Easy Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe

1 Pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 Large bunches of fresh basil

2 Garlic cloves

1/2 Cup pine nuts

1/3 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

2/3 Cup olive oil

2 Teaspoons salt

1/8 Teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 Teaspoon onion powder

Non-stick spray

Preheat oven on bake to 350 degrees with the rack in the center position. Rinse basil and remove the leaves and put them in your food processor. (Note: People who are really good with a knife can finely mince these ingredients by hand.) Once all the leaves are in the processor bowl, give it a quick pulse (alternate chop and grind) to slightly compact the leaves.

Mince or crush the garlic cloves into the food processor bowl, then add pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and salt. Put the cover on the food processor and pulse between chop and grind until it’s mixed to your taste. There should be some grit to the pesto, so don’t make it super smooth. Taste it with a clean spoon and decide if you want to add more of any of the ingredients. You can thin it out with more oil if you like, too.

Spray pan or baking dish with non-stick spray. Rinse chicken breasts and place evenly spaced in pan or baking dish. Sprinkle salt, garlic powder and onion powder on the chicken breasts. Then spoon and spread pesto on top of each of them.

Bake for around 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Thicker chicken breasts may require up to 50 minutes.