This Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto and Butternut Sauce recipe is a wonderful, delicious chicken dish that’s perfect in the fall!
Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto and Butternut Sauce
I made this dinner a while back, and it was quite a success with my family. I didn’t expect my little one to enjoy the seed pesto, but he eagerly gobbled it up. My husband was happy to have a meal at home that was reminiscent of one you might find in a restaurant. I’d say this recipe for Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto is definitely a good way to dress up plain old chicken! It’s a bit of a chore to make, but if you like to cook and don’t mind all of the steps involved, I think you’ll be satisfied with the end result!
🛒Ingredients needed:
- pepitas
- extra virgin olive oil
- garlic
- jalapeños
- chicken broth
- leeks
- butternut squash
- salt and ground cumin
- cream
- chicken breasts
- white cheddar cheese
- unsalted butter
- all purpose flour
✏️How to make Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto and Butternut Sauce:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
MAKE THE PUMPKINSEED PESTO:
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Heat a large skillet to medium-heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring and shaking the pan until fragrant and slightly golden, about 4 minutes. (They’ll pop a bit as they cook, so watch out for flying seeds!) Slide onto a paper towel on the counter to let cool.
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In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the jalapeños and cook another minute or so. Stir in the chicken broth, turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced and the chilies soften.
-
Scrape the skillet mixture and pumpkin seeds into a food processor. Process until the mixture is a coarse but spreadable paste. Scoop into a bowl and let cool while you prepare the sauce. Wipe out the food processor with paper towels so it’s ready to use for the sauce.
MAKE THE BUTTERNUT SAUCE:
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In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the squash and chicken broth, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the squash is tender (10 to 15 minutes).
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Transfer it all a to food processor, adding cumin, salt and cream. Puree until the sauce is completely smooth. Return the sauce to the skillet. If the sauce seems too thick, thin it out a little bit with additional chicken broth.
So now you’ve got your pumpkinseed pesto and the butternut sauce ready for finishing the recipe!
ASSEMBLE THE CHICKEN AND COOK:
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Lay each breast flat between two pieces of waxed paper. Pound until about ¼-inch-thick. Spread ¼ of the pumpkinseed pesto across each breast. Sprinkle ¼ of the cheese over the filling. Fold each breast in half to create a pocket.
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Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and carefully dredge each chicken pocket in the flour. Add to the pan, one by one. Cook until the pink is gone, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan when cooked.
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Reheat the sauce and serve each chicken breast topped with a spoonful of sauce.
➡️Recipe Tips:
- Don’t let all the steps intimidate you. Just take it one section at a time and you’ll be rewarded in the end with a delicious meal.
- For pounding the chicken you can either use a cooking mallet or if you don’t have one of those, a wine bottle will also work!
- You can experiment with how chunky you like the pesto and how creamy you want the butternut squash sauce.
✔️What to serve with Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto and Butternut Sauce:
- I think this is great served over rice.
- It also goes nicely with sautéed zucchini.
- If you’re serving this recipe with wine, it would go well with a nice Chardonnay or if you prefer red wines, try it with a Malbec.
❤️Why I love this recipe:
- I love all the flavors in this recipe, and even better, so does my family.
- It really can be a meal in itself, with meat, vegetables, nuts, and dairy. In a pinch it can be served with just a simple loaf of french bread. Love those all-in-one dishes!
- The pumpkin pesto is so flavorful and I love the texture. It’s always fun to use unusual ingredients.
Butternut Squash Recipes:
- Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup
- Chicken and Butternut Squash Chili
- Butternut Squash Coconut Lobster Soup
- Baked Rice with Butternut Squash
- Butternut Squash Risotto with Rosemary and Blue Cheese
Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto and Butternut Sauce
A wonderfully delicious chicken dish that's perfect in the fall!
Ingredients
PUMPKINSEED PESTO:
- 1 cup raw, hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium jalapeño chilies, seeded and coarsely chopped
- ¾ cup chicken broth
BUTTERNUT SAUCE:
- 1 large leek (washed thoroughly and sliced- white and pale green parts only)
- 1 pound butternut squash (peeled and seeds scooped out), cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chicken broth (add more, if needed)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup whipping cream (or half and half cream)
CHICKEN:
- 4 (about 1½ pounds total) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- ½ cup grated white cheddar cheese (or Monterey Jack)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour, for dredging
Instructions
MAKE THE PUMPKINSEED PESTO:
- Heat a large skillet to medium-heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring and shaking the pan until fragrant and slightly golden, about 4 minutes. (They'll pop a bit as they cook, so watch out for flying seeds!) Slide onto a paper towel on the counter to let cool.
- In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the jalapeños and cook another minute or so. Stir in the chicken broth, turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced and the chilies soften.
- Scrape the skillet mixture and pumpkin seeds into a food processor. Process until the mixture is a coarse but spreadable paste. Scoop into a bowl and let cool while you prepare the sauce. Wipe out the food processor with paper towels so it's ready to use for the sauce.
MAKE THE BUTTERNUT SAUCE:
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the squash and chicken broth, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the squash is tender (10 to 15 minutes).
- Transfer it all a to food processor, adding cumin, salt and cream. Puree until the sauce is completely smooth. Return the sauce to the skillet. If the sauce seems too thick, thin it out a little bit with additional chicken broth.
ASSEMBLE THE CHICKEN AND COOK:
- Lay each breast flat between two pieces of waxed paper. Pound until about ¼-inch-thick. Spread ¼ of the pumpkinseed pesto across each breast. Sprinkle ¼ of the cheese over the filling. Fold each breast in half to create a pocket.
- Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and carefully dredge each chicken pocket in the flour. Add to the pan, one by one. Cook until the pink is gone, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan when cooked.
- Reheat the sauce and serve each chicken breast topped with a spoonful of sauce.
Notes
- This chicken is terrific served over rice ,too.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 703kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 48g, Fat: 46g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 21g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 157mg, Sodium: 833mg, Potassium: 1283mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 13093IU, Vitamin C: 38mg, Calcium: 208mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
OK, this is officially on this weeks menu now – yum!!
I have tried this recipe over the week end and it was sooo delicious! Thanks!!!