Roasted chicken breast topped with thick sliced haloumi cheese, juicy roma tomatoes and a spicy calabrian chili parsley pesto.

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Halloumi cheese, calabrian chili and roasted chicken are the perfect bunch! It really make an amazingly beautiful dish that looks like it takes long but is really an under an hour kinda thing. Haloumi has been my favorite cheese for as long as I can remember. Its a semi- hard sheep’s milk cheese that really hold well to heat. I love using it because it can really stand on its own by pan frying or grilling or due to its mild taste can really fall into the background and place nice with everyone. Calabrian chilis on the other hand are always a stand out they have a little smokiness mixed with a saltiness, and an underlying sweetness that really makes them special. Together the entire dish with the help of the roasted sweet tomatoes, roasted garlic and the freshness from the herbs in the pesto makes this really come together. Check out my tips and tricks below for the best chicken and halloumi. If you try this recipe out make sure to let me know what you think!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE BEST CHICKEN AND HALOUMI WITH CALABRIAN CHILI PESTO:

sear your chicken first: since you’ll be topping this chicken with cheese before you put it in the oven to add some color sear it quickly in a hot pan with olive oil.

slice your tomatoes thick: slicing the tomatoes thick will keep the cheese and chicken from drying out and it’ll keep the tomatoes from burning.

change up the cheese: haloumi can be hard to find. to keep this dish no pressure substitute it with mozzarella or provolone but try to get slices or a block . Shredded will just dry out by the time it gets out of the oven.

cant find calabrian chili?: in the spirit of keeping things simple you can always substitute red pepper flakes or to make things sweeter roasted red peppers in oil.

SIMILAR INGREDIENTS TO:

1. GARLIC BUTTER CRAWFISH SMOTHERED GRILLED CHICKEN
2. HERB ROASTED CHICKEN W/ ROASTED GARLIC BROWN GRAVY
3. BITTER-ORANGE ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST

ENJOY THIS RECIPE WITH:

1. DOUBLE GARLIC FIDEO W/ GRILLED EGGPLANT
2. SMASHED BLUE CHEESE POTATOES
3. RED WINE FIDEO PASTA W/ GARLIC AND CHERRY TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Chicken Breast, split in half
• 7oz Halloumi cheese
• 4 Roma tomatoes, thick sliced
• Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• 4 Garlic Cloves, sliced
• 1/2c Marsala Wine
• 1tsp Rosemary
• Olive Oil
• CALABRIAN CHILI PESTO
• 3-4 Calabrian Chilis, in oil
• 2TB Pumpkin Seeds
• 6 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Bunch Flat Leaf Parsley
• 1/4- 1/2c Olive Oil
• 1tsp White Wine Vinegar
• Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS

• SPLIT AND SEASON CHICKEN: Split chicken in half if its thick. Lightly pound it and season generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
• SEAR CHICKEN: Add olive oil to a hot pan and sear the chicken on both sides. For about 3 minutes per side. Till golden brown.
• BUILD: Once chicken is seared. First lay down sliced garlic and rosemary on the chicken, then halloumi cheese, followed by tomatoes . Pour Marsala wine over the top of chicken.
• BAKE: Bake at 350 for 20 minutes till chicken is cooked throughout.
• MAKE PESTO: To make your pesto start off by adding pumpkin seeds, calabrian chilis and garlic cloves to the food processor. Pulse till everything is broken down so about a minute, scraping the sides as you go. Then add in Parsley and start slowly drizzling in olive oil till its reached your ideal consistency. Finish the pesto with vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.