crispy baked chicken fingers and green pea pesto sauce

Tonight's menu is chicken fingers served with whole wheat pasta with green pea pesto sauce!  This is my first time with the chicken fingers but I make this pesto at least once a month to top a homemade pizza or pasta side dish! Green peas aren't my favorite and i don't like them all mounded up on the side of a plate but I know that they are good for you so I found a way to hide them in a pasta sauce! Trust me, the basil and garlic completely hide the fact that you are eating a green veggie. I always keep a bag of petite green peas in my freezer just for this recipe. Publix recently had a BOGO on frozen organic green peas so I stocked up!


My next post will come early next week and will feature a slow cook recipe for pork tenderloin which are on sale at the Pig until tomorrow.

Panko Crusted Chicken Fingers-these guys are baked  and are so good! Remember that chicken tenders are on sale at Piggly Wiggly through saturday. I got a package of 13 fingers for a little over $4.  This recipe should be enough to have extra for kids or to cut up over a salad for lunch.  Use whatever type of mayo that you like.  I use the olive oil kind and in this capacity, it really isn't adding but about 10 calories per finger. The great thing is mayo adds a little extra flavor and enables the breadcrumbs to stick nicely to the chicken without the mess of using eggs, flour and milk! Wade liked his with ketchup but Reg and I dipped ours in Ken's light honey mustard.

2 cups panko breadcrumbs
 3 tbsp. canola oil
 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
Cooking spray
2 lbs. chicken tenders

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil.  Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer the toasted crumbs to a shallow dish or pie plate. Spray a wire rack lightly with cooking spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet.
 Mix the mustard and mayonnaise together along with a half tsp of salt. Using the back of a spoon or a basting brush, lightly coat both sides of the chicken then coat each piece in the toasted breadcrumbs before placing on the wire rack.
 Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray.  Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 12-15 minutes.  Serve warm.

Green Pea Pesto Sauce-this is much thicker than your normal pesto because there's not a lot of oil in it. you can add more if you prefer but if you toss it with hot pasta it should melt and coat the pasta nicely.

1 cup loosely packed basil
1 cup green peas thawed according to package directions
1 garlic clove (or 2 if they are really small)
1/3 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional if you like spicy) 
1 box pasta (I am using whole wheat rotini)  

Throw the basil, peas, garlic, and Parmesan in a food processor and blend. Scrape down the sides to make sure that all the garlic gets chopped up.  Add in the salt and olive oil and blend again. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and immediately return the pasta to the hot pan over low heat while it's still wet. Add in the pesto and stir over the low heat until the sauce melts and the pasta begins to absorb the pesto about 5 minutes. Serve!

P.S. we actually had this last night for dinner and Reg said that it was like candy. That tells you how much he likes this pesto!