This is a great dish, loaded with flavor and very easy to make. I fell in love with Basil and Pesto many years ago and I’m always looking for ways to incorporate either of them into any dish I make. I used to make my own Pesto and found I wasn’t having it nearly as often as I wanted to. It’s not that making Pesto is difficult or complicated, it’s about when basil is available, and when I have enough of the various ingredients in the house. So, after missing many opportunities to make the dishes I wanted, I searched high and low for an off-the-shelf product that would match my preferences in taste and ingredients in Pesto. There are some really good ones out there, but the one I finally settled on is from Costco. To me, it has a perfect balance of Olive Oil, Basil, Parmesan, Garlic and Pine Nuts. Pesto originated in Genoa, Italy. It’s found in many places around the world today, and the quality can vary quite a bit. The Costco brand uses Basil imported from Italy and I think it does deliver an authentic flavor. I usually buy 4 or 5 jars, they’re plastic, and I freeze them so I can replenish when I empty a jar.
It takes very little time to prepare and make this dish. In this recipe, I cook the chicken in our air-fryer. It cooks very quickly without drying the chicken out. Chicken breasts can dry out, become rubbery or chewy if you’re not careful. You can also cook the chicken in a frying pan, on the stove top and of course, you can cook it in a conventional oven. There’s nothing complicated about this recipe and it’s so simple, you can try different methods until you find what works best for you. This recipe is for two, but is very easy to scale up or down.
Prep time: 15 minutes – Cook time: 10 to 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 – Glass of wine for the Chef, Chef’s choice
2 – Large chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1 – Plum tomato
Pesto
2 or 3 – Slices Swiss cheese
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Angel Hair Pasta
Making The Magic
Preheat your oven to 375°. Preheat your skillet or frying pan to medium, if you cook the chicken on the stove top. The oil should be hot when you place the chicken in the pan.
Put a pot of water on the stove for your pasta. Most folks, including myself for years, used too much water to cook the pasta. Use a stock pot or sauce pot, large enough for the pasta and fill about half way with water. Add plenty of salt and start warming the water. You want it to come to a boil just when you are flipping the chicken.
Slice your tomatoes, lengthwise. You should be able to get 4 slices out of the tomato.
Pat the chicken breasts dry. Butterfly the breasts so you have 4 pieces. Set the “underside” pieces aside for another recipe. Coat and rub both sides of the “topside” pieces, the pieces with the smooth side, with Olive Oil. Salt and Pepper to taste.
Cook the chicken in a pre-heated oven, or skillet. 375° in the oven, for 5 minutes. Medium heat on the stove, about 7 minutes.
Half way through the total cooking time, flip the chicken.
Cook for another 5 minutes, 7 if you are cooking stovetop. When you have about two minutes left, spoon some pesto over each chicken breast. Layer the sliced tomatoes over the pesto. Layer the cheese slices on top. Finish cooking.
We love serving this with Angel Hair pasta and Pesto. While your chicken is cooking, bring the water in your pot up to boil. Drop the Angel Hair pasta in the water with about 4 minutes left on the chicken. Al Dente Angel hair pasta takes about 3 minutes. I usually cook it for about 3 1/2 minutes. Drain it when it finished.
Plate your finished dish and enjoy!
Variations To Keep It New
You can also sprinkle some Romano or Parmesan Cheese over the Swiss cheese and turn the broiler on for a minute or two, just enough to start browning the cheese.
Adding a strip or two of cooked bacon, on top of the pesto, under the tomatoes, is incredible.
Wines We Love With This
Frescati
Chardonnay
Pinot Grigio
Sauvignon Blanc
Leftovers
This chicken is absolutely delicious with scrambled eggs, especially if you do the variation with the bacon!
Great meals don’t have to be complicated, they just have to be made with love!
Question
Do you have a favorite Pesto, either off-the-shelf or home made?
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Hi! We just had this again tonight. Delicious!!
I love this recipe…now it’s out to the store to buy the ingredients, especially the Basil Pesto you recommend. Thanks for sharing Mike. Your recipe descriptions and photos are very helpful.
If I only lived closer I would be totally available to “test” your recipes, ANY time.