Alright, confession time. I am picky about my chicken recipes… especially when it comes to chicken breast. Why might you ask? Well, I am not one to be a picky eater, but a lot of times chicken breasts can be soooo dry. They can always be really chewy & just kind of there…. unless you really doctor it up. So a lot of times I choose to cook with chicken thigh because the dark meat makes it have a bit more taste. However, I have been determined to figure out how to make a kick ass chicken breast dish that I want to keep coming back for.
So that is when I decided to pull out two ingredients that normally don’t fail me 😉
1. Goat Cheese
2. HGHF Pesto
Needless to say when we put together these ingredients with a few others to stuff the chicken…. it become mouth watering, addicting & is the PERFECT consistency! We have had this so many times at home & we normally go through it so fast… I had yet to make a blog post of it! Finally, we were able to contain ourselves long enough to where I could take pictures hahah and FINALLY be able to share your new favorite sheet pan meal!
Let’s get to it!
Honest Grub, Honest Foodie Pesto:
This is the best pesto staple recipe– anytime you need it, make it in under 5 minutes.. skip the buying at the store! 6 ingredients.. yes ma’am!
1 cup freshly chopped basil
3 tbsp raw cashews
½ cup light olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt + fresh pepper to taste
** normally there is garlic in this pesto, however you will be adding garlic in the stuffing later so we omit right now.
Directions:
In a food processor combine all ingredients below. Make sure you cut the garlic clove in a couple pieces, then process until creamy! Should take about 3 minutes. You know it is done when you do not have any gritty pieces of cashews left. Then refrigerate.
Tips for cutting the chicken:
If you have ever tried cutting chicken before it is very hard to cut it when it is completely thawed out. It almost goes flat & is hard to control the portion you need.
+For this recipe you need your chicken be almost thawed out. However still a bit frozen to where it holds shape.
+So freeze the chicken breast. Take them out and let them thaw in fridge for 24 hours before using them. Take out and place on the counter for 1 hour before starting your dish.
+ Your chicken is safe to leave out that long. You do not want to leave your chicken out for longer than 2 hours. Leaving it out for that hour is perfect cutting for stuffing your chicken conditions.
Then it will slice perfecting, hold its shape when you start to stuff, as well as cook through perfectly in the oven.
Easy Sheet Pan Goat Cheese Pesto Chicken
Equipment
- sheet pan
- food processor
Ingredients
Honest Grub, Honest Foodie Pesto
- 1 cup basil chopped
- 3 tbsp cashews unsalted, raw
- 1/2 cup light olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Seasoning for Potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
Stuffed Chicken Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts bonless skinless
- 3 russet potatoes
- 3 ears of corn
- 5 oz goat cheese
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 2 cloves garlic
Instructions
Honest Grub, Honest Foodie Pesto
- In a food processor combine all ingredients below. Make sure you cut the garlic clove in a couple pieces, then process until creamy! Should take about 3 minutes. You know it is done when you do not have any gritty pieces of cashews left. Then refrigerate.
Easy Sheet Pan Goat Cheese Pesto Chicken
- Preheat oven to 425. Line half sheet baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Dice up potatoes in about 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces & place in a large bowl
- Toss in the olive oil, and potato seasoning from above ( salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper & pepper) then place in oven at 425 for 30 minutes.
- While potatoes are cooking you will work on the filling and chicken. In a medium sized bowl add in pesto, goat cheese, 2 cloves garlic minced and olive oil. With a hand mixer, mix until starting to get creamy and well incorporated about 2-3 minutes. Then set aside.
- Make sure to follow the cutting tips to make sure you are able to cut into these chickens to stuff perfectly. It is above the ingredients on the post. This is important to having it cut uniformly and stuff well. Then in a small bowl combine the : 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp onion flakes1/2 tsp dried tarragon, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne. Whisk with a fork, then sprinkle on the tops of the chicken breasts. Then flip and season the bottom. Then flip back to the top. Rub in seasoning with fingers
- Now you will take a very serrated knife and start to cut slits on the top part of the chicken breast about 1 inch in between each other as pictured. You DO NOT want to go all the way through the chicken breast. You want to go in about half way.
- Then take a small spoon & start stuff each slit. Use the back of the spoon to help push the slit open if needed to help get the stuffing in there.
- Once the potatoes have been in for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 400 degrees. Take potatoes out and make 4 spaces for your chicken breasts. Place chicken breast in the spaces. Bake in oven at 400 for 22-24 minutes.
- At 17 minutes, take baking sheet out & add the corn. Sprinkle with smoked paprkia, some olive oil, salt, pepper — whatever you'd like! Then place sheet bake in the oven for the remaining of the time.
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