Chicken Pesto Patties!

We eat a lot of chicken in our house and I am continually thinking of different ways to prepare it. There are many chicken burger recipes out there, but this one I put together the other night is a little different, very moist and delicious!

I topped the Chicken Pesto Patties with a sauce made by mixing one part mayonnaise to two parts pesto. Served with old fashioned peas and carrots and mashed cauliflower.

Ingredients:
I large boneless, skinless chicken breast or 2 small breasts, diced
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
Scant 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 heaping Tbsp. prepared pesto (or your own)
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs, more for coating
1 tsp. salt; 1/8+ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Butter and oil for sauting, about 1 Tbsp. each

Preparation:
Dice the chicken. Finely dice onion and red pepper. Mince the garlic. Add all to the diced chicken breast along with the pesto, egg, 1/2 cup Panko, salt and pepper. Gently, but thoroughly mix and form into 6 generous patties.

The patties will be quite loose, but firm up when chilled and then cooked. Cover a plate or tray with a coating of the Panko and place the patties into the bread crumbs. Top each patty with an even amount of crumbs and using your hands press gently into each patty. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or longer. Bring to room temp before sauting in butter and oil.
These patties also freeze well uncooked. Wrap them individually before freezing.

Since I had a little pesto left over, the other night I topped the pesto onto plain chicken breasts with a little grated cheese, which really jazzed up the chicken. Using either a thin chicken breast or pounding to 1/4 inch thickness, dredge the chicken in flour, salt, pepper, other herbs or your choice. Very quickly pan sear (about 2 minutes per side) in hot oil and butter until golden. Top with generous amount of pesto and grated cheese. I used a nice, aged Irish cheddar as that is what I had in the house. Heat in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes until cheese melts.

Served with roasted sweet potatoes and roasted asparagus.