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.

Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe on a white plate with a forkful of food.

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.

A picture showing the cover images for all three cookbooks written by Aileen Clark.

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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.

Bite of the baked pesto chicken recipe on a fork above a plate of pesto chicken.

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.

Make this super simple 2-ingredient baked pesto chicken recipe tonight! You can't go wrong with flavorful pesto and gooey melted cheese.

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.

Baked pesto chicken on top of mashed potatoes and topped with Parmesan cheese.

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.

Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe on a white plate with a forkful of food.

Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe

Aileen Clark
Make this super simple 3-ingredient baked pesto chicken recipe tonight! You can't go wrong with flavorful pesto and gooey melted cheese.
5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish Recipes
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 people
Calories 590 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup basil pesto
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large casserole dish and set aside.
  • Butterfly your two chicken breasts to make 4 thinner pieces of chicken.
  • Spread 1/4 cup basil pesto on the bottom of your baking dish. 
  • Add the chicken breast into the baking dish in a single layer.
  • Spread the remaining 3/4 cup basil pesto on top of the 4 pieces of chicken.
  • Top the pesto slathered chicken with the shredded mozzarella cheese. 
  • Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 590kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 38gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 711mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More chicken recipes: 

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

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