Pesto Chicken Recipe

This Pesto Chicken Recipe is one of the easiest dishes to make. The pesto chicken bake is thrown together in five minutes and cooked in less than an hour. You can eat it with a side dish, cut it up in a salad, or as a chicken pesto sandwich. The rich and flavorful dish will certainly become a favorite.

We stay busy around here throughout most of the week. I’m taking kids all over creation for music lessons, after-school functions, and then trying to help them get through homework each night. So, when I can fix an easy meal for supper, I am all over it.

This chicken pesto bake has all the goods–pesto sauce, parmesan cheese, and cherry tomatoes–for a mouthwatering flavorful combination. And the best part? The chicken pesto bake takes all of five minutes to prepare. Yep, you read that right, five minutes. Bam. Done. 

My youngest will try anything, but I was curious if my oldest would like the pesto sauce. We don’t eat a lot of pesto around here and I’m not sure why because I love it.

I even took a class way back in the day to learn how to make pesto.  So, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the oldest loved the pesto on the chicken. We ate the chicken with a side dish and it was filling.

My husband is on a diet and took his piece of chicken, cut it up, and made a chicken pesto salad out of it. And, if you have leftovers, this also makes a great chicken pesto sandwich the next day. 

Recipe and printable instructions listed below

How To Make The Recipe

Lay your chicken breasts side-by-side in a casserole dish. You don’t need to spray the dish with non-stick spray since the chicken won’t stick in this recipe.

I used four chicken breasts in this recipe because there are four of us here at home. You can use as little or as many as you’d like, and that’s another bonus of this recipe.  

Spread the pesto sauce on top of the chicken. You can either make your own pesto sauce or buy it in a jar. I used a jar for this recipe and it was very flavorful.

If you buy the small 3.5 oz. jar of Alessi Pesto it will be the perfect size for the four chicken breasts. I used the entire jar, and you can see in the pic above that it was the right amount. It was affordable, too.   

 

Next, you’re going to sprinkle the parmesan cheese right on top of the pesto sauce. Easy peasy.   

 

Finally, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and throw them right on top of the pesto chicken. The tomatoes are going to add a little flavor and a pop of color, as well. They are so pretty!

You can use just a few or a lot, whichever you decide to do. Chicken pesto with tomatoes sure adds a lot of flavor to an already great meal.   

Once you get the cherry tomatoes on top of the pesto chicken recipe add it to the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink, on 350-degrees. If the cheese starts to get really brown, you can put some tin foil over the top for the last few minutes. 

Above all, this is one of the easiest meals to make for family. I just know y’all will love how it turns out. 

What To Serve With Pesto Chicken

• Oven Baked Potato Wedges.
• 10-Minute Scalloped Corn with Cheese
• Broccoli Cheese Bake 
• Cheesy Diced Baked Potatoes

   

Yield: 4 chicken breasts

Pesto Chicken Recipe

Print

This Pesto Chicken Recipe is one of the easiest dishes to make. The pesto chicken bake is thrown together in five minutes and cooked in less than an hour. You can eat it with a side dish, cut it up in a salad, or as a chicken pesto sandwich. The rich and flavorful dish will certainly become a favorite.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 3.5 oz. pesto sauce
• 8 oz. shredded parmesan cheese
• 5-10 cherry tomatoes (diced)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

1. Add four chicken breasts to a casserole dish.
2. Spread the entire jar of pesto sauce over the chicken.
3. Sprinkle the 8 oz. of shredded parmesan cheese over the pesto sauce.
4. Slice the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle over the chicken.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Notes

If the cheese begins to brown, place tinfoil over the top for the remainder of the cooking time.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1 breast
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 590Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 149mgSodium: 1193mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 62g

Nutrition is approximate.

Other Meals You Might Enjoy

Easy Dorito Taco Salad   

 

Cream Cheese Dip with Sausage

 

For more delicious recipes head on over to Southern Plate, The Country Cook, Julia’s Simply Southern, and Southern Home Express.