It’s date night and I have a book due in a week! Ack!! Since we’re planning on a simple winter outing, but want to eat at home, I’m putting Lemon Balm Pesto Chicken on the grill!
This is an easy dish that can be adapted easily. Sometimes I add in lemon slices or sprinkle on some lemon pepper. I’ve also added minced garlic and lightly sautéed onions. The other great thing about this recipe is that all of the raw ingredients can be frozen in a freezer bag before hand and dumped into the crockpot as a frozen blob. Or, if you have leftovers, you can freeze those as well. You can also use frozen chicken breasts instead of fresh. If you do that though, I’d add two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil to make sure the chicken doesn’t dry out. Regardless of how you make it, it’s a perfect quick dish for a cold, winter night.
Lemon Balm Pesto Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3 chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Lemon Balm Pesto
- ¾ cup lemon balm leaves firmly packed
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon green onion
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped almonds
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic granules
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Lemon Balm Pesto
-
Wash and dry the lemon balm leaves. In a food processor, blend all the pesto ingredients together until smooth. If you need to make it thinner, add 1 extra teaspoon of oil at a time until you reach the desired consistence. Set aside.
Chicken
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Rub the olive oil on the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Brush the lemon balm pesto over the chicken breasts and grill the breasts until the internal temperature reaches 165℉. Keep brushing the pesto over the chicken as it cooks, and flip the breast over after the underside begins to brown. Serve immediately.
