This is one of the easiest dishes around and it is incredibly flavorful. This pesto chicken is ready in 30 minutes and will become a go to meal. Nothing beats this simple recipe especially when you are on the go.
This is one of those recipes where you end up saying to yourself, “I like chicken, I like pesto, and I like tomatoes, why not put them all together!” This is what happens when one of those inner monologues comes to fruition. This has been a go to meal prep recipe of mine for ages since it takes very little time and effort but it tastes really good. Pair it with some roasted veggies and you have a quick meal great for any on the go.
In this recipe
When summer rolls around I like to take advantage of how quickly my basil plants grow. One of the easier ways of doing this is to make a lot of homemade pesto. Instead of using just on pasta I like to place it on my chicken as well. If you are grilling this works just as well on the grill as it does in the oven. The blistered tomatoes are an excellent compliment for this dish.
There is beauty in simplicity
One of the reasons that I like this dish is how simple it is. Caprese salad, Pizza Margherita, Italian meatballs, and roasted eggplant are just some of the nameless kinds of recipes that use very few ingredients. When you have uncomplicated recipes you have the opportunity to taste all of the ingredients and how they work together. If you don’t make your own basil pesto you will want to make sure it is very flavorful and does not contain a large quantity of oil.
Cooking the pesto chicken
One of the biggest variations for this recipe will be the size of the chicken breast. There are a couple of ways that you can address the issue. One way to handle this is to butterfly the chicken breasts. This is when you slice them in half through the thickest part all the way through. The other is to pound the thickest part of the breast thinner to make the whole chicken about the same thickness. Both of these ways can reduce the cooking time so be aware of this if you choose use one of these methods.
On the grill
During the summer is it hard not to use the grill when cooking. There are a couple of things that you will want to look out for if you put these on the grill. The first is that you will want to use indirect heat as there is a considerable amount of oil in pesto. This can cause flare-ups and scorch the chicken. Another thins you will want to do is to not put pesto on the bottom. The ingredients that close to the heat can burn and alter the flavor.
Looking for other chicken recipes?
Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken breast about 4 breasts
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup pesto
- ½ tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, 190°C, or gas mark 5.
- Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken breasts. Then with a pastry brush cover all sides of each chicken breast with pesto. Place them on the pan with the cherry tomatoes and garlic.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F or 74°C. This time could vary based on the size of the chicken breast.
Nutrition
What an easy and beautiful recipe this is. pesto pairs so well with chicken. Addition of tomatoes adds tons of flavours.
This will be the perfect use for my little patch of basil! We love pesto and this looks delicious.
This chicken turned out delicious! Another recipe to add to my favorite sheet pan recipes! I will definitely make this again! Thanks for the share!
I’ve been making a lot of basil pesto this last week or so with basil from the garden. We love using it, such a versatile sauce and delicious paired with summer tomatoes . This sheet pan pesto chicken was a new way for me to use my pesto. Turned out really well. Will be making it again soon.
Pesto makes everything better but I loved the adding of tomatoes and garlic to the sheet pan, it added so much more flavour
Love this recipe! It was very easy to prep and everyone loved the flavors!
I have tons of fresh basil, so I am making this chicken tonight. I will pair it with a side of spaghetti I am sure I am in for a feast! Thanks so much for the idea.
Sheet pan dinners are one of my all-time favorites. And with school starting and sports taking up every night of the week, this sheet pan chicken will def come in handy. I tried it tonight with the basil from my garden and it was awesome. Can’t say enough about how much I liked the tomatoes cooked that way too. Thanks for the yummy recipe.
I am so glad you like it! I can totally understand having barely any time to cook during the week.
This pesto chicken was so simple and delicious. It’s a great way to dress up chicken breasts and I’ll be making it again. Thank you!
Loved how easy this was. We tossed it with some pasta and it was great!