Simple Baked Chicken Pesto Bites

 

Recipe and giveaway at the bottom of the page.

 
Disclosure:  I am working in partnership with the Gourmet Garden brand and I am receiving compensation for my participation in this campaign. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.

Chad and I attended Blended 2012 in Phoenix this January (our first blogging conference) is was a lovely get together and a fabulous way to meet others with the same passion as us and get to know some really great brands.  There were a lot of door prizes and 2 HUGE swag bags full of goodies that we got to take home.  One door prize that I had my eye on was a cooler of 11 organic herbs and spices.

Seriously, I use herbs like crazy.  I eat them so often that I actually eat them to death {{sob}}.  Needless to say neither Chad nor I were the lucky winner of that prize.  {{drats!}}  Well much to my surprise I was contacted by Gourmet Garden a few days later.  They wanted to ship me that cooler!    REALLY??!?!  OK.  So 2 days later I received that very cold cooler VIA Fed Ex with 11 impressive herbs and spices inside.

It was really like Christmas.  Like any excited 8 year old I had completely researched Gourmet Garden and knew all about them, their process and the herbs and spices I was going to be receiving.  {{Obsess much?  Nah, not me!}}  A company that prides itself on convenient Organic products without sacrificing quality...  Sounds like a match made in heaven for TSRI.  We work hard to bring you simple meals; making meals fast and easy using real ingredients. 
 
Well I used these fabulous herbs and spices in just about every dish you can imagine.  Crock pot dishes, skillets, pasta bakes, salad dressings, beverages (what?  Yep!) and so much more.  I even made pesto with the Gourmet Garden Basil.  Seriously.  Have you ever tried to find basil in February?  Well, that is how these Simple Baked Chicken Pesto Bites came to be.  A readily available supply of scrumptious pesto from my fridge and a family clamoring for the next best chicken nugget.

I created a fabulous basil dipping sauce with Gourrmet Garden Basil and Garlic then quickly infused the dipping sauce into the chicken, breaded it, baked it and DEVOURED it!  Oh.my.word!!  This is incredible.  Moist, flavorful and yummy on the inside.  Perfectly crispy and delicious on the outside.  Even Chad was blown away...  and my picky 3 year old is NUTS for these 'presto nuggets and presto dippin' sauce'.  Can hardly beat that...  Except I served them with cheesy broccoli and she ate every last bite.  SCORE!

So, needless to say when Gourmet Garden asked if we would like to share their products with you it was a no brainer.  I am hooked!  In a world where convenience is king and quality reins supreme is it nearly a miracle to find a company that can bring you both.

I am so excited to announce that we will be giving away a Gourmet Garden cooler packed with 11 fabulous herbs and spices delivered straight to your door!  Really.  Fed Ex will show up with a cold cooler full of these fantastic herbs and spices.
 

They last for 3 months in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer, you can't beat that with a stick.  So, I suggest that you scroll down to the Rafflecopter widget (at the bottom of the page) and enter this giveaway.  Really.  Hurry!

Sadly, I can not give everyone a cooler.  However...  You can find these magnificent product right in the produce department of your local super center.  Score!  Found mine at Wal-Mart right next to the parsley bunches.

Dinner's Ready!

With love from our kitchen table to yours!  XO

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Simple Baked Pesto Chicken Bite Dippers
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
¾ cup sour cream
¼ cup Gourmet Garden Basil (or 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves only)
¼ cup almonds
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + more for spraying/drizzling
1 teaspoon Gourmet Garden Garlic (or 1-2 cloves)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, divided
1 cup corn flakes, crushed
1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425°F.

To create pesto sauce:  Combine sour cream, basil, almonds, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper in a food processor or blender.  Blend until mostly smooth.  Reserve 1 cup in a small serving bowl.  Pour remaining pesto into a medium size bowl.

Cut chicken into bite size pieces.  Place chicken into pesto stir to coat chicken completely.  Set aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl combine bread crumbs, corn flakes ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.  Mix to combine.

Prepare baking sheet by covering in aluminum foil and spraying with olive oil.  Use an oil mister or drizzle oil over pan.  Set aside.

One piece at a time place chicken into bread crumb mixture.  Toss to coat and gently pat crumbs onto chicken.   Place chicken on baking sheet and repeat until all chicken is breaded.

Spray chicken with olive oil mister (propellant free) or drizzle very lightly with oil.  Bake for 12-15 minutes until chicken is golden brown.

Serve with remaining pesto sauce.  Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - The Slow Roasted Italian.com 

One winner will receive a soft sided cooler with 11 Gourmet Garden Herbs and Spices delivered to your door.  Enter below VIA Rafflecopter. Only open to residents of the USA.  Entries closed at 11:55pm PST 4/11/13.  Winner will be posted on 4/12/13. 

6 Chances to Win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Disclosure:  I am working in partnership with the Gourmet Garden brand and I am receiving compensation for my participation in this campaign. All thoughts/opinions are 100% my own.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED