Recipe: Pesto Chicken fingers with Cauliflower Salad and Potatoes

Last week at the supermarket I found breadcrumbs and chicken breast and therefore the most logical thing to make was chicken fingers. Except, I am not remotely capable of making anything simply so I decided to make pesto chicken fingers with a side of cauliflower and potatoes. I probably should have made a salad, but the potatoes were so tempting.

Finished deliciousness!

Ingredients:

1 whole Chicken breast

½ - 1 cup breadcrumbs (unseasoned)

3 tbs pesto (or to taste)

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes to taste

Oil

At the store I bought an entire deboned chicken breast and then sliced it into cutlets. It was more cost efficient and I got to decide how thick to cut the chicken. That being said, you can absolutely purchase sliced chicken.

Once the chicken is sliced, coat with a thick layer of pesto sauce (at some point, I promise I’ll make some from scratch). Spend some time massaging the pesto into the chicken so then it really absorbs the flavors.

In a separate plate, mix the breadcrumbs with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and then dredge the chicken in the mixture. Make sure to coat each piece well.

Pour oil into a large flat pan and heat over a medium flame. When the oil is hot, start carefully placing your chicken into the pan. Cook on each side until golden brown.  They should be cooking for a minimum of 2 minutes on each side if the pieces aren’t too thick. When you remove the chicken from the oil, set aside on a paper towel so the excess oil is absorbed.

Serve warm with a drizzle of pesto on top.

 

Beautiful with a drizzle of pesto on top!

We also ate our chicken with a potato salad made simply with olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper

I wish there had been more color in our sides!

flakes. Then I also had cauliflower for the first time in ages. We boiled it lightly after cutting it into uneven pieces and then tossed it with olive oil, red garlic chunks (slightly different than normal garlic, so I’m going to have to post about it soon), salt and pepper.  It was light and delicious.

Both sides really went well with the pesto chicken fingers because they have such mild, yet delicious flavors.  

Recipe: Pesto Chicken and Potatoes with a light String Bean Salad

Since being in Italy I have cooked a few times.  Soon I will start cooking more. Before I was just trying to settle in and get used to my new life.
That being said, the few things I have managed to cook have come out really well.
My first week here I tested out a new recipe on Endira because she's awesome and will eat my experimentations (it generally works out for both of us because we split the groceries, I get company and she gets yummy home cooked food).
On my first weekend when I was still crashing at her place I made Pesto Chicken and potatoes with a light string bean salad. It was quite delicious and everything very tender. I will complain a bit about the string beans, but only because they were a particular Italian type and had a slightly different and tougher texture. Still they were good and fresh.

The finished product or "why Endira let's me cook" :) 

Ingredients:
4 or 5 chicken legs (fresh or fully defrosted)
4 medium sized potatoes
1/2 a large onion
1 lb string beans (enough for 3 medium servings
salt and pepper to taste
Pesto sauce (normally I would make my own but this time I cheated and got a ready made at the store)
oregano
Oil and vinegar
Red pepper flakes
1-2 cups water

Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into a round baking tin.  Cut your potatoes into small chunks and toss into the olive oil. Dice your onion and mix into the potatoes.  Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.  Don't overdo it on the salt, because the pesto from the chicken should have enough salt already.
Slather each chicken leg with 1 to 2 teaspoons of pesto. Make sure each drumstick is covered completely and lay on top of the potatoes.  Sprinkle with a little more red pepper flakes if you want some extra kick.
Cover the potatoes entirely with water and place in oven uncovered.  They should bake like this for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Check on the chicken every twenty minutes or so.  I didn't turn the chicken so one side got very crispy (without burning) and the inside retained a lot of moisture.
As for the string beans, bring a pot of water with a little salt to boil after cleaning the green beans. Boil for about 10 minutes but keep an eye on them, because they're start to loose their vibrant green if they cook for too long. Drain and immediately put into the fridge or into a cold bath of water so they stop cooking.  In a bowl dress with olive oil, a small amount of vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.  I like to serve the string beans cool, but they're good warm as well.
Serve all together on the plate when the potatoes are fork tender!