We love and devour them so much on their own. But both of them together over some chicken, the green of pesto, the yellows and reds of tomatoes, contrasting with the white of mozzarella look like a colorful canvas on the plate. That’s a serious good old time in summer!! Seriously, when you think of it, nothing showcases summer as beautifully as pesto and bruschetta. On one hand, that fresh green basil plant growing prolifically in hot summer screams pesto to us all the time. On the other, those gorgeous heirloom cherry tomatoes are at their peak this time of the year. Result? Constant unlimited binging on spoonfuls of pesto and chopping those beautiful tomatoes for a fresh dose of bruschetta. It seem like we just can’t have enough of these two summery things. And why not? Both of them are extremely quick and easy to whip up, and are great munchers to have around. Aaaand then we thought, how about mixing them together in a meal? That’s when Pesto Bruschetta Chicken happens…
What is Pesto Bruscetta Chicken?
It’s mighty simple actually, if you have pesto and bruschetta toppings handy. It’s starts with perfectly baked chicken breast topped with decadently melted mozzarella. Then you scoop a big dollop of your favorite pesto on top. Follow that with a good bit of another favorite, colorful chopped tomatoes, and a nice sprinkling of nutty, buttery pine nuts. Your simple, humble, plain boring baked chicken breast can’t get more delicious and good looking than this. Any doubts? Oh, I almost forgot to mention, it’s keto bomb as it’s so low carb!
Here is what get next time in the market
For the chicken
Chicken – Chicken breasts kinda look good when plated out with toppings on them. In a pinch you can use boneless skinless thighs, though the baking time will vary.Fresh mozzarella ball – The whole round thing, which you make into good thick slices.Salt and pepper – to taste.
For the pesto
Fresh Basil Leaves – They are all over in farmer’s markets or in your local grocery store in summer time.Pine nuts – It’s pesto after all, so plenty.Parmesan cheeseLemon juiceGarlicFine sea saltExtra virgin olive oil
For the bruschetta topping
Cherry tomatoes – We are using the heirloom variety with beautiful colors, halved. You can also use your regular wine ripes tomatoes, sliced. GarlicSalt and pepper Olive oilLemon juiceBasil leaves – Cut into thin strips.More pine nuts – For garnishing.
How to make in easy steps
We will make the pesto first
How important is it to have home made pesto sauce for this dish? For us it’s very important, to the level of crucial. For you? It depends on your pesto love. If you can live with store bought and don’t have an extra five minutes to make your own, this can be done with jarred pesto. For me it’s worth the nuttiness, freshness and garlicky flavor I get from making my very own. It’s a blaze whipping this up in my chopper for me. All you need to do is quickly pulse basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, olive oil, salt and lemon juice in your grinder or food processor. Once it’s roughly and evenly chopped, start drizzling olive oil and pulse till your desired consistency. Easy!! For more detailed instructions and pictures, check out my 5-minute pesto!
Next the bruschetta topping
Halve the cherry tomatoes, finely chop garlic and mix along with salt, pepper, lemon juice, basil leaves strips and olive oil. EASY!! Toast some pine nuts lightly for garnishing. Don’t skip it, this really enhances the flavor. In a small ungreased pan over medium low heat, toss them a few minutes till lightly browned. Keep a very close eye on them, they can easily scorch.
Now the chicken breast
Start by butterflying the chicken breasts into evenly thick cutlets. They bake better and it’s easier to top them up with our bruschetta in the end. Alternately, you can pound them flat with a meat mallet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake them in preheated oven at 400°F in the middle rack position for 30-40 minutes, or till internal temperature measures 165°F with a meat thermometer. When the chicken is almost done baking, place a slice of mozzarella on each cutlet. Remove from the oven when the cheese is slightly melted but not dripping down the sides of the chicken too much.
Finally plate your dish
On a desired platter, place your chicken with melted mozzarella. Spread generously that delicious pesto on top of each cutlet and top off with a nice amount of your bruschetta. All that’s left is to sprinkle those pine nuts and voila… look at this Mediterranean BOMB of a dish!! Start out summer with some great clean, healthy food. But then again, this beautiful dish makes us forget that we are actually eating healthy. It’s that sinfully “healthy” deliciously good! Subscribe for some more gorgeous looking food coming your way all year round. Thank you!!
Pesto Bruschetta Chicken, on my Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try some of our other great chicken recipes!Crockpot Tuscan ChickenTrini Curry ChickenFilipino Chicken AsadoChicken ProvençalCrockpot Hawaiian ChickenMediterranean Braised ChickenTomato Basil ChickenKedjenou ChickenPollo Guisado
