On a Roll with Pistachios

If you've only had pistachios as a hard-to-open snack, you're in for a treat. Tweet this These nuts can be used in many more ways in the kitchen. Try crushed pistachios to coat a log of goat cheese, use them in place of pine nuts in pesto, or puree these skinny nuts into a filling for this easy weeknight chicken dinner. Serve this entrée with a side of roasted vegetables and you have yourself a balanced plate, just like the Dietary Guidelines recommend!


Pistachio Chicken Roll-Ups Tweet this

Recipe by Jessica Fishman Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted pistachios, shelled
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice, divided
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 total), flattened with a mallet
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a small food processor, pulse pistachios, garlic, mustard and ¼ cup lemon juice until it forms a paste.
  3. Lay one chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Divide pistachio mixture among chicken breasts. Spread part of pistachio mixture evenly on the top side of the chicken breast. Roll up chicken breast so the pistachio mixture is on the inside of the roll. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts and pistachio mixture. Place rolled chicken breasts on prepared baking dish.
  4. Rub outside of rolled chicken breasts with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle remaining tablespoon of lemon juice over the tops of the chicken breasts.
  5. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  6. Uncover, and bake 5 to 10 more minutes more until chicken is cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165°F.

* This recipe originally appeared on Jessica Fishman Levinson's Nutritioulicious blog in August 2015.

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Jessica Fishman Levinson
Jessica Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN, is a nationally recognized nutrition expert with a focus on culinary nutrition and communications. Jessica’s passion lies in the kitchen, where she develops nutritious and delicious recipes to feed her family and inspire others to do the same. She is an experienced and published nutrition writer, author and speaker. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.


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