Baked Pesto Chicken
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Rich and savory, budget-friendly Baked Pesto Chicken is a high protein dinner recipe, easy to make in 30 minutes!
This is definitely one of the high protein recipes you should keep in your back pocket for busy weeknights. When your tired body wants to order takeout but you know that cooking at home is less expensive, this is the recipe to make!
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Why This Recipe is a Favorite
It’s a delicious 30 minute skillet meal. Everything comes together in a snap, and because it’s baked in one pan, clean up is a breeze!
I make large batches of dairy free pesto and freeze it. If you do that too, there will be very little prep to do!
The recipe is super flexible and adaptable to whatever your family likes. There’s a rich layer of gooey mozzarella that adds a lot of richness and flavor to the pesto chicken breasts. That being said, if eating dairy-free is important, just skip the cheese.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
We absolutely LOVE this recipe! Thank you for posting this!
–Bonny
If you want other baked chicken dishes, make some BBQ Chicken Thighs or Mexican Chicken Stuffed Peppers.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This is what you’ll need to make baked pesto chicken at home:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Use plain chicken breasts or for extra flavor, use marinated chicken breasts!
- Olive oil or avocado oil.
- Pesto: Use my dairy free pesto recipe to stay Whole30 and Paleo compliant. If that isn’t important, this basil walnut pesto is really delicious! Or, feel free to buy it from the store if that’s easiest for you.
- Cherry tomatoes: You can use any variety that you like; Roma, heirlooms, and grape tomatoes are all good options. Just cut the larger tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices.
- Mozzarella cheese (optional): The cheese is Keto friendly but not Whole30 or Paleo. Use it or not, whichever you prefer!
- Salt and black pepper
How to Make Baked Pesto Chicken
This is just a summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️
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- Grease the bottom of the baking dish. Drizzle the olive oil on the bottom of an oval or square baking dish.
- Add the chicken breasts. It’s okay if they’re smooshed in a little bit, because they’ll shrink as they cook.
- Spread pesto over the chicken breasts. You don’t need to completely cover the breasts with pesto, but spread it evenly.
- Sprinkle mozzarella over the top of the pesto, if using.
I recommend shredding a fresh block of cheese — it melts better than bagged shreds.
- Add a layer of tomatoes. You don't need to cover the casserole dish. Just bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.
- Once it comes out of the oven, garnish with some fresh basil and salt and pepper and serve.
We absolutely LOVE this recipe! We love the flavors and the final result.
— Bonny
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve pesto chicken with a side of Keto friendly sautéed spinach, instant pot cauliflower mashed potatoes, or spaghetti squash.
Meal Prep Instructions
This chicken pesto recipe can be prepared the night before you plan to cook it. Layer the chicken, pesto, and tomatoes in the baking dish, then cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook it.
Other 30 Minute Dinner Ideas
If you make this recipe, please give it a star rating and leave a comment below to let me know how it went!
Easy Baked Pesto Chicken
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ cup dairy free pesto or other pesto of your choice
- 3 roma tomatoes or other low-seed tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded full fat mozzarella cheese optional
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375℉. Slice tomatoes into ½-inch slices, then set them aside.
- Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast to a uniform thickness. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, and lightly season with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle oil on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Lay the chicken breasts inside the baking dish. Note: It's okay if they're squished and overlapping a little, as they'll shrink while they cook. Just avoid stacking them in a large pile.
- Spoon the pesto evenly over the breasts. Arrange the sliced tomatoes over the pesto.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or when internal temperature at the thickest portion of the poultry reaches 163℉. Remove from the oven, and allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes. The chicken will continue cooking to a safe internal temperature of 165℉.
- Plate and garnish with fresh basil leaves and additional black pepper if desired.
Notes
- This dish can be prepared the night before you plan to cook it. Layer the chicken, pesto, and tomatoes in the baking dish, then cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Set it in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook it.
So when do I add the mozzarella cheese if I’m using any?
I’d add it the last 15 minutes or so. 🙂 -Laurra
We absolutely LOVE this recipe! Our only hitch (and I would love to hear your thoughts) is that is always, every single time, takes about twice the time to cook. I’ve tried it in 2 different ovens, and both times it took at least double the time at the given temperature. I’ve tried raising the temp, and that risked drying it out more. We love the flavors and the final result, but it seems to cook much slower that the recipe calls for.
Thank you for posting this!
Hi Bonny! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy the dish! I’m a little stumped about the cook time, too! My first thought is that you could be using larger chicken breasts than I used, but it might also make sense to double check the internal temperature of the chicken for doneness (165F at the thickest part). I’ll look back over my notes next time I make this at home and see if I can come up with any other possibilities, and please let me know if you get to the bottom of it on your end! Thanks again for your kind feedback!! -Laura