If you’re anything like me, I'm always looking for ways to keep things simple in the kitchen and this recipe is no exception. Using minimal ingredients and a simple cooking technique, this will be a quick fix any day of the week.

This recipe for my Poached Pesto Romano Chicken recipe made my night easy, turning out moist, delicious and aromatic, that every nose that came in contact with it wanted to know what it was! :) That should give you a clue as to how delicious this recipe tastes just by its aroma! Basil Pesto is a huge favorite in my household as many of its diners are Italian who grew up with this aromatic herb in many dishes.

All you need are boneless and skinless chicken breasts, a few cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, organic chicken stock, Pecorino Romano/Parmesan grated cheese and ready-made basil pesto (or homemade.) The only work here is slicing the chicken breasts into strips. And, whatever you decide to serve it with is up to you.

I served mine with roasted potatoes and yellow corn, sauteed with some sliced black forest ham. Rice would be a great side for this dish as you can use up the remaining stock from the chicken to cook the rice - making a plain side tastier!




Ingredients

2 lbs. chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)
2 tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 quart Organic chicken stock or broth
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup (or more) prepared basil pesto + 1/2 - 1 cup stock
1/4 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese (grated)

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. If the chicken breasts you purchase are huge, then cut them in half lengthways and then slice them into 1 inch strips. Place the strips into a large bowl and coat with the olive oil. Then, sprinkle with salt and pepper to coat well.

2. In a large casserole dish, add half of the chicken stock or broth. Thinly slice the garlic cloves and add these to the stock. Place the chicken strips in the stock and add more stock if necessary.

NOTE: the stock should not entirely cover the chicken – it should come halfway so that the chicken is exposed - then cover with foil. Poach in the oven for 20 minutes basting once after 15 minutes. Uncover and cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the chicken cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl add approximately 1 cup of the hot stock from the casserole dish and combine with the pesto mixing well. Add the chicken strips to the pesto sauce and mix together thoroughly. Serve with a sprinkle of Romano or Parmesan cheese.

If you like more pesto, feel free to adjust the quantity along with the stock.

Feel free to check out my sister site on the link below , where you can find tons of wonderful recipes and ideas.