Pesto Baked Chicken ( & Pesto Recipe)

Um, yeah, delicious.

Pesto Baked Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. + 1 T. prepared pesto*
1 1/2 t. sour cream
1 1/2 t. mayonnaise
2 T. shredded parmesan cheese
2 T. pine nuts or walnuts

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking dish.  Combine pesto, sour cream and mayo in a small bowl.  Brush over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and nuts. Bake 15-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

*Costco sells a great pesto, or I have included a good recipe for pesto below.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pesto

1/4 c. walnuts
1/4 c. pine nuts
5 c. basil, packed
3 T. minced garlic (about 9 cloves)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. parmesan cheese

In blender combine nuts and garlic. Add the basil, salt and pepper. With blender still running, add the oil followed by the parmesan cheese.

This makes 4 cups. You could half the recipe if you don't want that much, but I like to make it and freeze it in ice cube trays. When frozen I pop them out and keep them in bags in the freezer, and just defrost as needed. They last quite a while since a little pesto goes a long way (thanks for the ice cube idea Lisa!).