She has you make your own pesto (the first 4 ingredients listed) and I used prepared pesto (one of my favorite cheats)
The Boursin cheese comes in 6 oz. rounds - FYI
After cooking the chicken - I ended up taking out about 1/2 of the pesto cheese mixture out of the middle. Since I used prepared pesto and didn't really have a measurement to go by - this was most likely my mistake. With that said - once I removed the excess pesto mixture - it was delish!
I served this with Char's Roasted Potatoes - if you haven't made those - you gotta! They rock!
Pesto Presto Italian Flag Chicken
3 tablespoons pine nuts
8-10 leaves basil, about a half a cup
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, a handful
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls
1 5.4 ounce round of Boursin garlic and herb soft cheese
4 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 slices 1/2 inch thick of vine ripe tomato, 3 medium tomatoes
Preheat oven to 450ºF. In a small pan over medium heat lightly toast the nuts then cool.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, pine nuts, Boursin cheese, 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (about a handful), some salt and pepper. Process into a smooth paste. Reserve.
Butterfly each of the chicken breasts and pound them out lightly in a plastic bag with a dash of water using a skillet or meat mallet. Season both sides of the chicken and divide the herb-cheese mixture between the four breasts, placing a scoop on one half of each breast. Fold the flap over to enclose the cheese mixture.
Transfer the chicken pockets to a baking sheet and shingle 3 slices of tomato over each breast. Season with some salt and pepper, drizzle with about 2 tablespoons EVOO and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano Reggiano (about a handful).
Bake the chicken pockets until cooked through and light golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
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