Easy Chicken with Pesto and Mozarella recipe

I have become a big fan of flattening chicken breasts before I cook them. They cook in a flash, are never underdone and are as tender as you can imagine. I will be posting a chicken with creamy parmesan sauce soon but this chicken with pesto and cheese was so incredibly good and a perfect Spring time lunch or dinner.

My next dinner party is getting this meal and the luxurious salad that is almost a meal on it’s own. I know often less is more, but this salad was fantastic with this chicken pesto and mozzarella cheese recipe.

This was for 2 people with more than enough left over for a work lunch. You can easily double or triple this recipe, you just need something large enough to put under the grill.

What you need

4 x chickern breasts

200ml crushed tomato sauce (From spar in a bottle or chopped tomatoes in a tin) That you heat and add some basil, salt and pepper. You could also use a simple pasta sauce.

Handfull of basil leaves ripped into pieces

2 heaped Tablespoon pesto mixed with the basil and some olive oil

150g Mozzarella cheese cut into 5mm thick slices

The Salad had, 2 x lettuce types, pomodoro tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, feta, stong cheddar, grated carrot, lightly suateed broccoli in butter, fried aubergine in olive oil.

Then process

Take the chicken breasts and butterly them, them beat with a tenderiser or wine bottle until nicely even and about double the size of the original breast.

Season with salt and pepper

Get a pan that has a steel handle that can go in the oven or a pan and an overt proof dish.

Put the oven grill on.

Put the pan on a high heat, add some olive oil and cook the chicken breasts on both sides until very lightly browned and almost cooked through. Dont cook all together, cook one or two then remove.

Add the tomato sauce to the pan or the oven proof dish.

Place the chicken on top of the tomato, turn them over to get a little of the tomato sauce on the top of the chicken and then place the mozzarella slices over the chicken.

Place into the oven and keep an eye on the cheese. Remove from the oven once the cheese has melted.

Add a liberal amount of pesto and basil leaves and serve.

That is a really quick and very delicious meal.