Pesto Chicken Recipe

grilled chicken pieces with some roasted tomatoes on the sides on a baking tray

5 from 16 votes

Pesto Chicken GRILLED OR OVEN BAKED, smothered in a creamy, homemade Basil Pesto! Served with cherry tomatoes, this chicken is out-of-this-world crazy good with ONLY 2 main ingredients!

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baked Pesto Chicken, Easy Pesto Chicken, Grilled Pesto Chicken, Pesto Chicken

Servings:

Author: Karina Carrel

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breast fillets skinless
1/2 cup basil pesto plus 1/4 cup extra for serving. Use this recipe for homemade pesto or you can use store bought.
1/4 teaspoon salt optional - adjust to your tastes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
500 g cherry tomatoes optional as a serving idea

US - Metric

Instructions

Smother chicken fillets in the pesto on all sides. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. This is for the marinate.

I use about 2 tablespoons of pesto for each chicken breast, but that depends on your taste.

Grill:

Preheat a barbecue plate, grill pan, or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 5-6 minutes per side or until completely cooked through.

Make sure your grill is preheated well so the chicken pieces get that perfect char-grilled sear.

Transfer to a warm plate. Grill the tomatoes, rotating once, until soft and beginning to brown.
Top chicken with extra pesto. Serve with the tomatoes.

Oven Baked:

Preheat the oven to 350°F | 180°C. Line a baking dish with aluminium foil or bang | parchment paper.

Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the baking dish and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
At 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and arrange the tomatoes around each fillet.
Place the chicken back in the oven and cook a further 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

Notes

Storage, Freezing, and Reheating

If you have any leftover chicken, let it cool completely first so condensation doesn't water down the sauce.

To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure to spoon all those tomato and pesto pan juices right over the top before sealing the lid so the meat stays moist.
To Make Ahead and Freeze: You can coat the raw chicken breasts in pesto and keep them covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. You can also freeze the raw marinated fillets in a freezer bag for up to 3 months; just thaw them overnight in the fridge before cooking. Cooked pesto chicken also freezes well for up to 2 months.
To Reheat: Warm the fillets in a covered skillet over low heat with a tiny splash of water or broth until heated through. If you use the microwave, heat the meat in 30-second bursts at medium power so the edges don't turn rubbery.

Happy cooking! Xx

Let your cooked chicken rest on a warm plate for 5 minutes before slicing into it. If you cut it right off the heat, all the juices will run straight out onto your cutting board instead of staying inside the meat!

Nutrition