Dairy-Free Creamy Pesto Chicken (with cashew sauce)
Chicken in a silky cashew cream sauce, with the pesto stirred in at the end, off the heat, so it stays bright green and tastes like fresh basil. Make something starchy to go underneath, because there is a lot of sauce.
Ingredients
- 4 medium chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons EACH: garlic powder and onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoons raw cashew butter, see notes
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons dairy-free pesto
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts on both sides with the garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan with high sides. Add the chicken breasts and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.4 medium chicken breasts, 2 teaspoons EACH: garlic powder and onion powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- While the chicken is cooking, mix the cashew butter with the water. Pour this over the chicken then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. (see notes) Let the chicken simmer for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.4 tablespoons raw cashew butter, 1 ¾ cups water, 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the pesto and lemon juice.3 tablespoons dairy-free pesto, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Notes
If you have a high-powered blender you can make your own cashew butter. Blend 2 cups of raw cashews with 1 tablespoon of oil until creamy. You'll have 1 cup of cashew butter and the extra will keep for many weeks in your fridge.
If the sauce gets a little too thick, thin it with a splash of water.
Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 455kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 53g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 146mg, Sodium: 970mg, Potassium: 1198mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 873IU, Vitamin C: 31mg, Calcium: 57mg, Iron: 3mg