Two "go-to" chicken recipes

We are a chicken family. I grew up eating little red meat, so my go-to meal almost always is chicken. My poor husband has to remind me to integrate red meat sometimes! ;) Here are two VERY simple, VERY quick, and VERY delicious recipes. 


Pesto Chicken:

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless chicken breast
1/4 cup or more pesto
1 1/2 t sour cream (you can add more or leave this out if you don't do dairy)
1 1/2 t mayo *here is a link to a Paleo mayo recipe to make this fit the Paleo diet, and take out the sour cream*  Paleo Mayo
1 T pine nuts
1 T shredded parmesan cheese (also optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Arrange chicken in single layer baking pan. (I cut my chicken breast in half for smaller portions and faster cooking!) Combine pesto, sour cream, and mayo in small cup. Brush over chicken. Sprinkle cheese and pine nuts. 
2. Bake about 10 minutes or until chicken is not longer pink. 

*Serve with rice, pasta, or by itself!

Dijon Chicken:

Ingredients: 

• 8 small chicken thighs, skin removed
• 3 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T light mayonnaise Paleo Mayo
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 lime, squeezed, and lime zest
• 3/4 T pepper
• salt
• dried parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. 

2. Rinse the chicken and remove the skin and all fat. Pat dry;place in a large bowl and season generously with salt. 

3. In a small bowl combine Dijon, mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, garlic and pepper. Mix well. 

4. Pour over chicken, tossing well to coat.

5. Spray a large baking pan with a little Pam to prevent sticking since all the fat and skin was removed from chicken. Place chicken to fit in a single layer. Top the chicken with dried parsley. 

6. Bake until cooked through, about 30-35 minutes. Finish the chicken under the broiler until it is golden brown.