Simple Baked Chicken Pesto Bites
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Simple Baked Chicken Pesto Bites
Recipe and giveaway at the bottom of the page.
Chad and I attended Blended 2012 in Phoenix this January (our first blogging conference) is was a lovely get together and a fabulous way to meet others with the same passion as us and get to know some really great brands. There were a lot of door prizes and 2 HUGE swag bags full of goodies that we got to take home. One door prize that I had my eye on was a cooler of 11 organic herbs and spices.
Seriously, I use herbs like crazy. I eat them so often that I actually eat them to death {{sob}}. Needless to say neither Chad nor I were the lucky winner of that prize. {{drats!}} Well much to my surprise I was contacted by Gourmet Garden a few days later. They wanted to ship me that cooler! REALLY??!?! OK. So 2 days later I received that very cold cooler VIA Fed Ex with 11 impressive herbs and spices inside.
It was really like Christmas. Like any excited 8 year old I had completely researched Gourmet Garden and knew all about them, their process and the herbs and spices I was going to be receiving. {{Obsess much? Nah, not me!}} A company that prides itself on convenient Organic products without sacrificing quality… Sounds like a match made in heaven for TSRI. We work hard to bring you simple meals; making meals fast and easy using real ingredients.
Well I used these fabulous herbs and spices in just about every dish you can imagine. Crock pot dishes, skillets, pasta bakes, salad dressings, beverages (what? Yep!) and so much more. I even made pesto with the Gourmet Garden Basil. Seriously. Have you ever tried to find basil in February? Well, that is how these Simple Baked Chicken Pesto Bites came to be. A readily available supply of scrumptious pesto from my fridge and a family clamoring for the next best chicken nugget.
I created a fabulous basil dipping sauce with Gourrmet Garden Basil and Garlic then quickly infused the dipping sauce into the chicken, breaded it, baked it and DEVOURED it! Oh.my.word!! This is incredible. Moist, flavorful and yummy on the inside. Perfectly crispy and delicious on the outside. Even Chad was blown away… and my picky 3 year old is NUTS for these ‘presto nuggets and presto dippin’ sauce’. Can hardly beat that… Except I served them with cheesy broccoli and she ate every last bite. SCORE!
So, needless to say when Gourmet Garden asked if we would like to share their products with you it was a no brainer. I am hooked! In a world where convenience is king and quality reins supreme is it nearly a miracle to find a company that can bring you both.
I am so excited to announce that we will be giving away a Gourmet Garden cooler packed with 11 fabulous herbs and spices delivered straight to your door! Really. Fed Ex will show up with a cold cooler full of these fantastic herbs and spices.
They last for 3 months in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer, you can’t beat that with a stick. So, I suggest that you scroll down to the Rafflecopter widget (at the bottom of the page) and enter this giveaway. Really. Hurry!
Sadly, I can not give everyone a cooler. However… You can find these magnificent product right in the produce department of your local super center. Score! Found mine at Wal-Mart right next to the parsley bunches.
Dinner’s Ready!
With love from our kitchen table to yours! XO
Simple Baked Pesto Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup Gourmet Garden Basil, or 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves only
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for spraying/drizzling, extra virgin
- 1 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Garlic, or 1-2 cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground, divided
- 1 cup corn flakes, crushed
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- To create pesto sauce: Combine sour cream, basil, almonds, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a food processor or blender. Blend until mostly smooth. Reserve 1 cup in a small serving bowl. Pour remaining pesto into a medium size bowl.
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Place chicken into pesto stir to coat chicken completely. Set aside.
- In a medium size mixing bowl combine bread crumbs, corn flakes 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix to combine.
- Prepare baking sheet by covering in aluminum foil and spraying with olive oil. Use an oil mister or drizzle oil over pan. Set aside.
- One piece at a time place chicken into bread crumb mixture. Toss to coat and gently pat crumbs onto chicken. Place chicken on baking sheet and repeat until all chicken is breaded.
- Spray chicken with olive oil mister (propellant free) or drizzle very lightly with oil. Bake for 12-15 minutes until chicken is golden brown.
- Serve with remaining pesto sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
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One winner will receive a soft sided cooler with 11 Gourmet Garden Herbs and Spices delivered to your door. Enter below VIA Rafflecopter. Only open to residents of the USA. Entries closed at 11:55pm PST 4/11/13. Winner will be posted on 4/12/13.
6 Chances to Win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
GIVEAWAY CLOSED
I have been enjoying your recipes for the last week or so, and love how well written your posts and recipes are. Yes, I would love to win the herbs, but if I don't that's ok too…I can still get enjoyment out of all the wonderful recipes here!
I haven't tried these yet, but I'm a big fan of garlic and basil.
It would be so exciting to win something I could actually love!
What a great prize thighs would be to win! Love, love, love organic herbs.
I haven't tried any of the Gourmet herbs yet, but will be looking for them the next time i go shopping!
Hav'nt tried them yet, but I love fresh basil!
I like most any herb, but am especially fond of garlic & dill (oh, and basil, too)
Looks and sounds so delicious. I am going to have to try. I love using gourmet herbs. Adds so much flavor.
I love ginger! I use it all the time!
I will be on the lookout for these spices in the store. I'm always wasting fresh spices.
I think I would like the garlic.
I love most herbs… but if I had to choose one or two… It would be garlic and basil.
I've seen these herbs but never tried them. I'll have to look for them.
I love garlic and dill!
basil…love the smell and taste.
I love the Basil 🙂
I have never heard of them but will be looking in stores now
Trying to eat healthier and trying different herbs. This would be great to get us going.
My favorite Gourmet Garden herb is cilantro
bjn1957{at}gmail{dot}com
Gourmet Garden favorite is Garlic
We love Pesto. We love homemade chicken nuggets. Nuggets with Pesto? The perfect combination!
My favorite Gourmet Garden herb is definitely the Garlic!!
Love Oregano!! & Garlic!!
Love the Oregano & Garlic
I love ginger and basil!!