Pesto Chicken

Seriously, this may be one of the easiest recipes I've ever made, and one of the tastiest!  But the fact that I love pesto couldn't have anything to do with it.  I put pesto on everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to pasta, so to my family pesto chicken was the next logical step.  The gooey cheese is also a major bonus.

This is the kind of meal I make when I get home late and have no idea what to cook.  It helps me feel more with it than I really am.  No one needs to know that I was, in fact, completely clueless as to what to make for dinner.  All they need to know is that dinner was delish!  By the way, this, this and this are some of my favorite busy night meals.  You can thank me later, like after you get home from your third night in a row of running to and from soccer games (baseball, dance class, music lesson, insert activity here) and now have something to make for dinner.

Baked Pesto Chicken
Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 375°.  Trim the chicken and cut into strips.  I cut mine lengthwise into about 3 strips.  Season with salt and pepper.

Spread half of the pesto into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.  Lay the chicken pieces over the pesto.  Spread the remaining pesto over the top of the chicken.  Cover and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove the cover and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  Bake 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted, then turn on the broiler and cook about 5 minutes more or until the cheese begins to brown.  Serve hot over rice.

Source:  Kalyn's Kitchen