This easy pesto chicken recipe comes together in one pan in just 20 minutes—perfect for busy weeknights! It’s creamy and comforting, with a pop of freshness and color from the added veggies.
One of my favorite things to order when we go out is creamy pesto chicken, but it’s actually an easy meal to make at home any time of the week. This is probably one of the juiciest chicken breast recipes I’ve tried! The flavors are incredible.
I snuck fresh veggies in there for a nutrition and flavor boost, and feel free to throw in vegetables you have on hand. Use homemade basil pesto if you have it, or store-bought for a shortcut. I like something to soak up that perfectly silky pesto sauce. Rice, pasta, or crusty bread all come to mind.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you need to make this juicy pesto chicken recipe:
- Chicken breast cutlets: Cutlets are easy, but you can save money with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Simply cut them in half horizontally to create thinner pieces.
- Vegetables: I chose zucchini, red bell pepper, and red onions, but you can use other vegetables you have on hand like asparagus or green beans.
- Tomatoes: About 1 cup of any small tomato you like. I went with grape tomatoes.
- Basil pesto: I make my own, but you can use a quality store bought version. You can also swap with other pestos, like carrot top pesto or red pesto.
- Cream: I used heavy cream, but you can use an unflavored nut milk if you like (I do think a little bit of cream really does make a difference).
- Lemon: Opt for untreated lemons if you can, as we’ll use both the zest and the juice.
- To garnish: Toasted pine nuts and some fresh basil give things a restaurant vibe, but they’re optional.
- Salt and pepper perk up the flavor.
- Olive oil: Go for a high quality extra virgin variety. It makes a big difference both in terms of antioxidant qualities and flavor.
How to Make Pesto Chicken
This chicken pesto recipe comes together quickly, so it’s best to prep all of your ingredients before you get started. Here’s the play-by-play:
- Get ready: Cut 1 zucchini into half moons. Core and slice 1 red bell pepper into strips. Slice 1/2 red onion. Zest and juice one lemon. Make the basil pesto (or use store bought). If you’re working with standard chicken breasts, use a sharp knife to slice them in half lengthwise, making two thinner pieces (aka cutlets).
- Sear the chicken. Pat 1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. In large cast iron skillet, heat a glug of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and set aside for now.
- Saute the veggies. If needed, add a little bit more olive oil to the skillet. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and 1 cup (about 5 ounces) whole grape tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the veggies have softened, 6 to 7 minutes or so.
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix together 1/3 cup pesto and 1/3 cup cream. Add the chicken back to the skillet and pour the pesto mixture in. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the chicken is warmed through, about one minute.
- Finish and serve. Remove the skillet from the heat and finish with the lemon zest and half of the juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt, and pepper if necessary. Garnish with the pine nuts (if using) and fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Pesto Chicken
For a fun Italian-style dinner, start the meal with Panzanella salad. From there, pasta is an obvious choice. The Italian flavors in my Toasted Orzo with Sun Dried Tomatoes would be a real treat! Or simply double or triple the amount of basil pesto and cream and toss cooked plain pasta right in.
Grains are another great option. Something simple like Basmati rice works well, as it won’t compete with the flavor. If nothing else, add a slice of your favorite crusty bread or focaccia!
Love Pesto? Try These Recipes Next!
Italian
Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
Fish and Seafood
Baked Chilean Sea Bass with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes
Fish and Seafood
Easy Pesto Salmon with a Crispy Breadcrumb Crust
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cutlets (see note for standard chicken breasts)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 zucchini, sliced into half moons
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1 cup (about 5 ounces) grape tomatoes
- 1/3 cup pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/3 cup cream
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- Toasted pine nuts, for garnish (optional)
- Fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Sear the chicken. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. In large cast iron skillet, heat a glug of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and set aside for now.
- Saute the veggies. If needed, add a little bit more olive oil to the skillet. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the veggies have softened, 6 to 7 minutes or so.
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix together the pesto and cream. Add the chicken back to the skillet and pour the pesto mixture in. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the chicken is warmed through, about one minute.
- Finish and serve. Remove the skillet from the heat and finish with the lemon zest and half of the juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt, and pepper if necessary. Garnish with the pine nuts (if using) and fresh basil. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil used in this recipe.
- To toast the pine nuts: Swirl in a dry pan over low heat until fragrant and golden, about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye and the heat low, as pine nuts burn easily.
- If you’re working with standard chicken breasts: Use a sharp knife to slice them in half lengthwise, making two thinner pieces (aka cutlets). Watch the video to see how I do this.
- To serve with your favorite pasta, feel free to double or triple the amount of basil pesto and cream mixture to make a bit more sauce for your pasta.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in a tight-lid container for 2 nights or so. You can warm it up stove-top over medium-low heat briefly (you may need to add a little liquid to help it).
Nutrition
Bundle and Save!
Four of our best-selling signature olive oils, perfect for everyday use.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
This was even better than I thought it would be 🙂
Definately will make again and share with friends!
Amazing recipe. Easy & flavorful. Usewd basil from my garden.
Used. Sry for typo. May add artichoke hearts next time.
Hello
Cream as in half and half lol Ty😉
Thanks, Michele
Wonderful as always! Made this tonight bit I cheated a bit. Had the pesto in the freezer and a leftover chicken breast (only cooking for one). Cooked up the veggies and served over penne. So easy and tasty!
Great ideas for making this recipe even easier! Thanks for sharing, Lynda!
I made this with vegan pesto and served over banza cavatapi. Next time will be gf orzo. I did zucchini, green beans and tomatoes. Yum!!
Greetings from the south of France
Just made this recipe for my wife and daughter. Excellent results, easy, tasty, moorish. We served a green salad, couscous and spinach with it. Thanks
Sounds like a wonderful meal! Thanks for sharing, John!
I just made this tonight and my husband and I loved it. We will definitely make it again and we have leftovers which is perfect! Two nights of goodness! Thank you!
I want to make this tonight have lots of veggies on hand, pesto, chicken, etc. My issue is I don’t have cream or yogurt on hand….would sour cream, cream cheese or coconut milk work? Thanks!
Hi, Dawn! Sorry I’m just seeing your question. I have never personally tried any of those with this particular recipe, so it’s hard for me to be 100% sure, but I think any of them would probably be okay here.
Loved your recipe, had to find it again as I didn’t save it last time. So easy and tasty. Using the ingredients that I had available at the time, I tried Greek yogurt instead of the cream and sun-dried tomato pesto. It was a winner. Cant wait for dinner tonight.
Thanks, Julie!
Your comment about using almond milk is so helpful, thank you! For those of us who are lactose intolerant, these hints allow us to try so many wonderful recipes and this one sounds like a winner!!
I plan on making this tonight was the store brought pesto I need to use up. I do not want to use cream. With store bought pesto what do you recommend instead? Thanks so much!
You can replace the cream with milk. I have had success with almond milk, myself.
I made this recipe this evening for my wife and me and it was SO good! I actually cut the chicken portion in half and it worked out to our preferred 2-to-1 veggie to meat plate coverage. I can picture this with tuna steaks or grilled portobellos. Looking forward to experimenting!
Thanks for the great recipe.
Sounds great!! Happy cooking, Bruce!
This is the third or fourth recipe I’ve used from the site and they’ve all been wonderful. My Other Half used to do most of the cooking but he’s recently relinquished control to me, in an attempt to lose weight. So now I’m scouring the internet for easy recipes that I can follow and that aren’t too heavy on the calories.
I’ve generally tried to follow the recipe completely but, on this occasion, I didn’t have any cream, so I substutied cream cheese (Philadelphia style) and a dash of milk – oh, and I forgot about the onions! That was quite by accident but the end result was delicious – the only downside was that we ate the lot, no leftovers for meal prep!!
I will definitely be making this again – and, next time, I’ll be sure to add the onions. May still use cream cheese though – it works.
Thank you so much for sharing, Dawn!! So glad you both enjoyed it!
Follow the directions exactly. Dont’ skip Pine nuts, lemon zest, or basil as a garnish. Perfect!
Wonderful, Debra! Thank you so much for sharing.
I made this last night, this recipe was so easy and delicious!! The whole family had to have second servings. Perfect for a gluten free paleo family. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
So glad y’all enjoyed it, Tiffany!
This was SO GOOD! Made it tonight. I don’t normally use red onions, but always make recipes as written the first time. I wouldn’t change a thing. A friend said she doesn’t like basil ?, but I think you could easily drop the pesto and basil and sub in some Marsala. With a family of 6, I really appreciate easy one-pan recipes (the orzo of course required a second pan).
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Dave! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi Suzy, I gotta say that I’ve been trying many of your recipes and we LOVED LOVED LOVED all of them!!!! They are so flavorful, healthy, quick and easy to make! I made this quick pesto chicken two nights ago was truly delicious (I made the Easy Fish en Papillote last night and OMG!). We pair it with rice and voila 🙂 I am definitely make it again next week :-))))
Oh, wonderful, Monica! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe so much!!