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Broiled Pesto Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes

In his late twenties, Jamie spent a lot of time eating at his favorite pizza place in Savannah, called Cousin Vinny’s. He became obsessed with their pesto pizza, which uses savory basil sauce in place of the usual tomato. We don’t eat quite as much pizza these days, but we do keep pesto in our freezers for whenever we want fresh garlic and basil flavor. Try tossing pesto with cherry tomatoes and leftover grilled chicken and serve it on top of greens for a main-course salad, or make this easy, healthy recipe, which takes about fifteen minutes and looks as good as it tastes. For a little decadence, try serving it with Cheesy Garlic Bread (page 102).

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup prepared pesto sauce, preferably fresh from your supermarket’s refrigerator case
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly coat a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

    Step 2

    In a bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of the pesto and season with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken breasts with the remaining 3 tablespoons pesto and season with additional salt, if desired.

    Step 3

    Arrange the chicken in the prepared baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bake for 10 more minutes, or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pricked with a fork.

  2. a bit more, y’all

    Step 4

    Pestos vary in their salt content, so take a little taste of the pesto before it goes on the chicken and season accordingly.

[![The Deen Bros. Take It Easy</a> <p>Reprinted with permission from <a href=](/images/recipesmenus/bookcovers/deenbrostakeiteasy.jpg)The Deen Bros. Take It Easy](http://astore.amazon.com/epistore-20/detail/0345513266) by Jamie Deen, Bobby Deen, and Melissa Clark. Copyright © 2009 Jamie Deen, Bobby Deen, and Melissa Clark. Published by Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Jamie and Bobby Deen grew up in Georgia—first in Albany and then in Savannah—and, like many Southerners, they have always considered cooking and food a big part of their lives. When their mother, Paula Deen, started a sandwich delivery business in 1989, the boys took charge of deliveries. As the business grew into The Lady restaurant, they continued to help. Then, in 1996, the trio opened The Lady & Sons Restaurant to resounding success. They haven't looked back since. They regularly appear on ABC's Good Morning America and had their own Food Network show, Road Tasted. Melissa Clark has written for The New York Times, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, and Real Simple and has collaborated on twenty-one books.
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