Pesto.Goodness.

Grilled.Chicken.with.Spinach.and.Pine.Nut.Pesto.

Ingredients -

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves (about 2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions -

Heat a grill pan on medium high heat. Lightly oil the grill pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Combine the spinach, pine nuts, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a processor. Lightly pulse. With the machine running, gradually add 1/3 cup of the oil, blending until the mixture is creamy. Add salt and pulse. Put half of the pesto into ice cube trays and store in the freezer for future use.

Transfer the rest of the spinach mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the Parmesan. Season the pesto with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread the pesto over each piece of chicken and serve.

Thank you Giada De Laurentiis for this recipe. I am going to have to try this one for sure! I absolutely love watching Giada cook on the Food Network - everything she makes always looks so mouth-watering and I love how she enjoys the food with her loved ones at the end of every episode. She's simply adorable!