Contemporary Kitchen - Pesto Ranch Chicken

I have a busy schedule, and we have fallen into the very bad habit of eating out practically every night... No Joke.  I'm trying to save some extra money and this is the most obvious place to start.  I have tons of recipes pinned on pinterest that I would like to try but I have one major problem.  My Dear Hubby hates casseroles and anything that comes out of a crockpot... purely psychological, I think.  I mean, if you choose the right recipes, what is the difference between a pot roast cooked in the oven and a pot roast cooked in a crockpot, other than you can put it in the crockpot before you leave for work and eat it when you get home?  So you may see a few more of recipes like this from me... crockpot recipes revamped for the oven.  I know, completely opposite of what most people want, but I will also include or link to the crock pot recipe for the normal people out there.

Another aside... we are a family of three that eat small portion sizes and do not eat leftovers... so even if I am following a recipe for 8 servings, I usually cut it down at some point so we have just enough for dinner. Therefore, my pictures will not necessarily reflect the recipes serving size, but I will post the recipe for the larger size.

The idea for this recipe is Pesto Ranch Crock Pot Chicken from Picky Palate and appears very simple as most crockpot recipes are... just dump it all in.  This does make a creamier sauce, and I may play with my recipe in the future to make a creamier sauce as well.

There are only four ingredients and nothing out of the ordinary. Chicken; I used boneless skinless breasts. I happened to have thin cut on hand (I only used 1/3 of the package shown and froze the rest), 1 packet of ranch dressing mix (I have a jar, 3Tbs = 1 Packet), I also added granulated garlic, and a jar of pesto sauce.

Mix the ranch and the granulated garlic, coat both sides of  the chicken and place it in a 9 x 13 baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Stir the prepared pesto and spoon some over the top of each piece of chicken. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake.  These thin cut breasts took 30 minutes.  I would probably cook regular breasts 45 minutes.

Guess what? Dear Hubby loved it! 

I hope you enjoy this recipe... Please be sure to comment and let me know what you think and/or if you try it!

Love and God's peace to you,
Christine