For several months I was cooking the same things over and over. I thought it was time to try something new but not too complicated with a lot of chopping. I wanted to keep my fingers even though I couldn’t feel them. I found this recipe, originally made with haddock, and thought I would give it a try. It was good but after a discussion with Jamie we changed it up and decided to make it with chicken. We love it! The combination of flavours taste so good, it is easy to make and can be a tag team event. So, here we go. Get ready to cook!
What you will need:
- puff pastry (You can make this or buy some already to roll out from the store. I like Jus-Rol Puff.)
- 2 chicken breasts
- pesto sauce
- 125g of soft goats cheese
- tomatoes (Take your pick here. I have used cherry tomatoes and on the vine tomatoes both work.)
- 1 egg
- rolling pin and baking sheet
What you need to do:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F
- While the oven is preheating, grill the chicken breasts and set them aside. This is where cooking becomes a tag team sport in the Boyd home. Jamie will cook the chicken while I roll out the dough and prep everything. The chicken doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through as it will be in the oven for an additional 20-25 minutes.
Perfectly grilled chicken ready to go!
- Next, lightly flour the countertop and roll out the pastry.
- Place the pastry on a nonstick baking tray and gently score the edges making a frame around the outside, be careful not to cut all the way through. This enables the pastry to rise nicely containing the ingredients in the middle.
Make a frame and score in criss cross pattern.
- After the pastry is ready, spread on pesto sauce. The recipe calls for 1 tbsp of pesto but I just spread it on until it is covered and even. 1 tbsp doesn’t cut it for me. Stay inside the frame.
Spread, spread, spread.
*** The layering steps I am particular about. I like to layer evenly across the pastry so each bite will have all of the ingredients in it.
- Time for the first layer, the chicken. Cut the chicken into slices and spread evenly on top of the pesto.
Coming along.
- After the chicken add a layer of tomatoes and then crumble the soft goats cheese on top. Licking your fingers after this step is recommended.
Lovely layers of tomatoes and goats cheese. Yummy!
- The last step is to egg wash the frame of the pastry.
Nearly there!
- Once everything is on the pastry, place it in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. I usually watch the pastry as my judge on the time.
While I am waiting I prepare a simple greens salad and set out some balsamic vinegar. The flavour compliments the goats cheese and pesto very well. Time is up! Ready for dinner?
Dinner time!
Now wasn’t that easy? This usually gets divided into thirds and the 3rd piece goes to the lucky winner for lunch the next day. It reheats easily and tastes just as good the next day. Is your mouth watering? Mine is. This may need to be on the menu for the week… time to make a grocery list. Enjoy! x heather