Mozzarella Pesto Chicken Wraps
This recipe, which is an excellent recipe for chicken breasts/tenders, arose from my boredom of basic, baked chicken breasts. I was bored of the plain, white, bland chicken breast that I frequently received when ordering chicken at a restaurant. And so, I developed this recipe.
This recipe for chicken includes some of my favorite things, and is a classic combination of those ingredients. It has mozzarella (cheese, yum..), pesto (I use my homemade spinach pesto), and tomatoes. It’s a great way to upgrade how you enjoy chicken breasts, which are generally low in fat/cholesterol and super healthy, but frequently dry and bland.
And actually, it’s super simple: you essentially pound out half a chicken breast until its thin, season it, fill it with the ingredients, roll it up, then sear it and finish it off in the oven. It makes for a super impressive, super delicious, dinner any day of the week. You can also prepare it in advance if necessary.
The best part of this is that the chicken breast is not dry, it cooks just long enough to be fully cooked in the center and still moist and succulent on the outside.
For sides, I like to have this chicken with rice, couscous, or pasta, as they best soak up the sauce that forms while the chicken is baking. I also like to pair it with a side salad (check out my rainbow corn avocado salad in the sides category), and some sauteed/roasted veggies (this could be green beans, broccoli, etc.)
Without further ado, here is my recipe for mozzarella pesto chicken wraps.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, 6 individual
- 8 oz mozzarella ball or 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- additional 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes (or 1 lb cherry tomatoes and 12 tbsp marinara sauce)
- salt
- pepper
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 cups pesto of your choice, homemade or store-bought (see below)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated/shredded
For the homemade pesto:
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced, minced, or crushed
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 5-10 large basil leaves
Instructions:
- If making the pesto, start by placing the spinach, garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil into the bowl of a food processor, blender, or into a separate bowl (if using a stick blender) Pulse until you achieve a smooth consistency. Adjust the seasoning as necessary.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Prepare the chicken breasts. Start by cutting the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, making them into 2 thinner chicken breast halves. Then, using a meat pounder, gently pound the meat to flatten/thin it out even more. Make sure to be gentle and not overdo it here, otherwise, it will become hard to roll. It is also super important to use a sharp knife when cutting the chicken so that you don’t tear it.
- Layout all the chicken breasts and pat them dry with a paper towel. Season both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
- Prepare the other ingredients for filling. If using the ball of mozzarella, cut it into thin, wide slices. If using shredded, skip this step. I find that the ball of mozzarella melts better than the shredded, so I prefer it. Additionally, slice about 1/3 of the tomatoes into thin slices to match the thickness of the mozzarella. Do the best you can. If you don’t want to do this, feel free to use marinara sauce instead, and use the tomatoes for another part of the recipe later.
- Fill the chicken breasts. On each thin, pounded out, and seasoned breast, spread about 1-1 1/2 tbsp of pesto. Then, divide up the mozzarella (that you sliced or the 1 1/2 cup shredded) among the chicken breasts, as well as the sliced tomatoes. Lengthwise, roll up each chicken breast tightly and secure it with a toothpick. It’s important here not to overfill, otherwise, you won’t get a beautiful roll in the breast. It will also be hard to keep the ingredients from falling out.
- After you’ve rolled everything up, heat a large cast-iron pan. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil, then the rolled breasts. If they don’t all fit, don’t try to squish them at this stage. I often find I need to do two batches to get a good sear on each one. Sear the breasts for 4-5 minutes per side, once on both sides, without moving them during this time. This will help them get a beautiful color and lock in the flavor/moisture.
- Meanwhile, cut the remaining cherry tomatoes into quarters. (this is where you use the cherry tomatoes if you opted for marinara sauce for the inside of the chicken breasts). After you’ve finished searing off the chicken breasts, fit all of the chicken breasts into the pan. Turn off the heat. It is absolutely okay if they are all touching or slightly squished. Top each seared breast with leftover pesto, dividing it among the pieces of chicken. Then, sprinkle on the diced tomatoes, 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Add a final sprinkle of black pepper, then place into the oven and bake for 13-15 minutes. In the end, broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp up the cheese. Enjoy!
Mozzarella Pesto Chicken Wraps
This recipe for chicken includes some of my favorite foods, and is a classic combination of those ingredients. It has mozzarella (cheese, yum..), pesto (I use my homemade spinach pesto), and tomatoes. It's a great way to upgrade how you enjoy chicken breasts, which are generally low in fat/cholesterol and super healthy, but frequently dry and bland. And actually, it's super simple: you essentially pound out half a chicken breast until its thin, season it, fill it with the ingredients, roll it up, then sear it and finish it off in the oven. It makes for a super impressive, super delicious, dinner any day of the week. You can also prepare it in advance if necessary.
Equipment
- large cast iron skillet
- meat pounder
- blender (immersion, stick, food processor, regular blender)
Ingredients
For the chicken wraps:
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts 6 individual
- 8 oz mozarella (in ball shape) or 1 1/2 cups shredded
- 3/4 cup shredded mozarella additional
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes (or 1 lb cherry tomatoes and 12 tbsp marinara sauce)
- salt
- pepper
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups pesto of your choice, see below for homemade
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded/grated
Homemade pesto:
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 2 cloves garlic minced, crushed, or finely sliced
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 5-10 large basil leaves
Instructions
Homemade Pesto
- Place the spinach, garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil into the blender of your choice. If using a stick blender, place the ingredients into a large bowl.
- Pulse until you achieve a smooth consistency. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt, pepper, and/or olive oil.
Chicken Wraps
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Prepare the chicken breasts. Start by cutting them in half lengthwise, so that you get two super thin, long, large slices of chicken breast. Tip: make sure to use a sharp knife.
- Using the meat pounder, pound them gently until they are even thinner, but don't overdo it so as to tear the breasts.
- Layout the chicken breasts and pat them dry with a towel. Season both sides liberally with salt and pepper.
- Prepare the other ingredients. Slice the 8 oz ball of mozzarella into thin, wide slices. If opting for shredded, skip this step.
- Slice about 1/3 of the cherry tomatoes into thin slices, about the same thickness as the mozzarella. If using marinara sauce, don't thinly slice any of the tomatoes.
- For each thin, pounded out chicken breast, spread 1- 1 1/2 tbsp pesto. Top with the mozzarella you opted for (equally divide the shredded or the sliced ball) and the tomatoes (sliced tomatoes or 1 tbsp marinara sauce).
- Roll the chicken breast lengthwise tightly and secure with a toothpick. Repeat the same process with every chicken breast.
- Heat a large cast-iron pan and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Starting with 6 of the rolled breasts, sear them for 4-5 minutes per side (2 sides) without moving them. Repeat with the other 6, adding olive oil as necessary. When done, turn off the heat underneath.
- While the chicken breasts are searing, cut the remaining cherry tomatoes into quarters.
- Place all of the chicken breasts (seared) back into the pan, squishing them a little if necessary. Top each breast with some of the remaining pesto, dividing it equally. Top with the diced cherry tomatoes, 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella, and parmesan.
- Sprinkle with some pepper, then place the cast-iron pan into the preheated oven and bake for 13-15 minutes. Optionally, broil for 2-3 minutes at the end to crisp up the cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Macros: 21.4 g fat, 5.1 g carbohydrates, 47.6 g protein
- See the blog post for more information about preparation, ingredients, cook times, and generally detailed descriptions/instructions.