This pesto chicken is made with baked or grilled chicken breast and homemade basil pesto! With only 2 main ingredients, this low-carb dinner is perfect for a weeknight meal.
Table of Contents
Easy 2-Ingredient Pesto Chicken
This pesto chicken recipe is one of the easiest chicken breast recipes on my blog and one of my favorites too. Grilled pesto chicken is a lightly seasoned grilled chicken breast with a basil pesto marinade. That’s it! Pure, simple, healthy and so, so tasty!
It comes together in under 20 minutes from start to finish which is great for weeknights. It’s flavorful and pairs well with so many different sides, like this sheet pan gnocchi. Or add some grilled veggies, a light chopped salad, rice, or serve with skillet potatoes. The options are endless!
How to Make Pesto Chicken
- Marinate chicken. Place chicken in bowl. Add salt and pepper on top. Then pour in pesto and toss until combined. Let sit to marinate while the grill is heating up.
- Grill. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Once heated, add the chicken and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until the center is no longer pink and it reaches 165°F. Turn down the heat if browning to fast.
- Rest. Remove to a plate and let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing to let the juices absorb. Add extra pesto on top. Slice and serve while warm.
Tips & Variations
- There’s no long marinating time but do allow it to sit in the sauce while the grill heats up.
- Add the chicken to a hot pan, not before. This way the chicken breast won’t stick to the skillet.
- Allow the chicken to rest before slicing to ensure the juices settle and they don’t lose moisture by cutting into it too soon.
- Make a homemade basil pesto quickly and easily. You can also buy store bought, which is what I have done before.
- Add a couple of slices of tomato on top of the pesto for another layer of flavor. Or even a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Yum!
- Cheesy mozzarella pesto chicken. Sprinkle some freshly grated mozzarella on top of the chicken for the last 10 minutes of cooking time, whether on the stovetop or in the oven. You can also add it right after remove chicken from the grill, then cover the pan and let chicken rest.
Ways to Serve Basil Pesto Chicken
I love a simple side of roasted tomatoes but there are a ton of different ways to go about completing this meal including adding pasta like I do in my creamy chicken pesto pasta!
- Rosemary roasted potatoes
- Crispy smashed potatoes
- Grilled vegetable skewers
- Easy grilled sweet potatoes
- Caprese pasta salad
- Rice pilaf
- Spaghetti pesto
- Cheesy pesto pull apart bread
FAQS
Pesto is a versatile sauce that can be used for pasta, as a dip, a spread, and as a marinade. Originating in Italy, it’s traditionally a simple combination of basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and Parmigiano or Pecorino. These are then blended with olive oil and made into a sauce. It’s herbaceous, nutty, smooth and creamy, garlicky and so so yummy. You can even make vegan pesto!
You can! Making baked chicken breast is just as easy. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes in a preheated oven at 400°F until the internal temperature reads 165°F.
Some brands, if you haven’t made it yourself, will come with a lot of extra oil. This is why I like using the Kirkland brand at Costco, as I find it’s not runny and holds well.
If you’re not ready to grill quite yet, you can marinate the chicken in the sauce for up to 12 hours ahead of time. It makes an even faster way to get dinner on the table!
As delicious as this is as a main meal warm right off the stove, it’s also great as a salad topping. Cold (or warm) cut up chicken and pesto on top of greens, makes a salad taste amazing! It also tastes delicious served over cooked pasta.
Use leftover pesto to make chicken pesto pasta salad, easy spinach pesto pizza or white chicken lasagna with pesto, a fun twist on classic lasagna.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
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Pesto Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ⅓ cup basil pesto , plus 1/4 cup for serving
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place chicken in bowl. Add salt and pepper on top. Then pour in pesto and toss until combined. Let sit to marinate while the grill is heating up.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Once heated, add the chicken and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until the center is no longer pink and it reaches 165°F. Turn down the heat if browning to fast.
- Remove to a plate and let rest for atleast 5 minutes before slicing to let the juices absorb. Add extra pesto on top. Slice and serve while warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 30 Minute Meals, 30 Minute Meals, 5 Ingredients Or Less, 5 Ingredients Or Less, Chicken, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Grilling, Grilling, Italian, Low Carb, Stovetop
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I love pesto! This makes an incredibly tasty dish!
I love super simple recipes like this! I’m sending this one to my mom because I know she’s going to love it!