Grilled Bundles Of Chicken And Tomatoes With Basil Pesto Sauce

You don’t have to be a ‘grill master’ to turn out delicious gourmet foods the next time you cookout. Even novice grill-cooks can make a meal that looks and tastes great. All it takes is a few flavorful ingredients and an easy recipe. Cooking the chicken together with the vegetables, pesto, and mayonnaise helps seal in the juices and tenderizes the chicken.

This recipe calls for basil pesto.  It’s easy to find in any grocery store, but you may prefer to make your own, especially if you’re growing basil in your garden.  I’ve included the recipe below, which will make 1 cup of pesto.  Just store what you don’t use in the refrigerator.

Surprise your family with this flavor-packed dinner tonight!

• 4 chicken breasts, skin and bone removed
• 4 ripe tomatoes, each quartered
• 1 medium sweet onion, quartered
• 1/2 cup basil pesto
• 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp butter, divided

Prepare the grill to medium-high heat.
Tear off 4 large sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil and place a chicken breast on each one, then top each with the tomatoes and onion, evenly distributing each.
In a small bowl, whisk together the pesto and mayonnaise and spoon this mixture over chicken and veggies, then cut the butter into quarters and place a pat of butter on each; then fold foil over tightly sealing them.
Put on grill on indirect heat, close cover, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, spinning the packet around once during this cooking time.
Remove and let sit for 5 minutes before opening.
Serves 4.

Homemade Fresh Basil Pesto

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed firmly
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil (more or less according to the consistency you want)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

You’ll need to do this in a food processor.
Put the basil and nuts in and pulse until chopped fine.
Add the garlic and pulse again until garlic is chopped.
Now, turn the processor on steady and slowly start drizzling in the olive oil with the processor running.
Stop the processor and scrape down the pesto from the sides with a rubber spatula, then continue blending.
Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse until blended thoroughly.
Stop and add salt and pepper, pulse, stop and taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.
Makes 1 cup.

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