If you want a quick and healthy dinner idea, try Easy Baked Pesto Chicken! It’s made with boneless chicken breasts, basil pesto, and grape tomatoes, and it tastes great! Pair with pasta or your favorite salad for the perfect weeknight meal.
Pesto chicken is a tasty and versatile dish that combines two popular foods: chicken and pesto sauce. This flavorful combination makes a simple protein dish into something special. But what is pesto chicken, and why has it become such a popular recipe for restaurants and home cooks alike? Keep reading for a full guide to understanding, making, and enjoying this famous meal.
A Brief History of Pesto Chicken
We don’t know for sure where pesto chicken came from, but we do know that the history of both of its main ingredients helps. Pesto sauce comes from Genoa, Italy, where basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese were traditionally pounded together in a mortar and pestle (hence the name “pesto,” which comes from the verb “pestare,” meaning “to pound or crush”). This bright, herbal sauce became a mainstay of Ligurian cuisine.
Chicken has been a dietary staple for millennia, valued for its mild flavor and versatility. It wasn’t until the 1920s with the advent of factory farming that chicken became more affordable and accessible. Creative cooks soon realized that slathering pesto on chicken was a match made in heaven. The bright herbal flavors of the pesto beautifully elevated the mild chicken. And so, pesto chicken was born!
Both pesto and chicken have been around for a long time, but pesto chicken as we know it today probably only came about about a hundred years ago, when cooks were looking for new ways to spice up chicken dishes. This delicious mix has become more and more popular over the years.
Defining Pesto Chicken
So what exactly constitutes pesto chicken? In its most basic form, it is simply chicken that has been prepared with pesto sauce. This could involve
- Pan-seared chicken breasts topped with pesto
- Chicken baked with pesto marinade
- Pesto drizzled over grilled chicken
- Chicken simmered in pasta sauce with pesto
The pesto can be incorporated during marination, cooking, serving or any combination. The chicken itself can take many forms including breast meat, thighs, drumsticks or a whole roasted chicken.
Pesto chicken can be made in a huge number of different ways because the two main ingredients are so flexible. Cooks can change how strong the pesto flavor is or add other ingredients to go with it. But what makes it unique is the chicken mixed with the pungent garlic and basil of pesto.
Why Pesto Chicken is So Popular
Pesto chicken owes its popularity to several factors:
Flavor – The pesto adds a bright herbal flavor that brings chicken to life. Its garlic, basil and cheese provide a flavor punch.
Simplicity – Pesto chicken comes together with minimal prep and cook time. It’s an easy weeknight win.
Versatility – It can be adapted in endless ways by using different cuts of chicken, types of pesto, and extra ingredients.
Nutrition – Chicken provides lean protein while pesto adds antioxidants from basil and healthy fats.
Comfort appeal – The creamy pesto and tender chicken offer ultimate comfort food vibes.
Crowd-pleasing – From kids to adults, pesto chicken appeals to most palates making it a reliable crowd-pleaser.
Pesto chicken hits that sweet spot between flavorful, nutritious, easy and customizable. For home cooks and restaurants, it’s the ideal meal to add to their regular rotation.
How to Make Pesto Chicken
One of the beauties of pesto chicken is that it can be adapted in countless ways. But here are some standard methods for preparation:
Pan-Seared
- Pound chicken breasts to a uniform thickness
- Season chicken all over with salt and pepper
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat
- Cook chicken about 5-7 minutes per side until browned and cooked through
- Remove chicken and add pesto to pan
- Return chicken to pan and turn to coat with pesto
- Serve chicken topped with extra pesto
Baked
- Coat chicken all over with pesto sauce
- Allow to marinate 30 mins – 1 hour in refrigerator
- Bake in 375F oven 15-25 minutes until cooked through
Grilled
- Pound chicken breasts to uniform thickness
- Coat all over with pesto sauce
- Refrigerate 30 mins – 1 hour to marinate
- Grill over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes per side
- Brush with extra pesto at end
One-Pot
- Season chicken all over with salt and pepper
- Heat oil in skillet over medium heat
- Cook chicken about 3-5 minutes per side until lightly browned
- Remove chicken and add vegetables to skillet
- Cook vegetables 5-7 minutes until tender crisp
- Return chicken to skillet and add pesto
- Allow to simmer 2-3 minutes to heat through
Get creative with the pesto chicken method that best suits your needs! The pesto flavor will shine through no matter which technique you choose.
Serving Suggestions for Pesto Chicken
Half the fun of pesto chicken is choosing complementary sides to round out the meal. Here are some tasty serving suggestions:
- Pasta – pesto chicken is amazing served over hot pasta
- Rice – try pesto chicken on a bed of rice or risotto
- Potatoes – mashed or roasted potatoes pair nicely
- Veggies – roasted vegetables like zucchini, peppers, onions
- Salad – pesto chicken is great on a bed of greens or pasta salad
- Bread – garlic bread is perfect for dunking in the pesto sauce
- Cheese – add mozzarella, ricotta or Parmesan on the side
Think about contrasting flavors and textures when serving pesto chicken. Crisp cool salad, hearty roasted veggies and toasted bread all balance beautifully with the rich, tender chicken.
Key Takeaways
- A classic dish combining chicken with pesto sauce
- Beloved for its flavor, ease and versatility
- Prepared through methods like pan-searing, baking or grilling
- Served over pasta, greens, grains or with garlic bread and cheese
- A crowdpleasing meal suitable for family dinners or date nights
So next time you need an easy weeknight win, reach for pesto chicken. This flavorful fusion never disappoints. With endless variations, you can reinvent pesto chicken over and over again.
Re-heating Easy Baked Pesto Chicken…
The best way to re-heat pesto chicken is in the microwave. Simply heat for about 60 seconds.
If you make this Easy Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe or any of my other recipes, I would absolutely love to know! Tag me @wellnessbykay on Instagram so I can see and share your recreations.
How to serve this Pesto Chicken Recipe…
Baked Pesto Chicken can be served in a lot of different ways. For a very low-carb meal, you could serve it as is with the tomatoes and another vegetable side, like green beans or roasted broccoli. Zucchini noodles and cauliflower rice are other side dishes that would keep things low carb.
Or my personal favorite option, serve with my Crispy Garlic Parmesan Smashed Potatoes. It’s also tasty when served with garlic knots, pasta, or roasted potatoes for a more complete and packed dinner!
No matter what, I recommend adding fresh parsley and parmesan cheese on top. So delicious!
Store this easy dinner recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for about 1 week!.
20 Minute Pesto Chicken with Vegetables
FAQ
What is pesto made of?
Pesto is traditionally made from fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil. These ingredients are typically blended or ground together to create a flavorful paste.
What does pesto taste like?
Pesto sauce has a vibrant, fresh flavor that combines the earthiness of basil with the nuttiness of pine nuts and the richness of olive oil. It often includes garlic, which adds a bit of spice, and Parmesan cheese, contributing a savory depth. The overall taste is herbaceous, slightly tangy, and aromatic.
How to do pesto chicken?
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking dish. Spread about 2 tablespoons of pesto per chicken breast over the top of each breast, and wrap each breast in prosciutto slices to cover the entire breast. Place the wrapped chicken breasts into the prepared baking dish.
What is so special about pesto?
I use pesto and pistou in many other dishes besides pasta. Pesto is a nutritionally dense condiment; basil is a great source of flavonoids that are believed to have antioxidant and antibacterial properties. It’s also an excellent source of vitamin K, and a very good source of iron, calcium and vitamin A.