Go Back
Roasted garlic and pesto chicken fingers

Roasted Garlic and Pesto Chicken Fingers

Estee
Course Main Dish

Ingredients
  

Walnut Pesto(makes 1/2 cup)

  • 2 cups basil leaves, washed and dried
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp Black pepper
  • 4 Tbs olive oil

Chicken Tenders

  • 5 chicken breasts cleaned and cut into strips about finger length
  • 1 head of roasted garlic(instructions below)
  • 1/2 tsp Black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 Tbs honey
  • 1/2 cup pesto(store bought or homemade walnut pesto)
  • 1-2 cups panko crumbs
  • oil, for frying or baking spray for baking

Instructions
 

Walnut Pesto

  • Add basil, garlic, walnuts, salt, and pepper to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend until it won't blend anymore. Scrape down the sides of the machine, and drizzle in olive oil. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down any large pieces of basil.

Roasted Garlic

  • SUGGESTION:roast a couple heads of garlic at some point when the oven is already on- just pop um along in there and then use them whenever you see fit.
  • To roast garlic, cut a head of garlic in half, place in a large square of aluminium foil, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and close up the foil. Bake or roast in the oven for about 45 minutes on high temperature, until the cloves are soft when poked with a fork and pop out of the skins.

To assemble Chicken Tenders

  • Season chicken pieces with black pepper and salt. Place roasted garlic in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the pesto, honey, and chicken. Mix to combine. You can do this in the morning and let the flavours marinate or just continue on.
  • Place panko crumbs in another bowl, add the chicken tenders and gently mix until each piece is coated. You can do this one by one or throw all of them in like I do. Add panko crumbs if needed so all the pieces are coated!
  • Heat up a pan of oil and fry the pieces in batches until golden on each side(this should take around 3 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel and enjoy hot!
  • To bake: Line a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper and arrange the chicken pieces, making sure they aren't touching one another(so the edges get crispy). Spray the tops with baking spray and bake on 350f/175c until golden, flip and bake the second side.