This easy recipe for baked pesto chicken breast is ideal for weeknight dinners. Baked pesto chicken breast is healthy, keto and delicious!
The idea for this pesto chicken recipe came from my desperate need to use up some leftover homemade pesto sauce.
You see, whenever I have leftover fresh basil leaves (for example, after I make basil frittata), I use them to make homemade pesto sauce, then desperately search for ways to use it. 🙂
Pesto sauce keeps for a few days in the fridge, and for about a month in the freezer, but it doesn’t last forever – and it’s way too delicious to throw out.
MY LATEST VIDEOSTonight, staring at the chicken breasts in my fridge and trying to decide what to do with them, it occurred to me that I could use my basic recipe for juicy baked chicken breast and adjust it to include pesto.
The result – pesto chicken – was delicious. As it turns out, pesto goes incredibly well with chicken (as does tarragon, by the way)! I also love how easy this recipe is- it’s just perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Leftovers keep okay in the fridge for 2-3 days, although as with most chicken recipes, they’re not as good as when served fresh. I prefer not to reheat them, so as not to dry the chicken out, so I slice them or cube them and use them to top a salad for my lunch the next day.
Pesto Chicken
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 6 oz each
- 1/4 cup pesto sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray it with olive oil spray.
- Place the chicken breasts on the baking sheet, flat side up. Lightly spray them with olive oil spray. Bake 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Turn the chicken breasts to the other side. Spoon about a tablespoon of pesto sauce on top of each chicken breast, spreading to coat.
- Bake 10 more minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
- Allow to rest 5 minutes, then serve.
