Maybe I should rename this dinner the ‘Green Goddess Dinner.’ LOL 🙂 The Pesto Baked Chicken features a homemade cilantro pesto & fresh mozzarella cheese. It is breeze to whip together. The Green Bean Risotto does take a little time and attention, but risottos aren’t nearly as hard as many think that they are. You’ve got lots of green in both dishes and you will have a lot of happy faces at your dinner table when this one is served. Psst…they won’t think about all the green goodness in this one 😉
I made a homemade cilantro pesto for this dish, but you could make a more traditional basil pesto or any pesto that you like. You could also just buy store-bought pesto and it still will be fabulous!! Fresh mozzarella is a wonderful addition to a healthier meal that still has tons of taste!! (Hint: to make slicing it easier, pop it into the freezer for a few minutes before slicing.) A little bit of fresh mozzarella goes a long way and melts beautifully. It will look and taste like there is a WHOLE lot more cheese in this dish than there really is, only 4 oz. to be exact 😉
I know a lot of people that are scared to make risotto. They think it is too hard and complicated. Let me clear the air, IT ISN’T HARD!! You do have to babysit it for about 30 minutes and there is a lot of stirring involved, but it is sooo worth it! Creamy (without any cream) and delicious!! I took the convenience factor up a notch by using steam-in-bag fresh green beans. No snapping, no chopping, just toss them into the microwave according to the package directions and toss into the risotto.  Combo that goodness with the chicken and you have one AMAZING meal!! This whole meal comes together in an under an hour! Your family/guests will think that you slaved over a hot stove much longer when they try it, though 😉
Look at all that yumminess on one fork!! Open wide…
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 large bunch of fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp. pine nuts
- 2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Sea or himalayan pink salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tsp. garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 cup uncooked arborio rice or whole grain brown rice
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups no-sodium or reduced sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 12 oz. steam-in-bag fresh green beans (frozen is fine as well)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- Sea or himalayan pink salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- To make the pesto, start by chopping off the rough stems of the bunch of cilantro.
- Add the whole garlic cloves to a food processor and chop very finely. Scrap down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the cilantro, pine nuts and parmesan cheese and process thoroughly. Scrap down the sides of the bowl.
- Stream in the olive oil to achieve the desired consistency (thin enough to spread, but not so thin that the oil over powers the pesto). This makes approximately 1 cup of pesto. Set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Trim chicken of all visible fat.
- Spread ½ of the pesto in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange the chicken on top of the pesto and then top with remaining pesto.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken cooked through with no visible pink and juices run clear. Remove dish from the oven and switch the oven to broil.
- Top with slices of mozzarella cheese and return the dish to the oven.
- Cook for an additional 5 minutes (or less) or until the cheese is melted and just beginning to brown. Watch this process closely as it can burn quickly.
- While the chicken dish is in the oven, heat a 3 or 4 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once hot, add the onions and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.
- While the onion is cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in another saucepan.
- Add the wine to the first saucepan. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add a ladle of stock to the rice.
- Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1 ladle-full increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. This will also help to break down the rice and give it that creamy consistency. More stirring = creamier risotto.
- Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a ladle-full of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed.
- Place the green beans in the microwave and follow package instructions to cook. Set aside.
- Once the rice is tender and creamy & most of the broth has been been used (about 25 minutes unless using whole grain brown rice in place of the arborio, which takes longer to cook), gently stir in the parmesan cheese and the beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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