Super Easy Pesto Baked Chicken
This cheesy pesto baked chicken is an easy meal that is perfect for any night of the week. It’s pretty hard to mess up, has minimal hands-on time and I mean, anything covered in melty asiago cheese is a win in my book.
I came up with this pesto chicken on the fly during my $100 grocery week from Aldi. I bought a jar of pesto without a specific plan in mind and happened to have some leftover asiago from the night before and figured it couldn’t really go wrong. And it didn’t.
This is such an easy way to jazz up baked chicken. If you use store-bought pesto, you’ve got a dish that takes minimal dishes, very minimal ingredients and time. It’s flavorful and you can pair it with roasted veggies, rice or even just a salad and some garlic bread. It also makes a killer sandwich. Let’s make it!
Ingredient notes
Pesto Baked Chicken
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – You can use thin-sliced or chicken tenders, too. However, the cooking time will vary.
- Olive oil
- Pesto – You can use your favorite store-bought pesto or make your own homemade basil pesto.
- Asiago cheese – You can also use parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese.
- Salt and pepper
How to make it
Every time I post a chicken recipe, I tell you to salt the chicken ahead of time and this one is no different.
Sprinkle the chicken breast (lightly) with salt up to the night before cooking. Morning of is ok, even a few hours before is better than nothing. This ensures more flavorful and tender meat and is SO worth it. Trust me.
When it’s cooking time, simply sprinkle the chicken with a little black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Heat more olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes or until the cooked side has a nice golden brown sear. Flip and cook until an internal temperature of about 155-160F is reached. About 3-5 more minutes.
Then smother pesto over the top of each chicken breast and top with asiago.
Place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until cheese is melted and a meat thermometer reads 165F in the center of the chicken.
Serve with rice, roasted veggies or salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!
Why you’ll love this recipe
I don’t know anyone that doesn’t want more easy dinner recipes in their life and this is the PERFECT easy recipe to add to your dinner rotation! It:
- Comes together quickly
- Is absolutely delicious
- Perfect for any skill level – anyone can make it!
- Goes great with many different side dishes
What to serve with pesto baked chicken
Here’s some of my favorite side dishes to serve with this chicken recipe
- Roasted brussel sprouts with prosciutto
- Mashed potatoes
- Green salad and garlic bread
- Roasted potatoes, carrots, broccoli, zucchini & bell pepper – not necessarily all of those at once, but some combination of those!
- We also sliced the chicken and put it on ciabatta rolls for sandwiches – delish!
Storage Instructions
Once fully cooled, place leftover chicken in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Keep in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Tried this recipe?
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More easy chicken recipes
Pesto Baked Chicken Recipe
This cheesy pesto baked chicken is an easy meal that is perfect for any night of the week. It’s pretty hard to mess up, has minimal hands-on time and I mean, anything covered in melty asiago cheese is a win in my book.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 3/4 cup pesto
- 2 cups grated asiago cheese
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Sprinkle chicken evenly, but lightly, with salt the night before cooking this recipe. This helps ensure more flavorful and tender meat. Even a couple hours beforehand will help!
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp olive oil.
- Sprinkle the chicken with black pepper, drizzle with more olive oil and add to the hot skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until you have a good golden brown sear on that cooked side. Flip the chicken and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, until an internal temp of about 155-160F is reached (read using a meat thermometer).
- Spread the pesto over each piece of chicken and then sprinkle with cheese.
- Place under the broiler to melt the cheese and finish cooking the chicken. I put my chicken on the lowest rack in the broiler. If you don’t have the option to lower, you might want to make sure the chicken is closer to 165F and broil for less time. Every broiler is different! You really just need to cook the chicken through and melt the cheese. Chicken is done when a meat thermometer reads 165F. About 3 more minutes.