Simple Parmesan Pesto Chicken Tenders

Need a simple dinner? This is it! Chicken tenders filled with pesto and covered with tomato slices and cheese is the answer to a great, easy dinner. Ready in less than an hour too!

Simple Parmesan Pesto Chicken Tenders

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 chicken tenders, ~ 3 ounces each
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil
½ cup pesto, homemade or prepared
6 slices mozzarella cheese( or 1 cup shredded)
3 – 4 fresh tomatoes, sliced
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Garnish: Fresh basil

Equipment Needed:

Paring or serrated knife
Cutting board
Small bowl
13 X 9 inch baking or casserole pan
Measuring spoons

This recipe is super simple and uses only six ingredients! Buy chicken tenders and trim off excess grizzle and fat. Gather the rest of your supplies too! I love pesto and grow it in my garden, as well as in pots on the deck… Freeze it for winter. If you need a pesto recipe, check out the blog post from August 15, Perfect Pesto! Otherwise, buy a jar of pesto and we’re ready to start!

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Begin by prepping the baking pan or casserole dish and drizzle olive oil over the bottom. This will prevent the chicken from sticking to the casserole dish while baking. Then to prep the chicken tenders, slice the tender the length of the tender, as shown above. Don’t cut all the way through, just enough to spread the tender and provide space for pesto.

Next, combine the kosher salt and black pepper together in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture over split chicken tenders. Apply pesto to each of the chicken tenders, until evenly divided. Spread pesto to cover tenders, as shown. Cut each square of mozzarella cheese to create two triangles. Lay two cheese triangles over each pesto covered chicken tender, as shown. if using shredded cheese, evenly spread it across the tenders. Meal appeal is created with the different shapes and colors. The cheese will melt too creating differences in texture too!

Slice each tomato into 3 – 4 slices and set two tomato slices on each cheese covered tender. Divide Parmesan cheese amongst tomato slices and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. The cheese and Italian seasonings add color accents and meal appeal to the dish thru the addition of flavor and smell as well. Just look at how much better the baking pan looks after you’ve added the cheese and seasonings? Imagine how good it will taste too!

Bake the pan of cheese covered tenders in a preheated 350 F oven for 40 – 45 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

Doesn’t your dinner look amazing? Serve with roasted potatoes or pasta and a salad … Enjoy!