Looking for an easy date night dinner to impress? Look no further than this cheesy pesto chicken. Ready in under an hour, this chicken breast recipe gets a flavorful upgrade with homemade pesto and melty cheese. This dish is extremely versatile with what’s in season and your desired effort level, making it a staple weeknight dinner (or fancy occasion specialty) you can come back to again and again.
The pesto:
We made homemade pesto for this recipe, but if you prefer to use store-bought, that works too. If you’ve never made pesto before, then this recipe is a great place to start. Only a handful of ingredients and a food processor are required to make this fresh sauce that can be added to just about anything. Double the recipe and use leftovers in some of our favorite pesto recipes, like our pesto pasta salad.
Ingredients
- 2 c.tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 c.extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 c.toasted pine nuts
- 2cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp.(or more) kosher salt, divided
- 1 oz.Parmesan, finely grated (about 1/2 c.)
- 1 tsp.fresh lemon juice
- Cooking spray
- 1/4 tsp.freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lb.boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3-4)
- 1/2 c.shredded mozzarella
Directions
-
- Step 1Preheat oven to 400°. In a food processor, process basil, oil, pine nuts, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth. Transfer basil mixture to a medium bowl and stir in Parmesan and lemon juice; season with more salt, if needed.
- Step 2Grease an 11″-by-8″ baking dish with cooking spray. Pat chicken dry with paper towels; season all over with pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Arrange in a single layer in prepared dish. Spread pesto all over chicken, spooning a bit more over top.
- Step 3Bake chicken 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with mozzarella. Continue to bake until chicken is cooked through, an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165ºF, and cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes. (Optional: If your baking dish is broiler-safe, broil until cheese is browned, 1 to 2 minutes.)