This Pesto Chicken Bake is one of the easiest chicken recipes you’ll make, but it packs a ton of fresh flavor! It’s ready in just 35 minutes and comes together with a handful of ingredients you can keep on hand all the time. Juicy chicken, herby pesto, melty cheese, and fresh tomatoes – it honestly doesn’t get better than this.
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I’ll always gravitate towards tried and true easy dinners and this baked pesto chicken is one of those ‘on repeat’ dinners in my house!
The pesto adds this bright fresh flavor, the chicken stays nice and juicy, and there are just 5 ingredients involved.
This one reminds me a lot of our salsa chicken, since the method is basically the same. We’ve just swapped pesto for salsa.
I love when big flavors come out of simple recipes and that’s exactly what happens here!
“I tried this tonight and OMG!! Absolutely delicious!! Minor modifications; I cut a small onion in the rolls and laid it down in the dish, then the chicken on top of onions. It is absolutely perfect!! Thanks so much.” – Tara
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It’s almost too easy. You’re just coating chicken in pesto, topping it with cheese and tomatoes, and letting the oven do the rest.
- The flavor is anything but simple. Pesto is doing a lot of heavy lifting here (basil, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, all in one jar). Combined with gooey mozzarella and sweet cherry tomatoes, this baked pesto chicken tastes like something you’d order at a restaurant.
- It’s naturally keto and low carb. No breadcrumbs, no flour, no fuss. Just 3 net carbs per serving, and every single one of those carbs is worth it.
Ingredient Notes:
Chicken – You’ll need four boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to an even thickness (about 6 ounces each). Pounding them out keeps everything cooking evenly so you don’t end up with dry edges while you wait on a thick center. Chicken thighs work here too if that’s what you’ve got!
Pesto Sauce – You can make a homemade pesto sauce if you’ve got the time or just grab a jar from the store. I’ve linked to my favorite jarred pesto which I know has a lot of flavor and is perfect for this pesto chicken bake recipe!
Cheese – A mix of shredded mozzarella and Parmesan gives you that stretchy, melty top layer with a little salty bite. Don’t skip the Parmesan (it adds so much flavor).
Toppings – Halved cherry tomatoes go on top before baking and get all soft and jammy in the oven. A little fresh basil at the end is totally optional but really nice if you have it.
We use Thrive Market for a lot of our specialty ingredients and keto snacks or products. Their prices tend to be cheaper than the local stores and I love that you can so easily sort products by diet.
Like Costco, this is a membership site, but we find that it’s more than worth it based on the amount we save over the regular grocery store.
They have monthly or yearly plans. Check it out here.
Helpful Tools:
Meat Tenderizer – This tool makes pounding out and tenderizing the chicken simple, and it works great for meat in any other recipe.
I love using this meat thermometer for making sure the meat is fully cooked! Easy for beginners & absolutely worth the low cost. Just stick it in the thickest part of the meat to check for doneness. This thermometer is also magnetic so it’s easy to store right on the side of the fridge or oven for easy access! Get it on Amazon.
How To Make Basil Pesto Chicken:
Pound the chicken. Place each breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound it to an even thickness with a meat mallet. They don’t need to be super thin, just uniform so everything cooks through at the same time.
Coat in pesto. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then toss it in a bowl with the pesto until every piece is well coated.
Top and bake. Transfer the chicken to a greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle on the mozzarella and Parmesan, then scatter the halved cherry tomatoes over the top. Bake at 425°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken hits an internal temperature of 165°F.
Finish and serve. Pull it out of the oven and scatter on some fresh basil if you have it. That’s it!
Serving Suggestions:
This cheesy pesto chicken dish is very simple to throw together, which I love because it frees up a little time to get creative with the side dishes!
A few of our favorites include:
- Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
- Keto Cauliflower Casserole
- Spinach Casserole
- Sauteed Zucchini and Squash
- Side salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing
For dessert, serve up a bowl of my keto chocolate mousse!
FAQs:
You can keep the cheesy baked pesto chicken in the refrigerator, well covered, for 3 to 4 days. Reheat it in the oven or microwave and it should be just as good the next day as it was the first!
Pesto is an Italian sauce that is usually made with crushed basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and olive oil, though the ingredients can vary. It has loads of flavor and it goes great with chicken!
Absolutely! Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are a great swap and tend to stay even juicier than breasts.
More Keto Chicken Recipes:
- Bruschetta Chicken
- Mississippi Chicken
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Baked Chicken Legs
- Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
Pesto Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to an even thickness, about 6 ounces each
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup pesto
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then coat each piece in the pesto sauce.
- Place the chicken in the prepared baking dish and top with any leftover pesto. Sprinkle on the mozzarella and Parmesan and top with the halved tomatoes.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with basil before serving.
Sandy says
Looks delicious
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Sandy!
Tina says
Excellent recipe! I did cut onions and put them on the bottom! I found you don’t need to grease the pan as there is a lot of oil in the pesto sauce.
Michelle Kiva says
Hi Carly! What prepared pesto do you recommend?
Karly Campbell says
We usually buy the Classico brand, but Rao’s is also tasty!
Michelle Kiva says
Thanks!
Karen says
Rao’s is the best!
Teri says
How big are the chicken breasts you used? 4 oz? 6 oz?
Leslie Bennink says
Okay in the oven now, used my own homemade basil pesto….I did put a layer of sweet onion as suggested by other reviewer.
Karly Campbell says
Hope you enjoy!
Tara Roulhac says
I tried this tonight and OMG!! Absolutely delicious!! Minor modifications; I cut a small onion in the rolls and laid it down in the dish, then the chicken on top of onions. It is absolutely perfect!! Thanks so much.
Karly Campbell says
Sounds like a great addition! 🙂