This is a recipe from “Kalyn’s Kitchen” food blog which I tried one evening when I didn’t really feel like cooking. It was so delicious I decided to post it.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning the chicken
1/2 cup basil pesto
2 oz (1/2 cup) grated mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Trim all visible fat and tendons from the chicken pieces, then cut each breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces. (I cut the larger ones into 3 and the smaller ones into 2 strips)
Spray a 9″ x 12″ baking dish with non stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup of basil pesto over the bottom of the dish. lay the chicken strips over the pesto then spread 1/4 cup more pesto over the chicken.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes, just until the chicken is barely firm and cooked through. Don’t over cook at this point or the dish will be very overcooked by the time the cheese is melted and browned.
When the chicken is barely cooked through, remove the foil and sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese then 1/2 cup grated mozzarella. Put dish back in the oven without the foil and cook 5 more minutes or just until the cheese has melted. At this point it is nice to put under the broiler to get a nice color on the cheese.
Serve hot. There will be great and flavorful juice in the bottom of the dish so you may want rice, couscous, ciabatta bread or quinoa to soak up the juice.