Posted on by Keely Marie

Twisted Chick Parm ::: Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Pesto

 

:::Twisted Chicken Parmesan w/ Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Pesto:::

We ate really well last week. Well we had a  few good excuses with Peter’s birthday, Valentine’s Day, and I was home for a week from work travels.

It started with Jambalaya for Peter’s birthday.

We have been making Sarah’s TO DIE FOR jambalaya recipe  since she posted it a year ago, if you love spice please make this ASAP. You should also visit her fabulous blog to wish it a happy 2nd birthday!

Then we had filet, lobster (that we caught ourselves in the Keys!), and whole artichokes for Valentine’s Day…

…and then what I am calling “Twisted Chick Parm” with the Roasted Red Pepper Walnut “Pesto” from the Food Matters Project. {The pesto recipe was chosen by Heather from girlichef this week and can be found on her blog post today.}

I first made the “pesto” from scratch on Valentine’s day, with hopes it would be a nice dip or sauce for our steak. It is really red peppery and rich, so I decided it would taste better with chicken and whole wheat pasta the next day.

The FMP is expanding my ideas for cooking fresh veggies, but I will say we are still eating a lot of meat and non whole wheat carbs. Hopefully once we are through a few months of the recipe book I will be able to combine some of the favorites for more full meals.

Twisted Chicken Parmesan & Pasta     serves 2

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup parmesan and mozzarella mix, shredded
  • 3- 4 cups of whole wheat pasta (we use rigatoni)
  • 1/2 recipe of previously prepared Roasted Red Pepper Walnut “Pesto”
  • 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Prepare Roasted Red Pepper Walnut “Pesto” and set aside at room temperature.  I roasted the red peppers myself and still used 2 cloves of garlic even though I only made half of the recipe.
To see other uses for this flavorful pesto head here to see recipes from the other Food Matter Project members.
***After seeing many of the posts this morning I think I found MONSTER sized red peppers at the grocery store.  I can see how a little less red pepper and adding cannellini beans or chickpeas might balance the flavors even more than just adding parmesan cheese as I did in this recipe. 

Pre-heat over to 350°F. Crack the egg into a prep bowl and whisk. Mix bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt & pepper in separate prep bowl.

Wash and clean chicken breasts. Place each in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs, and then on a nonstick or greased baking pan/sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes. Top with parmesan and mozzarella cheese and bake for 5 more minute.

Cook pasta as directed on box. Drain and set aside.

In a food processor, blender, or mixer; mix the parmesan with the Roasted Red Pepper Walnut “Pesto.” Then in a saucepan on medium heat, sauté 1/2 of the pesto with whole wheat pasta until warm. Pour the second half of the pesto over the chicken and serve.

 

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keely marie

8 Replies to “Twisted Chick Parm ::: Roasted Red Pepper Walnut Pesto”

  1. Oh! I love the idea of using the pesto in a chicken parm sort of way. As a matter of fact…it’s making my tummy growl just looking at it. Awesome!

  2. Your dinner and table look beautiful! I love seeing all of the different ways other FMP participants prepare the recipes each week–it gives me lots of great ideas! I agree with you that Bittman is encouraging me to use veggies in new and exciting ways–I love it!

    1. Omg that cannot be true. You must make it again. Or better yet come over and we will make it together! Peter and I make it whenever they have rock shrimp at publix. We usually have leftovers for an army, so I finally decided I need to half the recipe next time.

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