One Pan Creamy Pesto Chicken
This one pan creamy pesto chicken checks all the boxes. The juicy, tender chicken is nestled in a fabulous creamy pesto sauce. Topped with melty mozzarella cheese and a simple yet delicious tomato basil salad, you’re going to love this recipe.
To keep things easy, I used Delallo Food’s Simply Pesto jarred pesto sauce. Their traditional basil pesto sauce bright and flavorful. It has a slightly nutty flavor with a punch of fresh basil. All rounded out with iconic of parmesan and Romano cheeses. It’s truly the best jarred pesto I’ve ever tried.
**This post was sponsored by Delallo Foods. While I was compensated for my time, all opinions are my own.
Ingredients Needed for One Pan Creamy Pesto Chicken
- Chicken – This recipe calls for 1-1.5 pounds of chicken breasts. Butterfly the chicken breasts into four thin cutlets. This allows for quick even cooking.
- Seasoning – Lightly season the chicken cutlets with a pinch of kosher salt and a few turns of cracked black pepper.
- Avocado oil – This recipe calls for avocado oil to sauté the seasoned chicken cutlets. Sear on both sides until golden brown.
- Aromatics – This recipe calls for diced sweet onion and minced garlic.
- Chicken Broth – Deglaze the pan with low sodium chicken broth. Be sure to grab the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Pesto – This recipe calls for Delallo’s Simply Pesto traditional basil jarred pesto sauce.
- Dairy – This recipe calls for heavy cream. Which I highly recommend using! It’s a small amount of cream but really enhances the flavor! If you swap the cream for milk, please know it might change the sauce.
- Cheese – This recipe calls for grated parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Tomato Salad – You’ll need halved cherry tomatoes, basil chiffonade, a pinch of kosher salt, a few turns of cracked black pepper, extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Lightly tossed together for a simple yet satisfying salad garnish.
How to Make One Pan Creamy Pesto Chicken
Make the Salad
Combine halved cherry tomatoes, fresh basil chiffonade, a pinch of kosher salt, a few turns of cracked black pepper, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Gently toss until well combined. Cover until ready to use.
Prepare the Chicken
Butterfly your chicken breasts into four thin cutlets. Lightly season with kosher salt and a few turns of cracked black pepper. Keep the seasoning light.
Sauté the Chicken
Next, heat avocado oil in an oven-safe saute pan, or a well seasoned cast iron pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken cutlets. Sear on both sides for 3-4 minutes.
Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the cutlets. Once the chicken is cooked through remove it from the pan and set it aside. You want the chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure doneness.
Make the Creamy Pesto Sauce
In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the diced sweet onion and minced garlic. Sauté until the onions are soft and the garlic is fragrant. Next, deglaze the pan with low sodium chicken broth. Scrape the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan and let the broth reduce by half.
Next, add the heavy cream and Delallo pesto sauce. Mix until well combined. Then, add the grated parmesan cheese. Let the sauce simmer and reduce. Once the cheese is melted into the sauce, add the chicken and any juices back into the pan. Nestle the chicken into the sauce, then top the chicken will shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover the pan with a lid to melt the cheese or you can broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Top with the fresh tomato salad and serve.
**I use low sodium chicken broth because the parmesan cheese and pesto are well seasoned. Also, lightly season the chicken cutlets before sautéing them. You can always add more salt to a dish, but you cannot take it out.**
Storage
Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat in the microwave. Looking for more recipes? Try my Italian Grinder Pasta Salad.
One Pan Creamy Pesto Chicken
Ingredients
One Pan Creamy Pesto Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breasts, butterfly into 4 thin cutlets
- pinch kosher salt, lightly season the chicken
- few turns cracked black pepper, lightly season the chicken
- 1-2 tablespoons avocado oil
- ½ cup sweet onion, diced small
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced, about 2 cloves
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons pesto sauce, Delallo brand, Simply Pesto
- 2-4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, sprinkled over the chicken
Tomato Salad
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3-4 leaves basil, chiffonade
- drizzle extra virgin olive oil
- squeeze lemon, fresh juice
- pinch kosher salt, to taste
- few turns cracked black pepper, to taste
Equipment
- 1 oven safe saute pan or a well seasoned cast iron pan
Instructions
How to Make One Pan Creamy Pesto Chicken
Make the Salad
- Combine halved cherry tomatoes, fresh basil chiffonade, a pinch of kosher salt, a few turns of cracked black pepper, drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Gently toss until well combined. Cover until ready to use.
Prepare the Chicken
- Butterfly your chicken breasts into four thin cutlets. Lightly season with kosher salt and a few turns of cracked black pepper.
Sauté the Chicken
- Next, heat avocado oil in an oven-safe saute pan, or a well seasoned cast iron pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken cutlets. Sear on both sides for 3-4 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the cutlets. Once the chicken is cooked through remove it from the pan and set it aside. You want the chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure doneness.
Make the Creamy Pesto Sauce
- **I use low sodium chicken broth because the parmesan cheese and pesto are well seasoned. Also, lightly season the chicken cutlets before sautéing them. You can always add more salt to a dish, but you cannot take it out.**
- In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the diced sweet onion and minced garlic. Sauté until the onions are soft and the garlic is fragrant. Next, deglaze the pan with low sodium chicken broth. Scrape the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan and let the broth reduce by half. Next, add the heavy cream and Delallo pesto sauce. Mix until well combined. Then, add the grated parmesan cheese. Let the sauce simmer and reduce. Once the cheese is melted into the sauce, add the chicken and any juices back into the pan. Nestle the chicken into the sauce, then top the chicken will shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover the pan with a lid to melt the cheese or you can broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Top with the fresh tomato salad and serve.
4 Comments on “One Pan Creamy Pesto Chicken”
Sauce was delicious and the fresh tomatoes on top were a great addition 🙂
Thank you for the review, Marissa!! I am so happy to hear that!
This dish is very tasty the flavor profile is right on. My husband couldn’t say enough about how good it was.
Yay!! That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing.