Moist, flavourful chicken breast that’s smothered in herby pesto, melty cheese and diced tomatoes! This dish is so easy to make, requires minimal ingredients and is ready in 30 minutes! Serve with a side salad, rice, or over pesto pasta for a really herby, filling meal!
It’s summertime and our herb garden is supplying us with an abundance of fresh herbs to cook with! I seriously could not be happier! As hard as I try to keep a little herb garden flourishing through the winter months on my windowsill, they never survive for long. I am getting my fill of fresh, homegrown herbs now as much as I can!
While I can’t play favourites when it comes to herbs (with a name like Herbs & Flour, I obviously have a love affair with them all), basil is one I use a lot in the summer months! There are currently 7 basil plants producing enough basil to supply my pesto love affair for the months to come and beyond- check out my post for Basil Pesto for tips on how to freeze pesto to use in throughout the year).
This simple dinner idea i’m sharing with you today is a fun way to use up fresh pesto for light, herby chicken! This dish to me screams summer! If you love bruschetta and all things pesto, then you will love this dish too!
How to make Baked Pesto Chicken
This baked pesto chicken dish is easy to make and doesn’t require a long list of ingredients! To make this, you will need:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup pesto
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons basil, sliced into ribbons
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper
To start, I preheat the oven to 350F and grease a baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Then, I season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. I arrange the chicken on a baking dish and spoon the pesto on top of each, spreading to cover them.
I bake the chicken for 20-30 minutes or until cooked to an internal temperature of 165F and juices run clear. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts so be sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer.
Once the chicken is cooked, I top it with mozzarella slices and diced tomatoes and place it back into the oven and bake for a few more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Then, I remove it from oven and sprinkle it with fresh basil before serving.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Bon appetit!
-Cathy
You may also like:
Roasted Pesto Sweet Potatoes
Pesto Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes and Burrata
Baked Pesto Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cut in half to create 4 smaller chicken breast pieces (or use 4 chicken cutlets)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup pesto
- 2 large tomatoes diced
- 2 tablespoons basil sliced into ribbons
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Arrange chicken on baking dish and spoon pesto on top of each, spreading to cover them.
- Bake chicken for 20-30 minutes or until cooked to an internal temperature of 165F and juices run clear. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken breasts.
- Top chicken with mozzarella slices and diced tomatoes. Place back into the oven and bake for a few more minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh basil before serving.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
