Pesto Panko Chicken

Sometimes you come home from work, open the fridge, and start wishing your way through dinner. Jars and ingredients make their way to the counter and begin to come together in abnormal ways. This recipe came from just that sort of evening, a happy miracle! My husband and I were sure it was the best chicken I have ever made. Easy and delicious....what else could you need in a recipe?

You must know that these sort of recipes lack a clear "recipe." I recreated it tonight and did my best to guess what magic had occurred the week before. Honestly, the ingredients themselves can't really be messed up. That's my sort of cooking! So here is a rough draft that I will stick with. Measuring is not my favorite pastime so take this with a grain or two of salt. Serves 4-6.

> 1 pound of chicken (I prefer chicken breast tenders)
> 1 jar of pre-made pesto or 1 cup of fresh pesto
> 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered
> 1 cup of shredded Italian cheese blend
> 1 cup of whole wheat panko bread crumbs
> 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, dried basil, and salt
> 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a glass baking dish spread a thin layer of pesto on the bottom to prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. Place raw chicken in glass dish and top with remaining pesto. Be sure to portion pesto on each chicken piece and spread on with the back of a spoon. Bake for 15 minutes in oven. 

Meanwhile mix panko bread crumbs and spices in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture and stir to combine, panko should start to stick together slightly. Set aside.

When chicken has baked for 15 minutes remove from the oven. Top each piece with shredded cheese, quartered tomatoes, and panko mixture. There is no art to this, just make sure each piece is covered by the toppings. No dry chicken here!

Bake for an additional 10 minutes on 400. Serve with some nice hearty bread and a fresh salad. Enjoy!