Chicken Breast With Orange Basil Pesto

I haven't tried a new recipe for a couple of weeks.  I haven't forgotten about my goal.  I just didn't have a usable kitchen.  My kitchen was in ruins as my husband and brother-in-law finished a backsplash, put down new counters and installed a new sink.  Now that my new and improved kitchen is put back together, I'm ready to cook!  I searched for chicken recipes and picked this one from ifood.tv.  Chicken Breast with Orange Basil Pesto sounds fancy and elegant, but how will it taste?

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons grated orange rind

2 cloves garlic, peeled

3 tablespoons Florida orange juice

1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

3 whole chicken breasts, halved

Directions

Preheat broiler.  Place basil, orange rind and garlic in food processor and process until finely chopped.

Add orange juice, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper; process a few seconds or until paste is formed.

Spread an equal amount of basil mixture under skin and on bone side of each chicken breast.  Place chicken, skin sides down, on broiler pan.  Place 4 inches from heat source. Broil 10 minutes. Turn chicken over and broil 10 to 12 minutes more until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with fork.  If chicken browns too quickly, cover with foil.  Remove skin from chicken.

I had 2 oranges in the refrigerator.  I grated my own orange rind and also squeezed 3 Tablespoons of juice from them.  I didn't need Florida orange juice.

First step: basil, orange rind and garlic cloves in the food processor.  I processed until they were finely chopped.

Next: I added the rest of the pesto ingredients (orange juice, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper) and processed.  Here's the pesto.

Finally: I Spread the pesto under the chicken's skin.  I turned it over and spread some pesto on the bone side as well before I stuck these in the oven to broil.  I used a broil pan and the Lo Broil setting on my oven.  After 10 minutes I flipped the chicken over and checked it again after another 12 minutes.  It wasn't done.  I put a sheet of foil on top of the chicken and let it cook for another 15 minutes.  My chicken pieces were quite large.  They did come out juicy and brown on top.

The Results...

This wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't extraordinary.  The chicken was nice and moist and it had a hint of flavor from the orange basil pesto.  My kids like chicken and they were happy to eat this.  My husband and I thought it was lacking in flavor.  It needed a little kick from somewhere.  Maybe a sauce or maybe grilling it instead of broiling to add some smokiness?  My 10 year old liked his chicken better when he dipped it in a honey mustard sauce.  I still have enough of this chicken leftover to make another meal, maybe quesadillas?  Chicken breast with Orange Basil Pesto sounds better than it tastes.