Easy and Healthy Chicken Pesto Recipe

This Healthy Chicken Pesto Recipe is quick and easy to make in 30 minutes and has the most fantastic flavor!! Serve it with or without pasta for a tasty weeknight meal.

You will also enjoy our Pesto Shrimp Recipe and easy Basil Pesto Pasta!

Ok, here's an effortless dinner that also makes excellent leftovers. This Pesto Chicken Breast Recipe is ready in about 30 minutes and easy to whip together! You can certainly serve it over pasta, but this low-carb option is good all on its own.

Another great Pesto recipe you'll like is Basil Pesto Pasta.

You can even use this recipe to meal prep for the week by cooking a batch and portioning it out in whatever serving size you want. 

Ingredients

This is such a wonderful chicken recipe for busy weeknights. 

• Chicken Breast - boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small pieces
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Broccoli - washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• Zucchini - cut into chunks
• Pesto - store-bought or homemade
• Parmesan Cheese - adds a little cheesiness to the finished dish

For the Pesto

You can either make your own or use a jarred store-bought pesto. Either works great and gives it DELICIOUS flavor!!

What is pesto sauce made out of? Good question. Pesto is a traditional Italian recipe consisting of garlic, pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Pecorino, all blended with a good quality olive oil. 

To make your own, take the following ingredients and blend them in a food processor:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• ⅓ cup pine nuts (can sub chopped walnuts)
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste

Instructions:

1. Pulse the basil and pine nuts first.
2. Then, add the parmesan and garlic and pulse.
3. Now, drizzle in the olive oil while the food processor is going. Once finished, season with salt and pepper.

Step by Step Instructions For How to Make One-Pan Chicken Pesto

Sheet pan or one-pan meals are the way to go, and when they have this much flavor, you can put on your meal plan week after week and never get tired of it!

Step 1 - Cut Chicken and Veggies Then Toss with Pesto

Preheat oven to 400 F. Then, place cut chicken, tomatoes, broccoli, and zucchini in a large bowl and toss with pesto.  

COOKING TIP:  No worries if these aren't your favorite veggies. Substitute with ones that will cook at a similar rate. We're thinking mushrooms or cauliflower.

Step 3 - Place on Baking Pan

Place on a large sheet pan and spread out for even cooking.

Step 3 - Bake

Now, bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes. If desired, top with Parmesan cheese during the last 5 minutes of baking.

Remove from oven and serve or let cool and put in containers for meals throughout the week.

Storing

This Pesto Chicken recipe Keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you're into meal prepping, these are our favorite eco-friendly meal prep containers. 

Tips & Recipe Notes

• Make sure you cut your chicken into bite-sized pieces to make sure they cook at the same rate as the veggies.
• Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.
• Because the vegetables have a high water content, they may create a lot of juice. Just drain off if this is the case.
• This baked chicken pesto recipe is great for meal prepping. Just make a batch and eat it throughout the week.

Serving Suggestions 

• If you're looking to add grains, serve your pesto chicken over Brown rice, or quinoa. Grains add great texture and more healthy fiber. Or serve it over pasta for a healthy chicken pesto pasta recipe.
• A green salad would also be wonderful served with this recipe. 

More Sheet Pan Recipes

Sheet Pan Fajitas - a family favorite that's so simple to whip together.
Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies - one pan and dinner is done.
One Pan Honey Garlic Chicken - a fan favorite for flavor and ease. 

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If you try this Sheet Pan Healthy Chicken Pesto recipe or any other recipe on Suburban Simplicity, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it went in the comments below; we love hearing from you! Better yet, use the hashtag  #suburbansimplicity if you make the recipe.

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This is one solid and easy chicken pesto dinner to make month after month! Put it on your meal plan for easy cooking!