Lemon Pesto Baked Chicken Food

LIGHT LEMON PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti at a boil until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain. Transfer spaghetti to a large bowl.
• Put cubed Romano cheese in the bowl of a food processor; process until coarsely grated, about 30 seconds. Put garlic into the food processor and process until the cheese and garlic are combined. Add spinach, basil, walnuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt; process until the mixture comes together into a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• With food processor running, drizzle olive oil into the mixture. Continue processing until the oil is integrated smoothly.
• Pour sauce over spaghetti and toss to coat.

LEMON PESTO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Roll lemons on cutting board to activate juices. Squeeze juice from two lemons, should be approximately 1/4 cup lemon juice.
• Whisk pesto, lemon juice and black pepper.
• Place chicken in marinade (be sure it is thoroughly coated), cover, and refrigerate for 2 -24 hours. Remove from refrigeration.
• To bake: Pour marinade and chicken into glass baking dish. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165.
• To slow cook: Pour marinade and chicken into slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours.
• To grill: Place chicken breast cutlets on grill over low heat. Grill 5-6 minutes on each side, brushing with marinade after turning.

CHICKEN AND PASTA WITH LEMON PESTO

Steps:

• Enjoy.

LEMON ARTICHOKE PESTO

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients in a food processor, except for the olive oil.
• While the processor is on high speed, add the olive oil in a steady stream.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust ingredients as desired.
• Store in airtight container in refrigerator, or freeze.

PESTO AND LEMON GRILLED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine all together in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid, or a sturdy zip lock bag, or a non-metallic bowl. This will make about 2 1/2 cups.
• Before adding your protein or veggies, save back about 1/2 of the marinade to baste while cooking, or reserve to top after your dish is plated. You'll probably have enough to use for another purpose (use on pasta, pizza, etc).
• In the remaining marinade, add your protein or vegetable of choice and let rest for the recommended length of time: chicken about 1-2 hours, seafood, and fish no longer than 30 min, veggies 30 min, firm tofu (pressed dry) 1 hour, and beef 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Grill until cooked through, set aside, and let rest, then slice and spoon or brush with reserved marinade.

HOW TO MAKE LEMON PESTO

Steps:

• Add all ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender
• Pulse 20-30 seconds, stopping and scraping down the sides in between pulses
• If it's too thick, add a little more EVOO to your desired texture
• Texture should be smooth and not pasty

BAKED PESTO PARMESAN CHICKEN WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Line a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with foil and then lightly grease the foil.
• Trim excess fat and remove the skin from the chicken, if desired. Sprinkle the chicken pieces lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and place in the prepared pan.
• Combine the pesto, garlic, and lemon juice; rub the mixture evenly over the chicken pieces. Cover the pan tightly with foil and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Heat the oven to 375 F.
• Remove the foil and drizzle the chicken breasts lightly with olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until chicken is cooked. Juices will run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. The minimum safe temperature for chicken is 165 F (USDA Guidelines).
• Sprinkle with shredded or grated Parmesan cheese and continue baking for about 2 to 3 minutes longer. Optional Homemade Pesto
• Combine 2 cups of fresh basil leaves and about 1/3 cup of pine nuts in a food processor. Pulse 5 to 7 times to chop the basil finely. Add 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic and pulse 4 or 5 times more. With the processor running, add 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream. Transfer the pesto to a bowl. Taste and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, as desired.
• Store fresh pesto in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for about 1 week. If you won't be using the pesto right away. A thin layer of olive oil drizzled over the pesto will keep it looking fresh and bright.
• Freeze homemade pesto -- without the cheese -- in an airtight freezer bag or container for up to 6 months. Add the cheese before using.
• Spinach and Basil Pesto - Follow the recipe above, but use half spinach leaves and half basil leaves.

LEMON PESTO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place deep non-stick skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.
• When oil is just hot, don't let it smoke, add boneless skinless chicken breast strips, turning a couple of times and cook 6 to 8 minutes until done.
• In same skillet, add the soy milk and creamy pesto seasoning mix, stir until seasoning mix is blended inches
• Add the lemon juice and artichoke hearts.
• Let simmer over low heat about 5 minutes.
• Serve over the hot fettuccini noodles.

SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON PESTO

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler (preferably a Y-style peeler), remove the zest from the lemons in long, wide strips; try to remove only the colored portion of the peel, not the bitter white pith just underneath. You should have about ⅔ cup zest strips.
• In a large pot, combine 2 quarts water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar and half of the zest strips. Bring to a boil and to cook for 2 minutes, then remove and discard the zest. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the remaining zest strips, the almonds, Parmesan, the remaining ½ teaspoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Process until the mixture resembles coarse sand, 10 to 20 seconds. Add the oil and process just until the oil is incorporated (the mixture will not be smooth), about another 10 seconds; set aside until the pasta is ready.
• To the spaghetti in the pot, add the pesto and ¾ cup of the reserved pasta water, then toss to combine; add more reserved pasta water as needed so the pesto coats the noodles. Toss in the chives. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with additional oil and with additional grated Parmesan on the side.

LEMON PESTO BAKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken, pesto and lemon juice into a large zip tight freezer bag.
• Remove air from bag and close.
• With your hands massage bag to combine chicken, pesto and lemon juice. Set aside.
• Load cheese into a small freezer safe zip top bag. Squeeze out air and close.
• (This is an optional step to keep everything together). Take another large zip tight freezer bag and place both the chicken and the cheese bags inside. Remove air and close.
• Label outer bag using a permanent marker with contents, date assembled and cooking instructions.
• Freeze.
• Remove contents from outer bag.
• Place cheese bag in the refrigerator.
• In the refrigerator thaw bag of Lemon Pesto Chicken over night.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• When thawed place Lemon Pesto Chicken into a 9x13-inch casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, covered.
• Remove foil and sprinkle cheese on the top of the chicken.
• Bake for 5 minutes.
• Turn broiler on high and broil for 5 minutes.
• Serve over pasta.