I’ve posted a lot of pesto shit lately. So , I might as well share another favorite. Think chicken smothered in creamy homemade basil pesto then grilled. It’s bomb!
And it’s simple. Chicken + pesto + a grill. That’s it. I typically bbq about 4-6 chicken breasts at a time and make lunches and dinners for the week. We love chicken. And we love pesto.
I bet everyone has their go-to recipe for pesto? I seriously google pesto recipe every single time. It never turns out the same. Too thick. Too runny. Too much basil. Way too much salt.
I FINALLY perfected my pesto game. It’s unbelievably easy to make, once you have the right recipe. And obvi I’m going to share it with my favorite peeps!
Fresh, homemade basil pesto is my easy go-to marinade for grilled meats. 7 ingredients in this flavor-packed recipe.
The consistency is everything to me. Just the right amount for this grilled pesto chicken recipe too. Once you make homemade pesto, you kind of become a pesto snob. Like, you wouldn’t even consider buying store-bought crap again. Nothing beats the color + flavor + smell and your mixing up a batch.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (almonds + walnuts work great too)
- 2 cups basil leaves, packed (2 small grocery store packages)
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup olive oil (Seka Hills preferably)
- pinch of salt
- squeeze of fresh lemon
First off, I like to toast my pine nuts for pesto. It takes just a couple of minutes….so please don’t skip this step. I truly believe this enhances the flavor and makes this recipe perfection.
Heat a a pan over medium high heat. Lightly toast pine nuts until golden. Giving the pan an occasional shake.
Place pine nuts + basil + garlic + parmesan + lemon in your food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Scrap down the sides of the food processor with a spatula if needed.
With the food processor running, slowly add olive oil. Sprinkle with salt at the very end.
This is what the finished product should look like.
It’s beautiful, right? I dare you not to taste it!!!
Any leftovers can be stored in a mason jar in the fridge for a week. Or pop in the freezer for up to 3 months. But, if you’re like me – there will be NO leftovers.
The options for pesto are endless….
smeared over toast (try it)
rubbed on veggies
sandwich spread
dip
over noodles
smothered over grilled anything, really.
Now that we have the pesto recipe down….let’s chat about the Grilled Pesto Chicken.
TWO ingredients!
- chicken breasts
- pesto
Using a spoon, smother about 2 tablespoons of pesto on each chicken breast.
Grill until cooked completely cooked through. I use the 8 minutes rule. And it works like a charm every time. 8 minutes. Flip. 8 more minutes. Done!
While still warm, spoon additional pesto over chicken and serve.
That’s it!
We served our grilled pesto chicken along side a green salad + roast carrots. I have to give my sou chef, Bailey some credit. She prepared the carrots and the salad while I grilled the chicken. We make a helluva team in the kitchen nowadays 🙂
Give it a shot and let me know what you think!!
xoxo stacyb
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