This creamy pesto chicken is an easy skillet chicken recipe made with tender chicken breasts, a rich pesto cream sauce, fresh tomatoes, and parmesan. A quick weeknight dinner packed with basil flavor.
Best Creamy Pesto Chicken Recipe for Quick Weeknight Dinners
This skillet pesto chicken has become one of my go-to weeknight chicken recipes because it's fast, comforting, and full of flavor. The combination of garlic and pesto sauce with cream creates a chicken pesto cream base that feels rich without being heavy. It's the kind of easy pesto chicken I can make after a long day and still look forward to eating.
What I enjoy most is how everything comes together in one pan. The juicy chicken breasts simmer gently in the pesto chicken cream sauce, the tomatoes soften just enough, and the parmesan melts right in. It tastes like a restaurant-style pesto chicken breast recipe, but with the simplicity of a quick chicken recipe at home.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick One-Pan Meal: This creamy pesto chicken recipe cooks fast, making it perfect for easy weeknight chicken dinners.
- Rich Pesto Cream Sauce: Juicy chicken breasts simmer in a flavorful pesto cream sauce that feels comforting and satisfying.
Ingredients
You'll find the exact measurements in the recipe card, but here's a closer look at a few of the ingredients and why I use them.
- Chicken & Seasoning: I use juicy chicken breasts because they stay tender once they simmer in the chicken with pesto cream sauce.
- Garlic, Olive Oil & Tomatoes: Garlic and extra virgin olive oil form the base of the garlic and pesto sauce, and the halved tomatoes give a bright finish I love.
- Broth, Cream & Pesto: This is the heart of the creamy chicken dinner; mixing broth, cream, and pesto makes the one-pan creamy pesto chicken sauce rich and smooth.
- Parmesan: I always add parmesan because it deepens the flavor and turns this into a true parmesan pesto chicken.
How to Make Creamy Pesto Chicken
You can find the complete printable recipe with measurements below, but for now, here's a quick overview of how it goes:
1. Prepare and Season the Chicken: Fillet the chicken breasts, season with salt and black pepper.
2. Sear until Golden: Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sear the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side until golden, then transfer to a plate.
3. Build the Creamy Pesto Sauce: Add the garlic to the skillet and sauté briefly, then stir in the chicken broth, cream, pesto, and parmesan to create the sauce.
4. Simmer and Finish: Add the tomatoes, simmer for a moment, then return the chicken to the skillet to warm through before serving.
What to Serve with Creamy Pesto Chicken
This chicken pesto dinner pairs beautifully with garlic bread, roasted potatoes, or a simple tomato salad. Anything that can soak up the creamy pesto sauce works perfectly.
My Tips for Recipe Success
Control the Heat: I've found that medium heat keeps the chicken golden without losing its juiciness in the creamy pesto chicken sauce.
Watch the Sauce: The chicken pesto cream mixture thickens quickly, so I keep a close eye on it to keep it silky.
Storage: Leftovers keep well in an airtight container; I reheat them gently so the pesto chicken cream sauce stays smooth.
Try These Chicken Recipes Next!
Recipe
Creamy Pesto Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast - About 1 pound (450 g)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper - Freshly ground
- 3 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Cloves Garlic - Minced
- 120 ml Chicken Broth
- 60 ml Heavy Cream
- 120 g Pesto
- 25 g Freshly Grated Parmesan
- 250 g Grape Tomatoes - Sliced in half
Instructions
- Fillet the chicken breasts into two thinner pieces. Season the chicken evenly with salt and black pepper on both sides.
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sear the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side until golden. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream, pesto, and parmesan until the sauce comes together. Add the halved grape tomatoes and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and let it warm through in the sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Maureen says
Absolutely delicious creamy pesto chicken. The sauce is rich and full of flavor, and I love that this pesto chicken dinner comes together in just one pan.