Chicken pesto with mashed potatoes & broccoli

Our chicken pesto is not about using pesto as the primary ingredient but as that additional special addition to make this fairly healthy dish amazing. This chicken pesto is not only about the chicken but also related to the sides – where some easy mashed potatoes and some steamed broccoli.

tl;dr: pan sear the chicken, bake the potatoes and steam the broccoli. In the same chicken pan, add a tablespoon of pesto sauce, a bit of milk, and boil.

Ingredients for two:

1. One chicken or turkey breast
2. A tablespoon of pesto sauce
3. 250gr of potatoes
4. 1 broccoli head
5. Salt, pepper and olive oil
6. A bit of milk and a bit of butter to finish

The chicken pesto recipe

For the potatoes:

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water till they are easily poked with a fork
2. Remove them from the water and peel them. I like my potatoes silky that’s why I peel them, but that is not necessarily important.
3. Mash the potatoes and add a bit of milk and butter.
4. Add salt and pepper to it to taste.

For the broccoli:

1. In a pot with boiling water, add the chopped broccoli head
2. cook them for 5 minutes
3. It is imperative to cook them in boiling water so that they retain their colour.

For the chicken:

1. Butterfly the chicken breasts and cut it in the middle. It’s easier to handle and easier to cook. Marinate it and put it between plastic wrap so you can tenderize it with something like a meat tenderizer. We are looking for an even fillet so it cooks easily.
2. In a hot pan add oil and add the chicken. Depending on the thickness of the chicken it should take around 3-4 minutes each side. My general recommendation is that when you flip the chicken, you should lower the heat to medium and cover the pan. It will make of a moister chicken.
3. Remove them from the pan and lower the heat even more – to low preferably. At this point add the pesto and the milk and bring to boil.
4. Remove from heat and add the butter and mix.
5. Depending on the type of person that you are, you can either soak the chicken in the sauce OR throw it on top

For the plate:

1. Put a bed of mashed potatoes.
2. Add the chicken on top
3. Add a couple of broccoli steams
4. Top everything off with the sauce

See? Easy right?

Check out my youtube channel for more and this amazing salmon pasta for another easy dinner idea.