Name: Pesto Stuffed Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 large chicken breasts; 1 tsp seasoned salt; 4 oz cream cheese (softened); 1 c roasted red peppers (drained); 1/2 c prepared pesto (divided); 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese

This stuffed chicken breast is juicy, cheesy, creamy and full of pesto flavor! It's a low-carb, keto-friendly way to enjoy all that pesto season has to offer!!

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Pesto Stuffed Chicken on a plate with bread and pineapple

Anyone else out there have a "wannabe" green thumb? That is SO me. But I can't seem to keep one hanging basket of flowers alive more than a week. Maybe one day when I'm not chasing kids around I'll have a section of my brain available to remind me to water them....there's hope....

Well lucky for me, this year I was given a HUGE bunch of basil. I swear it had to be an entire plant...it was massive. But anyway; I had all this basil, so of course I had to whip up some pesto!

There are so many different things you can do with pesto. Of course you can use it on pasta, but that's just the beginning. Ever topped a burger with pesto? Yum. Or added it to a sandwich? Or pasta salad? Mmm! Well today we're making something so fun and delicious - these cheesy Pesto Stuffed Chicken breasts!!

How do you make and store homemade pesto?

Here's what you'll need to make pesto:

2 c fresh basil leaves (or half basil, half spinach)
½ c grated parmesan
½ c pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
½+ c olive oil

Pesto is really so easy to make. In a food processor, you'll add all of your ingredients and blend it up. You can add a couple more tablespoons of oil to thin it out a bit.

I like to make a couple batches at a time. I'll use what I need at the time and freeze the rest. I like to pour the remaining pesto into an ice cube tray. Then I freeze them and put the cubes into a freezer baggie. Then, the next time I want pesto, I simply put a few cubes in a bowl and let it thaw out. Easy peasy!!

How do you make a stuffed chicken breast?

First, you're going to cut your chicken breasts horizontally. As you can see in the photo below, the chicken breast will be cut like a hoagie bun, but it's very important that you don't cut it all the way through. I'd recommend cutting ⅔ - ¾ of the way through the chicken. Then season the chicken and it's ready to be stuffed!

I like to prep all of my ingredients so when you start stuffing the chicken, it goes quickly. Use one hand to hold the top flap of the chicken open, then spread the cream cheese on the bottom. Then you'll layer the roasted red peppers, pesto and mozzarella cheese. Finally, you'll put the top flap back down and use two toothpicks to secure.

Then you'll spread some pesto over the top and bake for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of chicken breasts. Once the middle of the chicken has reached 160F, it's ready to come out of the oven.

You'll let the stuffed chicken breasts rest for a few minutes, then remove the toothpicks and serve! I like serving stuffed chicken breasts with a rustic loaf of bread, fresh fruit and a salad, like this Cranberry and Pecan Salad!

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