I made this dinner a while back, and it was quite a success with my family. I didn’t expect my little one to enjoy the seed pesto, but he eagerly gobbled it up. My husband was happy to have a meal at home that was reminiscent of one you might find in a restaurant. I’d say this recipe for Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto is definitely a good way to dress up plain old chicken! It’s a bit of a chore to make, but if you like to cook and don’t mind all of the steps involved, I think you’ll be satisfied with the end result!
Ingredients needed:
pepitas extra virgin olive oil garlic jalapeños chicken broth leeks butternut squash salt and ground cumin cream chicken breasts white cheddar cheese unsalted butter all purpose flour
How to make Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto and Butternut Sauce:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post. The first step is toasting the pepitas in a hot skillet. Pepitas are hulled pumpkin seeds and can usually be found in Latin markets or in stores that sell things in bins- like Whole Foods or Sprouts.
Garlic and jalapeños are sautéed in olive oil and then chicken broth is added and reduced a bit. This mixture is then processed with the toasted pumpkin seeds to create a pumpkin seed paste (pesto). The sauce is then prepared. Leeks are sautéed in olive oil, and then butternut squash is added and all is simmered in chicken broth until softened. It’s then transferred to a food processor where cumin, salt and cream are added to transform it into a spiced up creamy sauce.
So now you’ve got your pumpkinseed pesto and the butternut sauce ready for finishing the recipe!
The chicken is pounded out until it’s quite thin (about 1/4 to 1/2-inch). The pumpkinseed pesto is spread onto each chicken breast and then topped with shredded white cheddar cheese.
The flattened out chicken is then folded in half, gently dredged in flour and pan-fried in a little bit of olive oil and butter on each side until browned and no longer pink.
I place the chicken on brown rice, top it with the butternut squash sauce and serve it with a side of sautéed zucchini. Enjoy!
Butternut Squash Recipes:
Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup Chicken and Butternut Squash Chili Butternut Squash Coconut Lobster Soup Baked Rice with Butternut Squash Butternut Squash Risotto with Rosemary and Blue Cheese
