Pan Fried Chicken with Pesto and Mozzarella

If you have been following along, you know I made a batch of pesto the other day, and it was wonderful.  So I ate pesto with pasta.


And pesto with tomatoes and mozzarella in a kind of caprese salad.


And one day I decided to do a riff on the caprese chicken I had made last week.


Another super easy, fast, and tasty meal.  I pounded out the chicken breasts just so they were even (not too thin) while olive oil heated up in a pan that was set to just over medium heat.   I seasoned the chicken generously with salt and pepper.  

I was in a little bit of a hurry, so used some garlic paste from a tube that I keep on hand, stirred it into the hot oil until fragrant (around 30 seconds), then added the chicken to the pan.


I ended up cooking the chicken breasts about five minutes on each side.  And probably had the heat a little too high, but it really isn't burnt, honest.


I then turned the chicken over so the side that was the most flat was face up.  I didn't want the pesto to slide off!  And I layered some pesto over the entire chicken breast. I wanted to taste the pesto, so I was very generous.  


And then layered mozzarella slices on top of that.  Two slices was plenty.  



I then covered it, lowered the heat, and took the pan off the heat when it was melted.

Boy, was it good.  Might have to work on presentation!


Fast and Easy Pesto Chicken

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Garlic
Pesto
Mozzarella (I like Bel Giosio)

Drizzle olive oil in a pan that has been placed over medium heat.

Flatten the chicken just to even out the thickness of the chicken breast, so it will be evenly cooked.  Generously season the chicken breast(s) with salt and pepper.

If you like garlic, squeeze in some garlic paste or add some minced garlic to the hot oil, and stir just until fragrant, around 30 seconds.  Add the seasoned chicken to the pan and cook 5 minutes, turn, and cook five minutes more.  

Generously spoon a layer of pesto over the chicken (turn the chicken so that the side that is the most flat is face up).

Top each chicken breast that you have used with two slices of good mozzarella, cover, lower the heat, and watch until the mozzarella is melted.  If you like, you could preheat the broiler and tuck under it for a minute to get some nice browning.

No measurements, this is very easy to scale up or down according to who is eating dinner that night.








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