Baked Pesto Chicken

"Fast easy meal to put together with prepackaged pesto!"
 
Download
photo by Jonathan Melendez photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Skyylee photo by Skyylee
photo by anniesnomsblog photo by anniesnomsblog
photo by Melissa N. photo by Melissa N.
photo by Nooshin G. photo by Nooshin G.
Ready In:
35mins
Ingredients:
4
Serves:
4
Advertisement

ingredients

Advertisement

directions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Line baking sheet with heavy-duty foil.
  • Place chicken and pesto in medium bowl; toss to coat.
  • Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
  • Remove from oven; top with tomatoes and cheese.
  • Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Questions & Replies

  1. Can you use a sprayed baking dish instead of a baking sheet with foil for baked pesto chicken ?
     
  2. Can you marinate chicken in pesto sauce the day before you bake it?
     
  3. Can I print this
     
  4. how can I search for a recipe by the cook?
     
  5. Can I substitute bone in, skin on chicken thighs for the baked pesto chicken recipe?
     
Advertisement

Reviews

  1. This is the second thing I've ever cooked and it was a hit! I wasn't too sure about it, but I love pesto, and wanted to try my hand at baking, so it seemed like a good recipe.<br/><br/>If you're a beginner, or just want something tasty and easy to cook, you should definitely give this a go! I'm a very picky eater and nervous (novice) chef, and everything about this was great!<br/><br/>I did have to cut the cooking time in half, but the chicken breasts I used were sliced very thin. I'm glad I erred on the side of caution and checked after ten minutes.
     
  2. I used Recipe #355554 for this recipe and it was really scrumptious. I seasoned the breasts with salt and pepper, threw it in a ziplock bag and tossed with the pesto (less cleanup). I put it on a baking sheet, topped with tomatoes and cheese, cooked some pasta and tossed it with the remaining pesto and voila!, dinner is on the table in no time, with minimum effort. I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone, including beginner cooks who are looking to impress their loved ones. Thank you.
     
  3. Easy! I did chicken thighs because they're cheaper and juicier (we buy organic chicken and it's pricey). Baked it on a rack with store bought pesto. Didn't have any tomatoes, but topped with a heaping spoonful of marinara sauce covered with thin slices of provolone. The provolone melted perfectly. When I put the chicken back in the oven, I put is on broil because after 20 minutes the chicken was cooked through and I just needed to melt the cheese. It was very, very good. And it was wildly easy. The entire family loved it which is rare. : )
     
  4. Unbelievable. I used my own pesto, so it was fresh. Within 5 minutes of popping it in the oven the smell was amazing. I followed the directions exactly, and I can tell you this dish was fabulous. We felt that we were eating at a 5-star restaurant. Thanks for sharing!
     
  5. Oh my goodness, I can't believe I haven't rated this! This must be one of my favorite things I've found on 'zaar, especially made with fresh pesto. I'm still looking for a pre-packaged one that I like. I use thin-cut chicken breasts so I can make sandwiches with it later--some rye bread with extra pesto spread on each slice, a chicken breast in the middle with a little extra cheese sprinkled over it, wrapped in tinfoil and toasted--absolutely amazing. Love it. Highly recommend this dish.
     
Advertisement

Tweaks

  1. Just butter baking sheet instead of using aluminum. Add butter slivers and salt/pepper on pesto coated chicken before baking. Use fresh mozzarella on top of sliced tomato then add pepper and grated parmesan cheese (as salt) for the quick melt in the oven. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving. I'll try this on a halibut or red snapper fish fillet next time.
     
  2. Coated chicken with Italian bread crumbs after pesto. Cooked on sheet pan with zucchini, onions and tomatoes. Omitted tomato on top of chicken, but added cheese toward end of cooking. May cook at 425 next time to better brown the bread crumbs. Definite do-over.
     
  3. I made it as is and we loved it using Kirkland pre made pesto. 2nd time - Made my own simple pesto. Coated chicken and topped with panko, spray of olive oil to brown the panko then topped with the tomato fresh mozzarella browned and melted under broiler and then garnished with fresh basil. Many variations to be had. Thanks for the original recipe.
     
  4. Used shreaded cheese and chicken tenders for lack of time to go shopping.
     
  5. Easy and good! I used a jar of pesto sauce instead of the refrigerated kind. My husband doesn't like tomatoes, so I took another reviewer's suggestion and substituted roasted red peppers. I recommend pounding the chicken breasts thin so that they cook faster and more evenly. I served this with roasted zucchini. I think it will join our regular rotation of meals.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I live in Las Vegas. I was lucky enough to run into Recipezaar around Nov. 2000 and got hooked quickly. I am a cookbook collector and have been collecting recipes for as long as I can remember. My DH had to build in shelves for all my cookbooks! I like to dabble with OAMC and for a few years hosted the Budget/OAMC forum with some great people over there. Even though I don't work in the forum any longer I've set up a lot of cookbooks for the purpose of OAMC and stretching food that might be helpful. Please feel free to check them out! I go on food jags and cooking jags! Please come say hi to me and chat on facebook. I currently host a blog for saving money through finding deals and coupons if you are interested. Most of the time I try to cook and have a good dinner on the table but I'll be honest enough to say there is still fast food occasionally in the budget! I have had such wonderful support here whenever I need it. Thank you all for being here! Just a quick note on how I rate recipes: ? 5 stars - This recipe is perfect. (My DH is truly a critic and doesn't give 5's unless it's amazing) I would recommend it to others and would definitely make again. ? 4 stars - This recipe was good but I would change something in it next time. ? 3 stars - This is a recipe I would not make again but it was OK ? 2 stars - This recipe I would not make again and we didn't like it at all ? 1 star - This recipes did not work out/taste was unappealing and wouldn't make again
 
View Full Profile
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Find More Recipes