Panko-Crusted Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

- Heat oven to 350 F.

– Trim chicken of all fat.

– Place each chicken breast between two layers of parchment paper and beat with a meat mallet or frying pan until 1/4 inch thick.

– Season each breast with salt and pepper on both sides.

– In a food processor, combine sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, salt (1 1/2 tsp), pepper (1 tsp), pine nuts, and arugula. Pulse until well-combined. If mixture is too thick (i.e. not spreadable), slowly add in olive oil until it loosens up a bit.

– In a large bowl, beat 3 eggs and add a splash of water. Set aside.

– Grab another two large bowls and place flour in one and Panko bread crumbs in the other.

– Season the flour with more salt and pepper (you want this to taste good, right?)

– Spoon 1-2 tbsp of sun-dried tomato filling onto each chicken breast and spread it out evenly. (You don’t want too much filling, it will overflow!)

– Starting at one end, roll the chicken breast until all the filling is covered. Secure with 2-4 toothpicks depending on size of breast.

– Take each secured chicken breast and dip it in the flour so it’s fully coated.

– Next, coat it in the egg wash.

– Completely cover chicken breast with Panko bread crumbs and place on foil-lined baking sheet.

– Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

– Bake for 45-50 minutes. With Panko bread crumbs, the exterior might not get a dark brown color, but it’s really crispy.

– Let chicken rest for a few minutes before digging in. Enjoy!