Fresh Basil Pesto and Pesto Chicken

In my last post, I told about drying herbs to use in mixes, and I showed you my Greek seasoning blend mix and an easy Greek salad dressing.  In addition to drying herbs, I also use my fresh herbs to make pesto.  I grow lots of basil and parsley, so I tend to make basil pesto and parsley pesto several times a month during the summer.  On the plus side, you can put the excess in a zip lock bag and freeze it to use during the winter months.  Let me show you my easy basil pesto and my easy Pesto Chicken recipe.

You will need:
2 cups of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup walnuts
1/6 teaspoon salt

 First wash and dry the basil and remove the leaves from the stems.  You will need 2 cups of basil leaves

 Chop 3 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup of onion, and grate 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

 Into a food processor add 1/4 cup walnuts, grated cheese, chopped garlic, chopped onion, 1/6 teaspoon salt, (I like to use sea salt, but you can use whatever you have on hand), and 1/4 cup olive oil.

Process until a smooth paste.

Add in the basil leaves.

Process until a smooth paste, and you have your pesto.

Note:  some people like to use pinenuts, instead of walnuts, (but at this time of year they are $15.99 a pound, so I used walnuts and will wait till the pinenuts go on sale).

You can now use your pesto, or store it in the refrigerator for several days, or freeze it for the winter.

Let's make a delicious, and easy Pesto Chicken.
You will need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
basil pesto
fresh tomatoes (I just picked these)
garlic powder
onion powder
ground black pepper
grated Italian blend cheese (or mozzarella)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Spray a baking sheet, with baking spray, (I lined my pan with foil for easier clean up, but it's not necessary).
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper, then lay the chicken in the pan.

You will notice we didn't salt the chicken, because there's salt in the pesto.

Spread about 1/2 tablespoon of pesto on top of each piece of chicken.

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices and lay the slices on top of the pesto.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the tomatoes.

Bake for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

It's been 30 minutes, and oh man does this smell delicious!  And the melted cheese on the tomatoes and pesto is so inviting!  It's ready to serve.

And the chicken inside is so juicy.  Serve this with a green tossed salad and a side of vegetables and you family will ask for seconds.  And it was so easy!

Enjoy!