This Italian chicken with Pesto potatoes dish is a real mouthful. It is the definition of hardy fare and will leave you stuffed and in need of a nap if you’re not careful. While it’s filling, it is also delicious and extremely flavorful. The roasted potatoes seem to literally absorb the Pesto and are exactly what you want to eat with Italian chicken. Complete your meal by serving it with a glass of your favorite red wine and enjoy the experience of in home fine dining.
Health Benefits
Lately, it is pretty common to view all starches as bad things. People tend to favor high protein and fiber diets with a focus on carb reduction. While that is great, one should not completely ignore certain foods like potatoes. Potatoes can improve digestion, maximize heart health, protect your body from developing polys, reduce cholesterol levels, and increase blood circulation. There’s a reason why it’s such an old domesticated vegetable; it just does the body good to eat some potatoes now and then.
Ingredients
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 chicken breast halves – skinless and boneless
4 1/2 oz mozzarella cheese – sliced
4 slices Parma ham
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb small potatoes
2 tbsp prepared basil pesto
salt and pepper to taste
How To Make Italian Chicken with Pesto Potatoes recipe
- Preheat the oven to 400°
- In a saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and let the vinegar simmer for 15 minutes.
Note: Stir the mixture frequently until it thickens.
- Cut a pocket in each chicken breast.
- Fill each pocket with equal amounts of mozzarella cheese then season with salt and pepper.
- Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of ham.
- Arrange the wrapped chicken breasts in a baking dish.
- Place the tomatoes around the chicken, sprinkle everything with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
- Bake 25 mins in the preheated oven, or until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.
- Boil the potatoes for 15 mins in a saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover the chicken.
- Drain the pan and coat the potatoes with the pesto.
- Place chicken breasts, tomatoes, and potatoes on serving plates, and drizzle the reduced balsamic vinegar over them.
- Serve and enjoy!
Trivia
Did you know pesto originated in Liguria Italy?