RECIPE: Parsley Pesto Chicken

I’ve been horrible about posting during this Whole Life Challenge. We’re already in the final week, and I’ve only posted three times! Ugh. Sorry about that. I swear, I’ve been meaning to post more—and guess what? That parlays perfectly into the final lifestyle challenge, which begins today: Complete something you've left undone. So, at long last, I’m posting this amazing recipe that I’ve had typed up and ready to share for several weeks now: Parsley Pesto Chicken. It comes courtesy of my teammate, Karen Harper, and it’s dangerously delicious. (Dangerous because the pesto is so tasty—almost cheese-like—that you’ll want to consume more of it than you perhaps should.)

I like to serve this chicken over steamed spinach, while Karen serves hers over wilted kale. (If you’re eating grains, I’m sure it would be great over brown rice or pasta, too!) I’m also going to give you a separate nutritional breakdown for the pesto because it’s very high in calories and fat. That said, it’s also very healthy: Parsley has fantastic detoxifying properties, and I recently learned from a short stint on the Whole 30 (mine was more like a Whole 13) that macadamia nuts, although higher in fat and calories, are also much lower in omega-6 fatty acids than other nuts—which makes them somewhat healthier than, say, almonds or walnuts. I also never realized pesto could be made with anything but basil and pine nuts and was blown away by how decadent and flavorful this parsley-macadamia version is. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

RECIPE: Parsley Pesto Chicken

(printable recipe)

Serves 4
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb. total)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Juice from 1-2 lemons

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the parsley pesto:

1 bunch curly parsley, rinsed and stems removed (about 3 loose cups)

4 cloves garlic, butts and skins removed

Juice from 1-2 lemons

3/4 cup dry roasted and salted macadamia nuts

3/8 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place chicken in a baking dish and coat with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until lightly browned, turning half-way through if desired. Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Chop into cubes and set aside.

4. While chicken is baking, prepare pesto: Place all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and pulse until the parsley is chopped. Gradually stream in the olive oil, using just enough to make the pesto loose enough to coat chicken.

5. In a medium bowl, mix cubed chicken with pesto (to save fat and calories, I use about half the mixture).

6. Serve chicken on a bed of wilted spinach or kale (delicious if sautéed or steamed with chopped garlic), and garnished with lemon wedges.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (CHICKEN ONLY—1/4 OF RECIPE):

156 calories; 5.2 g fat (.7 g saturated); 65 mg cholesterol; 80 mg sodium; 29 mg potassium; .5 g carbohydrates; .1 g fiber; .5 g sugar; 26.2 g protein; Vitamin A 2%; Vitamin C 20%; Calcium 0%; Iron 4%

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (PESTO ONLY—1/8 OF RECIPE):

188 calories; 19.7 g fat (3 g saturated); 158 mg sodium; 187 mg potassium; 4.5 g carbohydrates; 2.2 g fiber; .9 g sugar; 2.2 g protein; Vitamin A 51%; Vitamin C 76%; Calcium 5%; Iron 13%