Pesto is one of those staples that I always keep stocked in the fridge. It has the bonus of freezing well so with basil now in season I’ve been making huge batches. It was great to come across this recipe that offers another vehicle for all my pesto other than pasta. The recipe is simple:

Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper

With a knife spread pesto on one side of the chicken, then dip in bread crumbs. Then spread pesto on the other side and dip in bread crumbs.

Heat a quarter inch of oil in a pan and brown on both sides (about 2 minutes per side). Serve with pesto for dipping.

My pesto is fairly salty so if I were to make this again I would not salt the chicken before adding the pesto, but other than this it was delicious!

I don’t really follow a strict recipe for my pesto but this is a good way to start:

Remove basil leaves from the stem and wash and spin dry well. Wet leaves dilute the sauce.

Put in a food processor with 2-3 cloves of garlic, a half cup of pine nuts, and a half cup of Parmesan.

Slowly add in the oil while processing.

Taste with a little bread and add salt as needed. If the pesto is a little bitter add more nuts and cheese.

Enjoy!