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Bake this 3 ingredient 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.
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You May Never Need Another Quick Chicken Recipe
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:
- 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.
But if you want to give another one a try, everything bagel chicken, one pot hawaiian chicken, air fryer bacon wrapped chicken breast, or our spaghetti squash chicken alfredo.
My Top Tip: The Size of the Chicken Breast Matters
Chicken breast can range from 4-10 ounces. A 10 ounce piece of chicken will take a lot longer to cook than 4-5 ounces. A standard serving is about 4 ounces. This recipe calls for 4-5 ounce chicken breasts, so use a food scale (affiliate) if you have one to weight out each chicken breast.
- If they’re very large (8-10 ounces), cut them in half lengthwise to make two pieces of chicken out of one. See the video in the recipe card for an example.
- If they’re just over (6-8 ounces), pound them out with a tenderizer so they’re all similar in thickness.
Success tip: the internal temperature of salmon should be 165°F. Remove it around 160 to allow for carryover cooking.
Watch How to Make this Recipe
“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
FAQs and Reader Feedback
This chicken breast is best cooked at 400°F for 22-26 minutes.
Salad: peach burrata salad, la scala chopped salad, storebought salad kit, or another easy salad.
Veggies: roasted mini peppers, roasted broccoli and carrots, carrot fries, or more veggie sides.
Pasta: fettucine alfredo, pasta salad, burrata pasta, or pasta with marinara.
Roasted tomatoes, roasted broccoli, Antipasto salad, summer corn salad, or a simple kale salad.
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.
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: This is one of my favorite sides to serve with chicken pesto. Halve 1 qt of cherry tomatoes then drizzle them with olive oil and toss with salt, pepper and fresh minced garlic. Bake on a sheet pan at 350°F for 25 minutes. You could also add them to the same baking pan as the pesto chicken and roast it all at once. Another option is to add sun-dried tomatoes right to the baking dish too.
- 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 Easy 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).
Easy Pesto Chicken
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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, you may need to slice it in half lengthwise to get a 4-5 ounce portion (chicken breasts can be very thick and large). The chicken will cook more evenly if each piece of chicken is similar size. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.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.
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!