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Bake this easy pesto chicken to juicy perfection in under 30 minutes. The chicken is coated in fresh basil pesto, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked perfectly. The chicken is so tender and cheese bubbles and melts on top—the family will love it!
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Say goodbye to boring, dry chicken and hellooooo to a chicken breast coated in fresh garlic-herb pesto topped with melted, bubbly cheese.
I tested this recipe 3 times to make sure you have everything you need to make a killer basil pesto chicken. Here’s 4 reasons I can’t get enough of this pesto chicken:
“I just made this, exactly as is, it is amazing!! Can’t stop raving about it, I used store pesto, plum tomatoes and jasmine rice.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lisa
Why You’ll Love this Pesto Chicken
- You only need 3 ingredients.
- It’s done in under 20 minutes
- When my 4-year-old asks for something again, that’s a win!
- The side dish options are endless.
Need another easy chicken recipe? Try everything bagel chicken, one pot hawaiian chicken, air fryer bacon wrapped chicken breast, or our spaghetti squash chicken alfredo.
Ingredients You Need
here are the simple ingredients for this pesto chicken recipe. Skip to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast: Chicken breast can range from 4-10 ounces. If they’r on the larger side (7+ ounces), cut them in half lengthwise. The size of the chicken breast affects how long you bake the chicken.
- Pesto: a really good homemade pesto is delicious, but we’ve made this many times with store bought pesto.
- Cheese: this is optional, but really adds flavor to the dish. A slice of fresh mozzarella is so good!
Success tip: the internal temperature of chicken should be 165°F. Remove it around 160 to allow for carryover cooking.
How to Make Pesto Chicken
This is an overview of how to make this easy recipe. Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Spread the pesto on the chicken: Lay the chicken breast in a baking pan and cover the tops with pesto.
- Add cheese (optional): Lay a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each piece of chicken.
- Bake: bake the chicken and pesto at 400 degrees f until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 18-22 minutes. Cook time will vary depending on how thick the chicken is.
- Serve and enjoy: Add fresh basil and season with salt and pepper.
Quick Tips and FAQs
This chicken breast is best cooked at 400°F for 22-26 minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Warm at 350°F until heated all the way through or cover with a wet paper towel and microwave in 30 second increments on high.
This helps them all cook evenly at the same time. I aim for chicken breasts between 4 and 6 ounces.
Serving Suggestions
This pesto chicken bake can totally stand on it’s own as the star of a weeknight dinner, so I have side dish ideas outline here, but if you want to add this simple dish to something else, I’ve got those ideas too!
- Roasted tomatoes: Cut cherry tomatoes then drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic. Bake on a sheet pan at 350°F for 25 minutes.
- Side dishes: I love it with burrata pasta or creamy boursin pasta on the side. You can’t go wrong with roasted broccoli and carrots or crispy carrot fries.
- Rice: we love to serve chicken dishes with white or brown rice. Lately I’ve been loving my chicken with cauliflower rice for a low carb option.
- Pesto chicken pasta: Bake the chicken without the mozzarella then cut it up into pieces and toss with your favorite pasta or zucchini noodles and a bit more pesto. Top with parmesan cheese!
- Sandwiches: sandwich the chicken and fresh mozzarella between two pieces of sourdough and cook over the stove for a pesto chicken panini/sandwich.
- Pizza: Bake the chicken (without mozz) and add it to homemade pizza with your other favorite toppings like fresh tomatoes and shredded mozzarella.
- Salad: To keep this low carb, cut up the chicken and put it on a salad with red onion, bell peppers and black olives, or serve it with a side salad.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Baked Chicken Recipes
- Crispy cilantro lime chicken (with chicken breast or chicken thighs)
- Healthy chicken teriyaki (on a sheet pan with veggies, yes please).
- Sheet pan paleo baked chicken (crispy, whole30 chicken with veggies is our kind of dinner).
Pesto Chicken Recipe
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Ingredients
- 4 (4-5 ounce) chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup (6.5 ounces) basil pesto (Note 1 homemade or store bought )
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pat the chicken dry and trim off any excess fat if needed. If your chicken breast is much larger than 4-5 ounces, pound it thin or cut it in half lengthwise for even cooking.4 (4-5 ounce) chicken breasts, Salt and pepper to taste
- Spread 1/4 cup of the pesto into the bottom of a square baking dish. Place the chicken breasts in the dish and cover them with the remaining pesto. If using the mozzarella, place a 1-ounce slice on top of each piece of chicken.1/2 cup (6.5 ounces) basil pesto, 4 ounces fresh mozzarella
- Bake in the preheated oven for 22-26 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F. If you want the mozzarella brown and bubbly, turn on the broiler for the last 1-2 minutes.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very easy to make and so delicious. This is definitely one to try!
I used Parmesan instead of mozzarella and the flavour was yummy.
I added a punnet of cherry tomatoes in the baking and served with an asparagus, broccoli and snow pea medley.
Yum, those sides sound so good! Thanks, Jen.
Made this with homemade pesto and since I love cooked tomatoes, I added a layer of fresh diced tomatoes on top of the mozzarella and drizzled a bit of balsamic on top. Served with my daughter’s homemade fettuccini. Heaven!!
I just made this, exactly as is, it is amazing!! Can’t stop raving about it, I used store pesto, plum tomatoes and jasmine rice.
Thanks, Lisa!