Panko and Pesto Coated Chicken Breasts Recipe
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- olive oil spray or bottled
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 chicken breasts boneless and skinless, rinsed and dried
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. The Hello Fresh recipe suggests 450°F, but I prefer to roast at 400°F for a little longer to prevent the coating from burning and it gives me a little more control over time and temperature.Saying that, I always recommend you determine chicken doneness using an instant thermometer and use time and temperature as only a guideline.
- Combine the panko breadcrumbs with the mozzarella in a small bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper, then add a drizzle of olive oil and combine all the ingredients. If you need a little more olive oil to help combine the ingredients, add a little at at a time.
- Lightly coat a baking pan with a little spray olive oil or bottled oil. Transfer the chicken breasts onto the baking pan.
- Spoon and spread a couple of tablespoons of pesto onto each chicken breast. I used my hands to press the panko/mozzarella mixture on top of the pesto. Make a nice even layer to cover the entire top of the chicken breast.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until the center is no longer pink. Government food safety sites will tell you to cook chicken breasts to 165°F in the center but I think at that point the chicken is overcooked. I prefer to cook chicken breasts to 155°F.
Notes
We served the Hello Fresh meal with roasted potatoes and a green salad but you can serve these incredible crusted chicken breasts with your favorite vegetables and starches.