This Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto recipe is a wonderful, delicious chicken dish that’s perfect in the fall! It’s topped with a butternut squash sauce.
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:
- 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.
So now you’ve got your pumpkinseed pesto and the butternut sauce ready for finishing the recipe!
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.
➡️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:
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 peppers 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!!!