Creamy Pesto Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes & Spinach

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)

5 or 6 thinly sliced chicken breasts (butterflied, sliced in half, or into tenders)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

1 shallot (finely chopped)

2 cups cherry tomatoes (chopped in half)

3 cups spinach (roughly chopped, stems removed)

1/4 cup pesto (homemade or store-bought)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup chicken stock (lightly salted)

salt

pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Begin by preparing the chicken into thinly sliced pieces. Set aside until ready to use.

Prepare your garlic, shallot, tomatoes and spinach.Set aside until ready to use.

Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

To a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and set to medium/high heat.

Fry the chicken breasts on each side for 1-2 minutes, just until they begin to brown.

Remove from the pan and set aside for a few minutes.Tip: don't worry about fully cooking the chicken during this step.

Add your second tbsp of olive oil to the same pan, garlic, shallot, tomatoes and red pepper flakes.Cook on medium/high heat, until the tomatoes begin to brown and release some of their juices. About 5 minutes.

Add the spinach, pesto, heavy cream and chicken stock and stir to combine.Tip: taste here to see if the sauce needs any additional seasioning.

Let sauce simmer for 2 minutes before adding the chicken back to finish cooking.

Return chicken back to the pan and continue to simmer.

Spoon some of the sauce onto the chicken as it simmers, basting the chicken to allow it to finish cooking evenly.

Once the chicken is fully cooked (which should only take 2-3 minutes) and your sauce has slightly thickened, remove from heat.

Add your chicken, along with a generous spoon of sauce onto rice or pasta of choice.