5-Ingredient Pesto Baked Chicken
5-Ingredient Pesto Baked Chicken
This easy, one-dish pesto baked chicken breast is a fan favourite all year round! It’s incredibly easy to make as you really only need to assemble the ingredients and then let the oven to the work. Though this recipe only contains 5 ingredients, I promise that it doesn’t cheap out on flavour! It’s cheesy and delicious, yet fresh-tasting. I made this for my sister’s wedding rehearsal dinner years ago and it was such a hit!
The only 5 ingredients that you need:
Chicken breasts - You want to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Bonus if you can find organic!
Pesto - I absolutely love the use of basil pesto in this dish! It really is the star of the show and packs a punch of flavour! Try to find a really good quality pesto with little additives. Better yet, make your own! It’s easier than you might think.
Tomatoes - The best variety of tomato for this recipe is Roma tomatoes. They are typically longer and skinnier in shape. They have less moisture than say beefsteak tomatoes.
Mozzarella cheese - This dish is absolutely not completely with a little melty, delicious cheese on it! I recommend using mozzarella cheese as it is mild in flavour and works really well in Italian recipes like this one.
Spices - All you need is a little salt and pepper! Keep it simple!
I love all of the elements of this recipe from the flavourful pesto to the cheesy baked mozzarella on top. You only need about 10 minutes to prep and then 25 minutes in the oven until it’s baked to perfection. It’s perfect for a summer evening if you are hosting dinner or a busy weeknight when you are on-the-go. Some delicious pairings include pasta, roasted vegetables or a classic caesar salad. We love a good caesar salad!
5-Ingredient Pesto Baked Chicken
5-Ingredient Pesto Baked Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2/3 cup basil pesto
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese (width x length of chicken breast)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Put the chicken breasts on a cutting board and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- With a sheet of parchment paper over top of them, pound them down so that they are about 3/4" thick. Place them in a medium-sized baking dish.
- Spoon the pesto on top of each breast so that it covers almost the entire top of the breast.
- Wash and slice the tomatoes and place the slices over top of the pesto on each breast, overlapping a bit.
- Add a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of each breast.
- Bake for 25 minutes and then let rest for 3-5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!