Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken

     It's Recipe Tuesday!  Today I thought I'd share with you our new favorite chicken recipe: Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken.  I originally found this in a Pampered Chef recipe book but tweaked it just a bit after I realized it wasn't quiet as lemony as I'd like it!

     My husband and I agree that baking chicken in the covered baker is the only way we're going to make chicken from now on (unless we want grilled chicken, then we'll use the Foreman!).  The chicken is SO tender and juicy that there's no need for a knife!

     I must confess that we were missing one important ingredient from the recipe when I made it.  We didn't have a single vegetable in the house (seriously) so my dish isn't topped with tomato like it should be.  Speaking of veggies, if you'd rather skip the noodles this dish would be great chilled and served over salad with toasted pine nuts.

Creamy Lemon-Pesto Chicken

1 lemon

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup 1% milk

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 cup basil pesto (I prefer Classico brand)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp lemon-pepper seasoning

12 oz egg noodles (1 bag)

2 plum tomatoes

Basil leaves (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Over low heat, melt butter in saucepan.  Add flour and 1 tsp lemon zest and whisk until smooth.  Add milk, juice from 1/2 lemon and garlic to mixture.  Turn heat up to medium and continue to whisk until thickened.  Add pesto; mix well.

2.  Season chicken with seasoning.  Place chicken in covered baker, overlapping if necessary.  Pour sauce over chicken.  Bake, covered, for 30-35 minutes.  Carefully remove from oven and let stand uncovered for 5 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, cook egg noodles according to package directions; drain.  Seed and dice tomatoes.  Serve chicken and sauce over pasta; garnish with tomatoes, juice from lemon and basil. Enjoy!