Italian Chicken with Pesto Potatoes Recipe

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.
Cut a pocket in each chicken breast. Fill each pocket with an equal amount of mozzarella cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of ham. Arrange the wrapped chicken breasts in a baking dish. Place the tomatoes around the chicken, sprinkle all with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
In a saucepan with enough lightly salted water to cover, boil the potatoes 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain, return to the pan, and coat with the pesto.
Place chicken breasts, tomatoes, and potatoes on serving plates, and drizzle with the reduced balsamic vinegar to serve.

Reviews (39)

CHEFJULIE1

Sep. 24, 2006

"We really enjoyed this recipe. I made a few minor changes. First of all, I pounded the chicken flat, placed a slice of cheese inside the chicken breast, then rolled it up and wrapped it with proscui..." See moretto - couldn't find parma ham. Next, I thought the reduced balsamic vinegar sounded like a very strong flavor, so we just drizzled UNreduced balsamic vinegar over the chicken. It was delicious! I also cooked the potatoes in the microwave rather than boiling them. I didn't really change the ingredients, just the process to make it simpler."

Dianemwj

Sep. 13, 2007

"This was really, really good. To the balsamic vinegar I added about a tablespoon of brown sugar, some minced garlic, some dijon mustard and a splash of hot sauce, just to give it some complexity. Wh..." See moreen I stuffed the chicken with the cheese, I added a schmear of minced garlic and one basil leaf for extra flavor. Before putting the chicken and tomatoes (which were wonderful, BTW) in the oven, I drizzled a little of the finished balsamic sauce and sprinkled a touch of mozzarella over the top. The recipe didn't say whether to cook the chicken covered or uncovered, so I covered it for the first 15 minutes, then removed the cover. The potatoes were terrific too. I had picked up some really tiny potatoes (about the size of large marbles) and they worked perfectly for this dish. Bottled pesto sauce was pretty expensive at the store, so I made my own. The combination of the sharp snap of the potato skins when I bit into them mixed with the great garlicky pesto was just lovely. This dish made an enticing presentation and is certainly company worthy. DH and I both loved this dish. I can't say enough good things about it. Thanks, Paula"