Pesto Chicken

My tiny little garden is hobbling along--I really have never had a green thumb, but I am trying. This chicken boasts my own basil and my cherry tomatoes. Can't claim the olives or the zucchini. Maybe you master gardeners can explain the extraordinary abundance of male squash blossoms verses the few and far between female blossoms. I know I never managed to birth a girl child, but I somehow thought the squash plant would be different. So far none of the female blossoms have held on long enough to produce. I even helped the fertilization process along one day. Squash hanky-panky still didn't do the trick. If we had to live off my garden, my clan would be very thin!

This dish, however, does not require too many horticultural skills. I gave you the instructions for the Sunflower Basil Pesto already. The rest is sooo easy. I even baked our chicken in the toaster oven to keep from heating up the kitchen. It is over 100 degrees this afternoon. Yuck for the weather. Yum for the chicken.

Pesto Chicken

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast or tenders
1/3 cup pesto
4-6 cherry or grape tomatoes
olives and zucchini according to your preference
2 tablespoons feta cheese

Bake the chicken for about ten minutes at 325 with only a sprinkle of salt. Then remove the chicken from the oven and coat it with the pesto sauce. Arrange vegetables around the poultry and sprinkle feta cheese over all. Bake until juices run clear, about 15-20 minutes more. My toaster oven had a bit of a tough time getting up to speed, so you may need to add or subtract from these cooking times.

This recipe is very nice. I cut up my four ripe tomatoes so they would go farther, but you can leave them whole. I love the way the juices pop in the mouth. Although I am not a big tomato eater when they are fresh, I adore them sauteed with olive oil and basil. This is the same flavor. If you don't have any of your own pesto, buy a jar from the grocery. Even if it is pricey, it is worth it!