Creamy Pesto Chicken
Creamy Pesto Chicken is an easy one-pan dinner featuring juicy chicken in a rich basil pesto cream sauce.Made with simple ingredients in just 30 minutes.Perfect for pasta, rice, or crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lb / 600 g)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pint 420 g grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup 120 ml heavy cream
- 1/4 cup 60 ml basil pesto
Instructions
- Slice each chicken breast horizontally to create two thinner cutlets, or pound them to an even thickness before cutting into four portions.
- Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Cook the chicken for 3–5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and fully cooked. Transfer to a clean plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the remaining olive oil, garlic, and grape tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes soften.
- Stir in the heavy cream and basil pesto until fully combined. Let the sauce gently simmer.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Return the chicken to the skillet, coating each piece in the creamy pesto sauce.
- Simmer for another 2–3 minutes until heated through.
- Serve your Creamy Pesto Chicken immediately with pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, or fresh bread.
Notes
- Serve over fettuccine, penne, rice, mashed potatoes, or zucchini noodles.
- Add sautéed mushrooms or spinach for extra flavor.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day.