Let’s face it. Time is tight at the end of the day, by the time dinner rolls around. But a solid dinner is so important to continue to fuel your body well for the work you’re asking it to do day in and day out with training, life, work, and more life. This fun and delish dinner is quick, easy, and a real crowd pleaser. It takes minimal time. Minimal ingredients but packs maximal flavor.
Think tacos meet your favorite pesto pasta dish, and that’s dinner. Just mix your favorite premade pesto with ground chicken breast. Spread that onto flour tortillas, then place the tortilla chicken-side down into a pan to quickly cook the meat. This will only take 3 – 5 minutes, and poof! It’s done.
My favorite part of these tacos is flipping them back over onto the tortilla side to melt the cheese. The tortilla gets nice and crispy, so your final tacos have a delicious crunch. Once you’ve cooked both sides of your taco, just top with your favorite lettuce (I used arugula for extra spiciness), sundried tomatoes (you could also use fresh cherry tomatoes), and some parmesan cheese. And just like that, a delicious restaurant-worthy dinner is served.
The other thing I love about this recipe is it is very easy for everyone in your house to meet their nutrition needs. Just eat more tacos!!! Two, three, four, and I’m not mad about five tacos down the hatch to keep up with your personal nutrition needs for training. If you need to grab gluten-free tortillas, do it. If you need to avoid dairy, skip that part and grab a vegan pesto. Make them work for you!
Smashed Chicken Pesto Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- 2 - 3 tbsp pesto
- 8 tortillas, standard size 6 inch
- fresh mozzarella balls
- fresh greens use your favorite lettuce
- sundried tomatoes jar packed in oil
- shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the uncooked ground chicken and pesto. Use 3 tbsp pesto if you want a stronger flavor.
- Spread the chicken mixture over the tortillas evenly. It will be a fairly thin layer, approximately 2 oz of meat.
- Heat a skillet over low to medium heat. I set the oven dial to 4. Do not let the pan get too hot or the tacos will burn before the chicken is cooked through.
- Add a small amount of oil to your pan to prevent sticking. Then, place the tortilla meat side down in the heated pan. Cover and cook for 4 - 5 minutes or until the meat is cooked through and browned. With a metal spatula, flip the taco. Add 4 - 5 mozzarella cheese balls on top of the cooked chicken. Cover and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt and the tortilla is browned.
- Repeat this process until all your tacos are cooked. You can use a large skillet and cook multiple at once, if desired.
- Once the tacos are cooked, top with greens, sundried tomatoes, and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!