Pesto Chicken With Roasted Tomatoes
My husband is in Italy for a month before I arrive there myself, so I am home in Florida alone. The temperatures are still in the nineties, so getting motivated to cook for myself is often tricky. When I do cook, I make enough for a couple of meals, allowing me to cook just a few times a week. I will be heading to Italy in just a few weeks, though, and we’ll have family staying with us, so I’ll get to cook for a group soon!
I love chicken, and I prepare it at home often. One of my favorite ways to make it is my Breaded Cutlets With Tomatoes and Arugula. Although I could eat this dish weekly, and often do, there are times when I am in the mood to change things up. I recently bought a jar of pesto from Costco, and I do love their pesto! I spread some on my baked cutlets and then melted on some mozzarella. I roasted up some sweet cherry tomatoes to serve alongside and had a delicious chicken dish for dinner.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele

Pesto Chicken With Roasted Tomatoes
Tasty crisp, golden chicken cutlets are topped with a zesty pesto sauce and creamy mozzarella cheese.
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Stale Bread Cubes
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Grated Zest and 1 Teaspoon Juice From 1 Lemon
- 1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Chopped Hot Red Chile Pepper (Optional)
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley Leaves
- 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/3 Cup Pine Nuts
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Whole Milk
- 2 Chicken Breasts, Sliced in Half Lengthwise, About 1 1/2 to 2 Pounds Total Weight, Pounded to 1/2-inch Thickness
- 7 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Divided
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Cup Basil Pesto
- 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella
Instructions
- For the cutlets, place the bread cubes, lemon zest, chile pepper, parsley, grated cheese, salt and pepper in the food processor, and pulse until finely blended.
- Add the pine nuts and pulse just until the nuts are coarsely chopped and dump mixture into a shallow bowl.
- Beat the eggs in a separate shallow bowl with the milk.
- Working 1 cutlet at a time, dip into the egg mixture, then the breadcrumbs pressing down with your fingertips to help the crumbs adhere.
- Place the breaded cutlets on a baking sheet, and refrigerate the for 1 hour to allow the crumb coating to set.
- Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 400° F. While the oven preheats, set cutlet tray at room temperature.
- Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil, and divide the butter and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil between each.
- Place the trays into the oven until the butter is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Divide the chicken cutlets between the two trays and bake until golden brown on the bottom, about 15 minutes.
- Place the cherry tomatoes in an oven proof casserole dish with the remaining olive oil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Turn the cutlets over, return to the oven and cook until golden brown on second side, 10 to 12 minutes longer.
- When you turn over the cutlets, place the casserole with the tomatoes in the oven.
- Remove the cutlets from the oven, and divide the pesto between each cutlet, then smooth over each cutlet.
- Cover the pesto with the mozzarella, then return the cutlets to the oven.
- Bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
- Serve the cutlets on a platter with the roasted tomatoes alongside.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1143Total Fat: 92gSaturated Fat: 25gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 59gCholesterol: 224mgSodium: 1223mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 47g