Pesto Chicken Cups

Little Cups, Gently Filled

There's something quietly satisfying about food that fits in your hands — small, contained, and complete. These baked cups came together one evening when I wanted something generous enough for a table of people but unhurried enough to still feel homemade. Pesto has that quality of making everything around it taste more alive, more itself. Tucked into a golden shell with tender chicken and soft, yielding cheese, it becomes the kind of appetizer that disappears slowly — not because people are restrained, but because they want to linger.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Alessi Garlic Puree
• 1 pound ground chicken
• Alessi Sea Salt and Alessi Black Peppercorns
• 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons Alessi Pesto di Liguria
• 1 tablespoon can flaky layer biscuits (6 count)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a skillet, heat oil and garlic over medium heat.
3. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Transfer chicken to a mixing bowl and stir in grated cheese and pesto.
6. Separate each of the six biscuits into two even layers.
7. Press each layer into a greased muffin tin, making 12 total.
8. Firmly press biscuit dough into tin on bottom and sides to form a small cup.
9. Fill dough cups with chicken mixture and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes, let cool for 2-3 minutes. Serve.