Carb Smart Basil Pesto Chicken
with Spinach Salad and Marinated Cannellini Beans
Pesto is a flavour-packed sauce and here it transforms ordinary chicken breasts into a gorgeous plate! The creamy texture of the cannellini beans counterbalances the tender spinach leaves to bring together this bright and balanced dish.
Carb Smart is based on a per serving calculation of the recipe's carbohydrate amount.
2 unit
Chicken Breasts
¼ cup
Basil Pesto
()
113 g
Baby Spinach
113 g
Baby Tomatoes
3 g
Garlic
398 mL
Cannellini Beans
1 unit
Lemon
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese, shredded
()
2 tbsp
Oil*
½ tsp
Salt*
¼ tsp
Pepper*
Before starting, preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry all produce. Drain and rinse cannellini beans in a strainer, pat dry with paper towels. Add cannellini beans and half the pesto to a medium bowl. Season with salt, then stir to coat.
Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. While the pan heats, pat chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, add 1/2 tbsp oil (dbl for 4 ppl), then chicken. Sear until golden-brown, 2-3 min per side. Transfer chicken to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the middle of the oven, until chicken is cooked through, 10-12 min.**
Zest lemon. Juice half, then cut remaining lemon into wedges. Peel, then mince or grate garlic. Halve tomatoes.
Whisk together garlic, lemon juice and 1 1/2 tbsp oil (dbl for 4 ppl) in a large bowl. (TIP: Add 1/4 tsp sugar for a more balanced vinaigrette.)
Add spinach and tomatoes to the bowl with vinaigrette. Toss to combine.
Slice chicken. Divide salad between plates. Spoon cannellini beans over salad, then place chicken on top. Spread remaining pesto over chicken. Sprinkle with Parmesan and squeeze over a lemon wedge, if desired.
