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.