This Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto and Butternut Sauce recipe is a wonderful, delicious chicken dish that’s perfect in the fall!

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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.

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.

So now you’ve got your pumpkinseed pesto and the butternut sauce ready for finishing the recipe!

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

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5 from 2 votes

Chicken with Pumpkinseed Pesto and Butternut Sauce

A wonderfully delicious chicken dish that's perfect in the fall!

Recipe Details

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 1 20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butternut squash, chicken, chicken breast, pesto

Servings: servings

Calories: 703kcal

Author: RecipeGirl.com (adapted from the cookbook: Eat Feed Autumn Winter)

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