Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe (Just 3 Ingredients!)

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Make this super simple 3-ingredient baked pesto chicken recipe tonight! You can’t go wrong with flavorful pesto and gooey melted cheese. This is on our list of favorite main dish casserole recipes!

I love when I find easy meals that my whole family enjoys. This pesto chicken bake is definitely one of those recipes! This baked chicken with pesto chicken recipe is made using just three ingredients: chicken breast, pesto, and mozzarella.

I have an ongoing love affair with foods smothered in cheese. Especially casserole recipes that I can throw in my oven and come back to the smell of pesto mozzarella goodness. Seriously, my whole house smelled amazing when I made this recipe. Also, if you haven’t tried my three cheese baked ziti recipe, you’re missing out. 😉 And if you’re looking for a lightened-up baked ziti, try our baked zucchini pasta.

Other Family Favorites

• Crockpot Pesto Chicken
• Crispy Chicken Sandwich Recipe
• Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas

Using Homemade Pesto for the Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe

This recipe calls for premade pesto. If you plan to make your own pesto, this recipe will be more than 3 ingredients. Store-bought pesto is perfectly acceptable in my opinion. Pesto is easy enough to make, but having the store bought version on hand helps you save tons of time in the kitchen.

I had a big jar of pesto from Costco that I needed to use up. We had already used it in one pot pasta (a variation of this recipe for One Pot Smoked Sausage and Kale Pasta) and in many, many cheese quesadillas.

I needed something new to make with the rest of my pesto, so I made this yummy pesto chicken bake. It turned out so good, it’s definitely getting added to the rotation!

And did I mention that it’s 3 ingredient baked chicken? Yeah, that’s probably my favorite part.

How to double this baked pesto chicken recipe

We use just 2 chicken breasts for this pesto chicken recipe. My family of 5 includes 3 young kids 6 and under, so we don’t need more than that. If your family needs more than that, you can easily double this pesto chicken bake.

The easiest way to double this recipe is by using 4 or 6 chicken breasts and not butterflying them. Simply increase your bake time to 40 minutes. For 4 chicken breasts, you will not need to increase the pesto or mozzarella. For 6 chicken breasts, increase the pesto to 1 1/2 cups.

How to Freeze Baked Pesto Chicken

Prepare everything in a casserole dish, wrap in two layers of foil, labele, and freeze unbaked. Then, defrost overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking. Check the chicken after the allotted cook time and if it’s not cooked all the way through, add an extra 10 minutes.

What side dishes go with pesto chicken?

We love serving this baked chicken with pesto sauce alongside roasted vegetables. You can serve it with roasted cauliflower, honey roasted carrots, Air Fryer Cauliflower, or green beans with shallots. Baked  pesto chicken also tastes great with mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice.

If you are looking for a heartier side dish, then you may like our cheesy garlic bread recipe or these parmesan and garlic crisps.

More chicken recipes: 

• Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
• Cheesy Ranch Chicken and Potato Casserole
• Air Fryer Whole Chicken
• Instant Pot Chicken and Vegetables

This is definitely getting added to my list of favorite easy meals. I hope your family enjoys this baked pesto chicken recipe, too!