I saw Lidia Bastianich make this pesto with basil, tomatoes, almonds, and grated cheese and knew I had to make it. I loved that she served it over chicken instead of the typical pasta, so that’s what I did too. It is a fantastic way to fancy-up a simple piece of chicken! Delicious!
Tomato-Almond Pesto over Seared Chicken
Just the Tip / Inspired by Lidia Bastianich
What I used:
- 6 medium skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- kosher salt
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes
- 12 large fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 cup toasted almonds
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
What I did:
- Combine the tomatoes, basil, almonds, garlic, 1 tsp of salt, grated cheese, and the crushed red pepper in a food processor and puree for about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and add in all but a couple of tbsp of the olive oil with the food processor running. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Set aside.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a couple of tablespoons in a large skillet and, working in batches, brown the chicken well on both sides until the chicken reaches 160 degrees. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm up the pesto in the same saute pan. Serve the pesto on top of the chicken.
Just the Tip 
That looks and sounds awesome. I love that color, too….so pretty!
thank you!