Description
This Baked Pesto Chicken is a delicious and easy weeknight meal that is packed with flavor and gooey cheese!
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- to taste salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning
- 1/2 cup basil pesto (see notes)
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (or more if you like it cheesy!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
- Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken pieces, then cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces.
- Spray a 9″ x 12″ (or 8″ x 12″) baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup basil pesto over the bottom of the dish.
- Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread 1/4 cup more basil pesto over the chicken.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (or use a baking dish with a tight-fitting lid) and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes, just until chicken is barely firm and cooked through.
- When chicken is barely cooked through, remove foil and sprinkle chicken with 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese (or more).
- Put dish back into the oven without foil and cook 5 minutes more, just until cheese is melted.
- After cheese is melted, switch your oven to broil and broil a few minutes more, just long enough to get the cheese lightly browned.
- Serve the Baked Pesto Chicken hot.
- There will be some flavorful juice in the bottom of the dish when this is done, so you may want to serve with rice, Cauliflower Rice, or quinoa to soak up the juice.
Notes
- Use homemade or store-bought basil pesto based on your preference.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 100mg