Pesto-presto chicken are feel-good favorites. I make cozy meals for myself or for my family at the end of especially long days, on nights when I feel a cold coming on, or when we are in need of a little cheering up at your house.

SERVES 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons pine nuts

8 to 10 fresh basil leaves, about ½ cup

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, a handful

1 (5.4-ounce) round of Boursin garlic and herb soft cheese

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls

Salt and pepper

4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast (6 ounces each)

12 (½-inch-thick) slices of vine-ripened tomato, from about 3 medium tomatoes

2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

In a small pan over medium heat, lightly toast the pine nuts, then set aside to cool. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the basil, parsley, pine nuts, Boursin cheese, and ¼ cup of the Parmigiano.

Season with a little salt and pepper and process into a smooth mixture. Butterfly each piece of chicken breast by slicing into but not all the way through the breast at the equator. Open the two halves as if you were opening a book.

Pound the split breasts with a meat mallet to about ¼-inch thickness. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, then divide the herb-cheese mixture among the four pieces of chicken using a couple of small spoons.

Fold the chicken in half (like closing a book) to enclose the cheese mixture.

Transfer the chicken to a nonstick rimmed baking sheet and shingle 3 slices of tomato over each breast. Drizzle the stuffed breasts with about 2 tablespoons of EVOO and sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano.

Bake the chicken until it’s cooked through and light golden brown, about 20 minutes.