Receta Ad: Pesto-Chicken Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes {recipe}
My family {the Hungry Harps} is a pack of meat lovers. We chow down on beef, pork, seafood and all types of poultry - but nothing compares to our consumption of Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts. I love how versatile they are to cook with, my husband loves how much protein he is getting with each serving and my kids love to make cluck-cluck noises during dinner. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts are a win-win-win in our house!
For a quick lunch {who wants anything but?}, I recently decided to jazz up some Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts and make a batch of Pesto-Chicken Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes. My husband and I are both fools for finger foods and our kiddos love how the Crostinis resemble small pizzas. I needed a couple items for my recipe, including Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, so I headed to Sam's Club for the goods. I spotted a new brand of all natural chicken that was nearly sold out. If there is anything I know - if something is sold out, or close to, it's worth checking out.
The brand is NatureRaised Farms and I am their newest fan!
First off, there are no antibiotics given to the chickens, ever. This is a huge deal to a Momma trying to keep her family healthy. If a chicken is given antibiotics and then you eat the chicken - you guessed it, you are putting that antibiotic into your bloodstream. It's not a pretty thing but thankfully more consumers and companies are jumping onto the "No Antibiotics" bandwagon and it's going mainstream. Plus, NatureRaised Farm chickens are fed 100% Vegetarian meal {no animal protein or bakery by-products (which could include eggs)}and are raised cage free. They are not raised on huge factory farms but on farms run by independent owners and families. In a nutshell: NatureRaised Farm Chicken is freaking awesome and has me hooked.
And I am loving the packaging it came in at Sam's Club! Each pack of chicken was divided up into 4 packets - making it easy to store in the freezer and saving me time from having to divide it up myself after I'm done shopping.
I am not one for photos of raw chicken - but you gotta admit, these are some good looking raw chicken breasts. {seasoned with garlic salt and ground black pepper for grilling}
And I couldn't just leave you hanging with a picture of raw chicken - check it out after being grilled!
Ok, so let's get to these Pesto-Chicken Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes - they're what the cool kids are eating these day. {well, my kiddos are pretty cool...} The recipe is a breeze to make, all of the ingredients can be stored in your pantry {um, not the chicken} and it's healthier than any drive-thru your thinking about going to! Oh yeah, and it's so delicious that you'll slap your Grandma. {so make sure you got your running shoes on!}
Mix together chicken, olives, pesto sauce, fresh oregano and sun-dried tomatoes, then let chill for a couple hours. I used this time to kick-back and relax {not really} and get the Crostini bread ready {true story}. Heat oven to 350, slice some baguette bread, brush olive oil on both sides and add salt & pepper to taste. Bake the bread for about 10-15 minutes or until they start to turn a golden-brown. Let cool before adding the Pesto-Chicken mixture.
When the Pesto-Chicken Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes were finished being prepared we enjoyed them as a nice little lunch, with fruit as our healthy side dish. Wish I would have thought of Crostini for lunch before - it was a hit with everyone!
Pesto-Chicken Crostini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- {yields 3 cups Pesto-Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes}
- Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts {I used NatureRaised Farms chicken}
- ¼ cup chopped olives
- ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup pesto sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
Directions
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Chill for at least 2 hours to let flavors marinade.
3. Serve on top crostini bread, garnish with leftover fresh oregano.
If you are wanting a free taste-test, there will be demos for NatureRaised Farms Chicken this Saturday {1/4/2014} at participating Sam's Clubs across America. I would totally recommend checking it out! Or if you are just in search of delicious chicken recipes, check out #NatureRaised on Twitter & Facebook, where they are sharing wonderful ideas all the time!