mixture evenly. Next pour the jar of pesto over the chicken. Brush it around to also cover the chicken evenly.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and top with the tomatoes, season the tomatoes with the Italian seasoning or oregano, and top with the cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble and brown.
STEP THREE- THE SIDES AND PASTA:
Cook the sides while the chicken bakes. If not using rice, feel free to cook some pasta to serve the chicken on. Again, I cooked My Roasted Veggies and threw them in the oven with the chicken for about 12 minutes.
THE KID STEP: Pretty simple. They both loved the chicken (after patiently waiting for it to be properly cooked).
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