Best Crispy Baked Pesto Chicken Recipes

CRISPY BAKED PESTO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400ºF.
• Coat chicken with coating mix; place in 8-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
• Bake 20 min. or until done (165ºF).
• Top with pesto and cheese; bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

PESTO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place oven rack to the center position. Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Drizzle both sides of the chicken breast with olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Place chicken in an ovenproof baking dish or skillet.
• Bake in preheated oven until the internal temperature of the chicken is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 15 to 18 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the pesto. Place the basil and spinach in a resealable plastic bag. Use a rolling pin to lightly bruise the herbs and greens. Transfer to a food processor or blender.
• Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Toast garlic until the outsides are lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally, about 8 minutes. Peel garlic and add to food processor.
• Place walnuts in the same pan and toast over medium heat, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to food processor.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the food processor.
• Process pesto by pulsing five times to help break down the greens.
• Turn food processor on low speed, as it's running slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil until a smooth pesto with some smaller pieces is formed, about 10 seconds from start to finish.
• Add the parmesan cheese to the pesto and process on low speed for 5 seconds.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Transfer pesto to a small bowl.
• Brush some pesto sauce on each cooked chicken breast. Transfer to a serving platter.
• Top chicken with chopped walnuts, tomatoes, and cheese. Serve extra pesto sauce on the side.

BAKED PESTO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line baking sheet with heavy-duty foil.
• Place chicken and pesto in medium bowl; toss to coat.
• Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
• Remove from oven; top with tomatoes and cheese.
• Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

CRUNCHY BAKED PESTO CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine panko, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
• Place chicken thighs onto the prepared baking sheet and coat each side with pesto. Press panko mixture onto chicken.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

CRISPY BREADED PESTO MOZZARELLA CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pound out chicken breasts with meat mallet or rolling pin.
• Take unseasoned breadcrumbs and add salt, pepper, garlic salt, parmesan cheese, thyme, and any other herbs you desire to the crumbs. (You may decide amounts to your taste, I use about a teaspoon of the spices and a tablespoon or 2 of the parmesan depending on how many breadcrumbs you use).
• Combine homemade or store bought pesto (I prefer my homeade pesto) with shredded mozzarella cheese in a cup making sure to coat all of the cheese evenly with the pesto.
• Spread a generous amount of the cheese mixture on the pounded out chicken breast.
• Roll the chicken breast up and secure with toothpicks.
• Dip the chicken breast in milk and then into the seasoned bread crumbs.
• Place chicken onto a greased pan and place into a 400°F oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear.

PESTO PARMESAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray. Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast smooth side down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/2-inch thick.
• In shallow dish, mix together pesto and mayonnaise. In another shallow dish. mix together bread crumbs and cheese. Dip chicken into pesto mixture then dip in panko mixture. Place on baking sheet.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (165°F) and coating is golden brown. Garnish with basil.