Spinach Pesto Baked Chicken Recipes

SPINACH-PESTO SPIRAL CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness., In a food processor, combine spinach, basil, garlic, oil, cheese, walnuts and broth. Cover and process until blended. Stir in tomatoes, artichoke hearts, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Spread over chicken. Starting at a short side, roll up and secure with toothpicks. , Place in two greased 11x7-in. baking dishes, seam side down. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Discard toothpicks before serving.

SPINACH PESTO BAKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place chicken flat in the bottom of a baking dish and spread 1-2 tbsp pesto on top of each chicken breast.
• Layer spinach on top of the pesto, then place the tomatoes and artichoke hearts on top of the spinach.
• Cover the top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake on lower middle rack for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (165˚F internal temperature.) Serve warm. Enjoy!

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SPINACH AND PINE NUT PESTO

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan on medium high heat. Lightly oil the grill pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
• Combine the spinach, pine nuts, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a processor. Lightly pulse. With the machine running, gradually add 1/3 cup of the oil, blending until the mixture is creamy. Add salt and pulse. Put half of the pesto into ice cube trays and store in the freezer for future use.
• Transfer the rest of the spinach mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the Parmesan. Season the pesto with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Spread the pesto over each piece of chicken and serve.

SPINACH PESTO CHICKEN ROLLS

Steps:

• Place frozen chopped spinach in microwave-safe bowl with water. Cook in microwave until hot, 6 to 7 minutes; cool until easily handled. Squeeze spinach to extract liquid. Combine spinach, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, parsley, garlic, basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor; puree until smooth.
• Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; pound each breast using a meat mallet until flattened. Remove plastic wrap; sprinkle breasts with salt and pepper. Spread spinach mixture on each breast, top with Monterey Jack cheese strips, roll chicken, and secure with toothpicks. Dip each chicken roll in melted butter; coat thoroughly with bread crumbs. Place chicken rolls side by side in an 8-inch microwave-safe baking dish with seam-side down. Cover dish with plastic wrap, leaving 1/2 inch of one side uncovered to vent steam.
• Cook chicken rolls in microwave until juices run clear and chicken is firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

SPINACH PESTO CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Mix the spinach and pesto together in a bowl; spread half the mixture into the bottom of a glass baking dish. Place the chicken breasts onto the spinach mixture; top with the rest of the mixture. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has begun to melt and brown, about 15 minutes.

SPINACH PESTO PASTA WITH CHICKEN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, pulse 2 cups spinach, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon each olive oil and nuts, the lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes in a food processor until smooth. Scrape down the sides; add the parmesan and pulse until smooth. Set the pesto aside.
• Form the sausage into nickel-size patties, about 1/2 inch thick. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip, add the garlic to the skillet and cook until the patties are just cooked through, about 2 more minutes.
• Add the pasta, pesto and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water to the skillet. Toss to coat, adding more cooking water as needed; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining 2 cups spinach. Top with parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon nuts; drizzle with olive oil.