Creamy pesto chicken with roasted tomatoes

basil leaf basil leaves breadcrumb breadcrumbs chicken breast chicken breasts chicken kiev chicken recipes family food food for friends homemade pesto mascarpone olive oil one-pot pesto pesto chicken pine nut pine nuts stuffed chicken breasts tomato tomatoes

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Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 tbsp Homemade pesto (see the recipe in tip section below)

85g mascarpone

4 tbsp olive oil

100g breadcrumb, preferably from day-old bread

175g baby tomatoes, on the vine

handful pine nuts

handful basil leaves

Method

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Use a small sharp knife to make a slit along the side of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Mix together the pesto and mascarpone, then carefully spoon a quarter of the mixture into each chicken breast and smooth over the opening to seal.

Brush a little oil, about 1 tsp, all over each chicken breast and season well. Tip the breadcrumbs onto a large plate and season. Place each breast on the plate and press all over with the breadcrumbs. Place in a lightly oiled shallow baking dish along with the tomatoes (kept together on the vine in a couple of bunches). Drizzle over the remaining oil.

Cook in the oven for 20-25 mins until the chicken starts to turn golden and is cooked through. Scatter over the pine nuts and cook for 2 mins more. Sprinkle with basil leaves and serve with new potatoes or crusty bread.