I love using pesto in recipes because it adds tons of flavor in one fell swoop, which is super important when it comes to busy weeknights. This Creamy pesto Chicken is absolutely stunning on the plate, yet it’s super fast and easy. This is another one of those great “date night” dinners for when you want to impress someone, but you’re nervous so you also need something easy and fool-proof. 😅
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What Kind of Pesto to Use
The beauty of this dish is that you can use just about any type of pesto. I used a basil pesto this time around, but a red pesto would also be awesome. Pesto can be on the pricey side, but there are several brands that are a bit more affordable. Look for Alessi, Barilla, Classico, or Filippo Berio.
What Else Can I Add?
This deliciously creamy pesto sauce pairs well with several different ingredients, if you want to take this dish up a notch. Try adding spinach, artichokes, or broccoli for some extra veggies. Or if you want to make this dish extra indulgent, add some grated Parmesan on top, too. I probably also wouldn’t be against adding bacon. 😏
What to Serve with Creamy Pesto Chicken
This chicken has a super lush and creamy sauce and you won’t want to waste a single drop, so make sure to serve this chicken with pasta, rice, or garlic bread to soak it all up. You can spoon the chicken and sauce over a bed of pasta or rice, or serve the chicken and sauce in a bowl with some crusty bread for dipping.
Because the sauce is so rich, you’ll definitely want to serve up something light and fresh on the side, so this is the perfect opportunity to make a simple side salad.
Creamy Pesto Chicken
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1.3 lb. total) ($6.59)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1/8 tsp pepper ($0.01)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half ($2.00)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream ($0.62)
- 1/4 cup pesto ($0.99)
Instructions
- Fillet the chicken breasts into two thinner pieces (or pound the chicken to an even thickness then cut each breast in half to create four portions). Season the chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown and cooked through (about 7-10 minutes total). Remove the chicken to a clean plate.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet along with the minced garlic and halved grape tomatoes. Sauté for about five minutes, or until the tomatoes start to soften and lose their shape.
- Add the heavy cream and pesto to the skillet with the tomatoes and stir to combine. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt or pepper to your liking.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet with the tomatoes and sauce, turning to coat the chicken. Allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce for just a few minutes more to heat through. Serve hot.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!If you love creamy chicken recipes, try out our Creamy Garlic Chicken recipe next!
How to Make Creamy Pesto Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Fillet two boneless, skinless chicken breasts into two thinner pieces (or you can pound the chicken to an even thickness and then cut each piece in half horizontally to make four portions). Season the chicken with a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, add a tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the chicken breast and cook on each side until golden brown and cooked through (7-10 minutes total). Remove the chicken to a clean plate.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil, 1 pint of grape tomatoes (halved) and 2 cloves of garlic (minced). Sauté the tomatoes and garlic in the skillet for a few minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to soften and lose their shape.
Add ¼ cup pesto and ½ cup heavy cream to the skillet. Stir to combine. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Taste the sauce and add salt or pepper if needed.
Add the chicken back to the skillet and coat it in the sauce. Simmer the chicken in the sauce for a few more minutes or until heated through.
This sauce is so creamy and delicious, you’ll want to lick your plate!
Amazing I ate too much and it was so delicious and easy
Delicious and easy
Really delicious! I added a couple tablespoons of cream cheese to the sauce and sprinkled with parmesan at the end. Served over tortellini — Yum!
First time reader, loved this recipe. Also love the fact that cost is added, great visual for budgeting purposes.
I’ve made probably 50 recipes from this website over the last decade (assuming it’s been around that long?) and this is an absolute must cook. I tend to lean toward the one-pot, heavy, rich, meal prep style casseroles, and there are a ton of great recipes like that here. This recipe isn’t that, it doesn’t freeze well (tomatoes and reheating chicken), doesn’t shine as a leftover, but it is such a fantastic meal that you have to try it with some pasta or a side salad. Great recipe.
Was delicious and easy but I did make changes. I season the chicken in Cajun seasoning For a spicy kick. Used cherry tomatoes from our garden and homemade pesto. Didn’t have heavy cream or half-and-half, so I subbed with a simple bechamel sauce. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
This recipe was so delicious and easy to put together. It was gone in one evening. I added a smidge more heavy cream and served this over fettuccini noodles. I used Rao’s pesto which makes the absolute best pasta sauce and the pesto didn’t disappoint either.
Even my son who isn’t a fan of “creamy” dishes loved this one. Will definitely keep in the rotation for future meals.
Delish! I did not have heavy cream so I used half and half and added a bit of butter. I have some left over pasta which I dropped into the sauce to reheat. Super easy meal!
Delicious!! Easy and very flavorful.
So good, I ended up serving it over mashed potatoes which was so nice!
So ver y good and so quick to make! Loved and will be making again many times!
I made this 3 times and all 3 times it came out different
But all tasted very good.
Added different things each time
Thank you
OMG! So delicious! I purchased some pesto sauce when I was in Italy and I couldn’t wait to use it! The sauce is amazing! This recipe was so easy to make. I didn’t have fettuccine on hand so I made some penne and it’s really good!
Simple, fast and delicious! I did chop the chicken into bite size pieces
Tried this and it was very good!!
We’ve cooked this sooo many times and it always turns out so well! We swapped double cream for single cream and also add mushrooms and spinach to this recipe. Last time we tried it with a roasted bell pepper and some sun dried tomatoes and it turned out delicious .
This was amazing! Such a great weeknight meal. Paired with roasted broccoli and spinach ravioli. Will def be making again!
Since it’s garden season, I was looking for new ways to use my homemade pesto. This recipe is a keeper! In fact, my husband woke me up (he’s an evening worker, so he warms his dinner after I’m in bed) to tell me how amazing it was! I used chopped garden tomatoes instead of the grape tomatoes, and I also added sauteed mushrooms and spinach, and served it over rice. Will definitely return to this one again!
I stumbled on this recipe and since I had one chicken breast, one cup of cream left over from homemade ice cream I made yesterday and one cup of fresh basil I made yesterday AND a half pint of cherry tomatoes, I figured “why not”!
This is absolutely delicious – I would serve this at a dinner party or to impress guests! I served it with egg noodle (because that’s what I had) but would be excellent with any pasta Crusty bread and a salad makes it an entire meal!
Thank you for sharing this – it’s a keeper!!
Quick, easy and absolutely delicious!
Any pasta, any veg and it’s wonderful. The latest iteration was angel hair pasta, frozen leaf spinach and frozen corn and it was a hit.
Yum!! I made this tonight, I doubled the recipe and I added sauteed cremini mushrooms and onions to it and about a quarter cup of cream cheese that I had to use up, I’m diabetic so I cut the chicken up before adding it back to the pan and I ate it as a meal like that :) it was really good! I have gotten very sick of just plain chicken and pork chops lately and this kept my numbers in check will definitely be making again :)
I made this for my vegetable hating teen. I used homemade basil pesto and added a bag of fresh spinach that wilted down very nicely and served it over penne. He just asked me to make it again. I’m calling that a huge win!
What pesto did you all use im curious to know
Aldi’s – really ggod
Insanely good! Followed recipe to a T, will make again, thinking of adding mushrooms next time. Quick, easy, delicious, and low-carb (we served with asparagus and spring mix salad).
I am the cook in our relationship and always want to make something that my wife will love. Of course. The thing is she’s super picky with food and also my biggest critic. Jackie absolutely loved this recipe. I used red pesto instead of the green one. It appeared you used green. Thanks for this!
Do you think white rice will be good with this ?
For sure!
So good and so simple and I love that it finishes my pesto and half and half when theyre almost done. Thank you! Was a hit.
Could this be made in a crockpot, for how long and would you fry the chicken before Thanks
We haven’t tried this one in the crockpot so I’m not sure how it would work out! If you try it, you should only need to sear the chicken for a minute or two each side, but I’m not sure how the liquid amount in this recipe would work in a slow cooker.
What pesto is best for this recipe
Any store-bought or homemade basil pesto is fine!
I‘ve made it with rice and it is soo tasty!! Thank you for this recipe, it changed my life!!!❤️
Awesome taste, easy to follow recipe. I recently decided to start cooking EVERYDAY for my family. The catch is that I only have about an hour to cook and clean up. I have been looking for quick, and easy recipes that taste like I was in the kitchen all day. This was very delicious. My teen, fast food loving son cleaned his plate. Served it with garlic rolls and Cesar salad.
Hi! Could I make this with half and half instead of heavy cream?
That would be fine! Just keep in mind that the sauce will be slightly thinner and less rich!
This was a huge hit with the whole family. I’ll definitely be making it again. Might try it with bacon too.
So easy and so good!
Can you freeze the sauce?
You should be able to! It may separate a bit when you reheat it, but some whisking should do the trick.
Amazing flavor with so few ingredients! This recipe is going on our regular rotation. Thank you ❤️
My husband made this for us today and it was wonderful. We finished our lunch and it was a bit difficult to move afterwards. This definitely is meant for dinner. 😅
We changed the recipe just a smidgen, based on the other comments about the amount of sauce. We doubled the amount of cream and pesto, and it was perfect with some fettuccine noodles.
If you’re reading this, I highly recommend you give it a try! Thanks Beth, for such a simple, tasty recipe.
So delicious! This was my first time trying pesto and I love it. Will be making this again!
This was fantastic, so flavorful easy to make. I added some artichoke hearts and a few sundried tomatoes just to give it a little extra. Because this is a definite make again, I saw some folks added spinach which I will try next time. You can’t go wrong with this one!!
It was so Delicious I loved it.Excellent Dish. I’d give it A 10.
Delicious😋 I added some spinach at the end which added some rich color to the dish. Everyone loved this dish and ate every bite. It will definitely be added to the dinner rotation. It was quick and easy but looked and tasted like something you slaved over.
Was super impressed how easy and delicious this was! Im not a chef by any means but date night was very successful!
This was so simple yet delicious and packed with flavor.
OMG!!!!!!! This was sooooooo good!!!!!! We loved it. Thank you so much.
Several family members can’t eat dairy. Would coconut cream work in this recipe, do you think? Or are there other alternatives?
That could possibly work, but I’d really need to test it first to be sure. Also keep in mind that Pesto has Parmesan in it as well.
Sounds great. Can I substitute something else for the heavy cream?
half and half would work! Or if you’re needing dairy-free you should be able to use a dairy-free plant cream, like country crock. Chicken broth with some cream cheese stirred in could also work, but we haven’t tested it on this exact recipe.
I cut the chicken into short strips before sauteing and then add sliced fresh mushrooms along with the tomatoes and garlic, before serving over pasta. Simple, quick and good!
So tasty, so easy – definitely a winner! Hubby loves it. It’s a go to recipe for busy weeknights.
A favorite in my household!! Absolutely delicious and easy!!
Made this many times. Always delicious. Added half a cayenne pepper last time. Oh la la! Delicious 😋
Simple and delicious! Will definitely be making again.
Gorgeous recipe, the flavor was spot on. And you still have enough wiggle to enhance the flavor to your liking. Hubs and I added crushed red pepper and some a little sprinkle of cheese. Definitely a recipe we can add to our rotation, easy, quick and yummm.
Delicious!!
I added more cream and homemade pesto, and I served it river orzo pasta. Delicious!
Everyone loved it and it was super easy! Served with spinach ricotta ravioli
Thank you for the pics! I rely on them as I’m not the most confident in the kitchen and like to see my goalposts in pics. I used lactose-free half & half (which worked beautifully) & my homemade pesto. I paired it with brown rice & broccoli & spooned the sauce over- delish!
This recipe was a hit, and became an immediate favorite. Easy to make and absolutely delicious. We served it with angel hair pasta, which we tossed in butter and pesto, making the perfect side dish. A green vegetable or side salad would have been perfect, but truthfully, not necessary. If you want extra sauce to dip your garlic bread or to coat the pasta, double the sauce portions. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!
Sooo delicious and sooo easy.
I sliced up some dinosaur kale i had in my CSA and cooked it down in the sauce for 3 min at the end. It was a great way to get some extra vegetables in!
Excellent recipe. I’m a single guy and typically cook something in bulk on Sunday nights to meal prep for the week. This has been a welcome addition to my rotation and certainly looks and tastes like it was prepared by a far better chef than I am. I pair it with fettuccine. My only feedback is that if you want to serve with pasta, you’ll need to double or even triple the cream and pesto.
Excellent! Another Monday trying to figure out dinner. Had pesto & fresh chicken breasts but no idea how to put them together. Didn’t have heavy cream, but half and half worked perfectly. I also added some fresh chopped broccoli along with the tomatoes, ’cause it needed to be used today. Muey bueno!! A total keeper, very adaptable as I don’t tend to measure ingredients. Thank you!
Made this with shrimp instead of the chicken. It turned out absolutely delicious! Great quick and tasty recipe!
Loved it. Easy and fast.
I’ve made this for myself as is and absolutely loved it! My boyfriend has dairy issues, so I tried subbing the heavy cream for half chicken broth/half oat milk and it was delightful! My boyfriend loved it!! Definitely not as thick as the original, but still very satisfying!
This was delicious! The only thing I’m gonna try next time is adding some sliced Parmesan after adding the chicken to the sauce. I just LOVE cheese 😅
This has made it into the weeknight rotation because of how simple and delicious it is.
I agree — super easy— very delicious — it’s adaptable. We made it last night and it got added to my recipe “box”. (Plug here for AnyList — check out the app for a place to save recipes, create shared grocery lists and super easy menu planning) If I find a recipe, we try it — if it’s a keeper, it gets added to AnyList. (And — no — I have nothing to do with the app, am not paid to say this — I just love it!)
Delicious!!! Easy and quick too. Even though my hubby does not like cherry tomatoes, he happily ate them in this dish. I used chicken thighs and served over risotto with basil/balsamic/walnut green beans on the side. I took the leftovers(really a very small portion was left) to work the next day and I think the flavors were better. This is a keeper and I think it would work well with other meats/fish/tofu or serve the sauce over noodles. Very versatile sauce. Thanks for sharing Beth!
Made this for dinner and it was a big hit with everyone. My picky eater even loved it. Thank you!!
I dice the chicken up into 1″ pieces, then make the recipe adding fresh mushrooms as well and serve over pasta. Wonderful stuff!
Easy and tastes great! Substituted heavy cream with milk and butter since I didn’t have cream on hand. It was delicious. I will make it again once I get heavy cream.
Made this last night with roasted red pepper pesto and substituted cream cheese + chicken stock for the heavy cream, because that was what I had. It was so delicious. I can’t wait for dinnertime so I can have it again!
This sauce is so easy and so yummy. I did double up on the cream though but left the pesto the same. I thought the flavor would be too strong otherwise. It was perfect.
Delicious thank you! I was wondering if next time I could substitute heavy cream with greek yogurt and pesto? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Since we haven’t tested with greek yogurt, I can’t promise the results would be equally successful. However, I don’t think it would be bad…but it will change the flavor and consistency of the sauce. Since greek yogurt is very thick, I would suggest using a smaller amount of the yogurt and thinning it out with something like milk, buttermilk, or coconut milk, to make the full amount called for in the recipe so it has the same consistency as heavy cream. ~ Marion :)
8.8/10
Omg, this was absolutely delicious and easy! Loved the recipe, made it over rice and added marinated artichoke hearts and will definitely do so again.
Easy and delicious. Definitely double the pesto and cream if serving with a full pound of pasta.
So good and filling. Let’s talk about easy!! We put it over rice.
This recipe is fantastic- added spinach and a dash of Parmesan as suggested, even more fantastic – and so simple! Really appreciate all the detail in your recipes for less experienced cooks like me- stating the specifics about level of heat, estimated cook times, pictures etc. I follow it closely and meals are amazing on my first try:)
Wonderful and easy! I cut my chicken into bite sized pieces before cooking, and added palmini angel hair “noodles” when I added the pesto and cream. Also added a little grated parm when serving. Will definitely make this again!
Sounds great the way you made it! Will have to try it that way
A family favorite. I always double the recipe.
I used the fat from one can of coconut cream. So GOOD
So happy you mentioned this! I was looking in the comments to see if it would work with coconut cream for us dairy free folk.
Definitely Recommend! I cooked for my husbands family and they loved it. Asked for the recipe!
Made tonight! So good!! I wanted Tom lick the plate but used my bread instead
Delicious as is, but try adding a bit of sour cream and parmesan to the sauce. It elevates this dish to a whole new level.
This recipe is the bomb! Yes, you will want to lick the platter clean. I used Melissa’s sun-dried tomatoes (reconstituted) along with Aldi’s jarred pesto. I served it over rice. It is a keeper!
Delicious! Definitely a keeper recipe!
This was unbelievably delicious. We smashed the chicken breasts flat so there was a higher amount of crispy browned outside part and cut them into chunks and added a little bit of shredded parmesan to the sauce. Oh my lands. Instant favorite. Looking forward to doing it in summer so we can try it with homemade basil pesto instead of the storebought!
Delicious. I could have eaten this as a soup with just the tomatoes and sauce. Honestly the tomatoes were the best part in my opinion. I used leftovers of a homemade pesto with pine nuts instead of jarred and it was an amazing way to use the leftovers.
I made this with a batch of cashew cream to accommodate a dairy allergy. Really good! If you do this, I recommend making the cashew cream kinda watery so you can do the simmering at the end without burning. I added a head of fresh broccoli at the stage with the tomatoes, too. Next time I might serve this over pasta or rice, but it was good with toast this time
Wow this recipe was amazing. I meal prepped for the week and am in love with this one!! I did modify a little by adding more seasoning to the chicken and adding garlic herb butter to the olive oil in the pan. It made the chicken super soft and juicy
Will be coming back for more recipes.
Love this recipe: easy, simple, delicious. Also, it introduced me to a new ingredient: pesto.
I wasn’t sure what to do with the left-over heavy cream & pesto, as this recipe did not call for entire containers. Seemed like a waste for it to go bad in the fridge, but then I learned you can actually freeze both in ice cube trays, and then put the cubes in bags in the freezer for later use.
I doubled the garlic, pesto, and heavy cream and it was the perfect amount of sauce for a pound of fettuccine. absolutely delicious.
This recipe is so easy and delicious. I didn’t have heavy cream, so I substituted it with evaporated milk and butter. I served it with mashed potatoes.
Made this for dinner tonight and served it over noodles. Turned out great! Will definitely be making again! Only change I made was dredging the chicken in seasoned flour.
This was SO GOOD. Like some others, I decided to use sundried tomatoes instead and added some red pepper flakes to the sauce to give it a slight kick. Served with side salad. Amazing.
This was amazing!! Not one complaint from my family which never happens. Thanks so much for this recipe.
So easy and so delicious. This took me all of 20 minutes to pull together. Love this meal and this site. Thanks
Fantastic!! Definitely adding it to our dinner rotation.
YUM! I served it with angel hair pasta and a simple green salad. It was delicious! The flavor was incredible. I didn’t have tomatoes so I used a jar of sun dried tomatoes and it was seriously so good. My husband enjoyed it too, and he’s not a big pasta eater.
So good and simple.
OMG this is just so delicious. The sauce is so good and it goes well with a bunch of different types of sides
Just made it for the family tonight. Put freshly sliced mozzarella on top and broiled to melt and get a little color before serving over angel hair pasta with a side of steamed broccoli. It was really good. The whole family (including toddler) ate it all up. I love cast iron skillet recipes!
I loved this! Very easy to make, and love how flavorful it is with just a few ingredients. I made one change, simply since I was trying to change, and added about half a bag of spinach into the sauce. I also added a bit more heavy cream to compensate for the extra vegetables. I ate it on top of some pasta.
Can I use whole milk instead of heavy cream?
Yes, but add a few pats of butter along with the milk. XOXO -Monti
Good recipe, not sure about the pricing estimate, looks like 1970 pricing, 1 small jar of pesto alone here is $8, chicken is $25, etc etc.
Hi Marshall. It’s not an estimate. We buy our ingredients and test the recipe multiple times. However, we work out of Nashville, TN where the prices aren’t as hardcore as where you live. $25 for chicken is insane. I’m so sorry to hear it. XOXO Monti
Marshall, you also have to keep in mind that I think she prices each ingredient on the recipe list by the amount she uses. So while a bottle of olive oil costs well over .32 cents, and a bottle of pesto costs well over .99, she’s pricing based on the amount that she uses, which makes sense, especially on things people often have in the house anyways (like salt, oil, spices, etc). So if you’re going out and buying all these ingredients, it may end up being more expensive than the prices stated here. That being said, my chicken was even cheaper than hers (5.50 for that same amount of chicken). Even my bottle of pesto was 2.29. I do shop at Aldi though, so take that all with a grain of salt.
Where in the world do you live? One pound of chicken for $25? I live in MA (an expensive place to live in general), and I can get a pound of chicken for roughly $6.99. Pesto is closer to $6.
$25 for chicken sounds like a scam to me, sorry if that’s your reality though. If it helps, some ways to save money are going to cheap stores (for me that means Kroger or Aldi), getting generic store brand ingredients instead of name brand, and planning meals around what’s on sale. Also remember that some ingredients can be used for more than 1 meal. So that ingredient’s cost will be spread out more. Hope it helps! <3
I want to freeze this and microwave for later. I am not sure tomatoes will be ok. Anyone try sundried tomatoes?
I used sundried tomatoes and it was delicious
Usually the concern around freezing fruits or vegetables it the damage it causes to the cells. The water inside crystalizes and punctures their cell walls. But if you already cooked it then the damage has already been done and thus no longer a concern. Freezing this meal after cooking it shouldn’t affect it at all. Unless it gets freezer burn. :)
This was incredible, and so easy! We served it over Angel hair pasta. Yum!
P.S. served on whole wheat rotini and it was the bomb.
Omg. Made this on a day when I was feeling oh-poor-me and I am revived, rejuvenated and.happy. if only Gramma ate tomato skins I’d make this for Sunday dinner with broiled eggplant and cheesecake for dessert. So now I’ll make it for me. And yay! for Aldi’s Priano pesto!
Made this dish for me and my boyfriend after a late shift, was so quick and easy and we both absolutely LOVED it. One for the favourites folder, thank you for sharing this gorgeous recipe!!!
Awesome and easy. Love it ..❤
THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING!!!! The tartness from the tomatoes complimented the creamy sauce perfectly! This was so easy to make and soooooo good! I will be making this again soon!
This was delicious. I added par cooked frozen broccoli and it worked well. Very easy to make and very tasty. I recommend this recipe.
Could I sub coconut milk for the cream?
Go for it! XOXO -Monti
So very good. Used boneless breasts and thighs, homeade pesto. I added Romano cheese and instead of tomatoes I used a lot of mushrooms. Served it with a garden fresh tomato basil salad and a warm baguette. Superb. So much you can do with it.
Great recipe. I used a couple tweaks to make it a bit easier for me.
I used chicken thighs instead of breasts cause they are cheaper and juicer. Pounded thin and seasoned so they cook quickly.
For the sauce I used half basil and half roasted tomato pesto. A bit of salt and lemon juice to enhance the flavors. Overall great recipe. I’ve made it three days in a row now. Super quick too. I can get the whole meal finished in about the time it takes to make the pasta.
Omg this is delicious!! And not expensive either. I used a whole jar of red pesto the first time I made this and I like it better that way. I don’t want pesto to go to waste!! Well it was phenominal and is keto friendly too as long as it’s not served with bread or over pasta/rice!! Today I made it with green pesto, whole jar again, and holy crap!! Sooo yummy. Make this now!!
Any replacements for pesto? I believe they all have pine nuts and I’m allergic to pine nuts…
Try making your own pesto! It’s as easy as blending a smoothie and such a versatile sauce to have on hand. You can sub pine nuts with walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds.
For every cup of basil leaves (or parsley, or carrot tops) use one tablespoon of nuts, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and 1/4 cup parmesan.
I make a nut free pesto and use basil/spinach/kale combo. To keep: glass container with olive oil on top.
The grape and cherry tomatoes at my grocery store were absurdly priced, so I subbed in 1 and a half diced Roma tomatoes. Served it over white rice. Excellent dinner, will definitely make it again!
The sauce is amazing! I had 1/2 jar of leftover pesto and this was a great way to use it up. I used 2% milk instead of heavy cream and it is still amazing! Served it, along with the chicken, over wild rice. I will make this one again!
Well yum. I had chicken breasts and wanted to try something different, and this was just the ticket! Our meal plan was to enjoy this on top of mixed greens salad, and tossed in baked some frozen garlic knots for enjoying that crazy good sauce of course. #AldiWins With one exception I followed the recipe, and as usual the step by step directions and photos gave me the confidence to create this very tasty dish. I happened to have on hand about 2 oz of goat cheese so I tossed that in with the cream and pesto (and no one was sorry about that!) Thanks Miss Beth….you’ve done it again!
This was a very quick and easy recipe that turned out delicious! Perfect with garlic bread.
This is the second time I’ve made these! Yum! This time I added 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan to the sauce and *chefs kiss* it’s perfect!!
Wow. Turned out fantastic. Had to substitute with Lidl cashew pesto with chili and it came out amazing
Hi today I made your creamy pesto chicken recipe and it’s so delicious. I ate with the linguini noodles. Thanks for providing a flavorable meal for me to try. Well worth it
This was delish! Unbeknownst to me, my child had eaten all of our cherry tomatoes, so I used a can of (drained) diced I had on hand. Served it over egg noodles. Yum!
This recipe was stupidly easy!! Perfectly creamy without being too heavy. Served over cauliflower rice to make it low carb. Also subbed chicken thighs for chicken breasts because that’s all I had, but that worked out fine. Definitely adding to my rotation of meals!
I’m going to make this recipe tonight, exactly as written,(doubling the sauce so that it can be a pasta sauce too) and incorporating the suggestion of the artichoke hearts. I’m also wondering if a few capers would enhance the artichoke flavor? Thoughts?
Capers would bring a nice briny flavor, so if that’s something you enjoy, I say go for it! :)
I made the recipe exactly as written. It is excellent, quick and I will make this again and again. Served it with some crusty french bread and a salad.
Absolutely delicious, fast and easy dinner for the family! I doubled the sauce so I could add some halved, steamed baby white potatoes to the dish. Kids loved it, every plate was licked clean, LOL.
Delicious. I made exactly as is and served it over egg noodles with the side salad.
DELICIOUS! The recipe is quick and easy so I didn’t change anything about it. I had the chicken with some roasted potatoes and a side salad. Making it again this week with pasta!
How much artichoke would you recommend adding? At the very end?
Maybe start with half a can and see how you like it, then add more if you want. :)
I use Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream. Gently add the yogurt towards the end of cooking, stir a little over low heat. Much healthier!
That’s a great idea for a healthy swap. I’ll have to try that next time. :)
This sauce slaps! I couldn’t find pesto at the store so I just used alfredo and dropped the heavy cream. I need to keep this recipe stored in my brain, it’s great for a first date ;) great with a salad, pasta, and garlic bread.
You’re commenting that your love the sauce but you didn’t even make anything closely resembling the recipe?? Wtf??
All you made was Alfredo sauce! You didn’t make anything resembling this recipe.
Way too ruch for me!
Super easy and turned out great! Family loved it, this will go on my rotation :)
I didn’t have cherry tomatoes so I substituted a 16 oz can of tomato sauce and 2 Tbsp of tomato paste for them, followed the rest of the ingredients as written and it was SO yummy!!
Amazing as is!! I served it over rice and the rice was a wonderful medium for the sauce. Next time, I’ll try it with some shaved parm on top.
Such an EASY and DELICIOUS recipe…..and, lick the sauce off the plate afterward…I did.
Tried it yesterday, really creamy yet not too heavy, added some basil on top at the end and it was amazing. You don’t even need pasta or rice, just some side salad is great.
Just made it for me and my fiancee. Amazingly delicious! I did have to change few things because that’s what I had: used normal tomatoes in chunks (of course it changes the flavors) and I add spinach at the end. Eat with biscuits! So delicious… Looked so fancy! I’m learning to cook and I feel so proud. Thanks a lot for this recipe!
This recipe hits it out of the park! I served it with asparagus and French bread. Everyone gobbled it up. So simple to make, yet so delicious.
Love this creamy pesto chicken recipe.
Perfect for tomorrow night. Looks amazing and is not too complicated to prepare. Thanks.
I made this tonight. Since my tomatoes were super tiny, I didn’t spend time pre-slicing them,. When they softened I smooshed them a little to break them down. I also sliced the chicken into strips before re-adding it back to the sauce. Served over mushroom ravioli, and it was just wonderful! This will help me make better use of those ravioli packs from Trader Joe’s.
A new family fave thank you!
I added a lot more garlic, doubled the pesto & used half & half because i didn’t have cream. I also topped it off with fresh grated parmesan cheese!
I think broccoli, mushrooms, black olives and onions would be fabulous mixed in!
We made this tonight and it was incredible. I am terrible at filleting though so in the future I think I will use chicken tenders instead. We used a Rosso pesto from Aldi that is marked gluten free.
SO delicious and easy! Will add more veggies next time, but perfect as is.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was easily one of the best dinners we’ve had in a while. We all loved it and my husband asked me to make it again soon. I made it as written. So simple, so good!
Delicious and easy! What more could you ask for? Thanks Beth!
Made this last night!!! Huge hit and super easy weeknight meal! Definitely going into the rotation.
Do you think I could use sour creme as a replacement for the dairy? Or maybe coconut milk, the canned kind?
It’s hard to say how it would turn out with either of those ingredients just by guessing. I’d really need to test them to see how much they affect the overall flavor and texture of the sauce. Canned coconut milk would probably be the closest, but it’s hard to say for sure.
Dairy free option for the heavy cream?
Unfortunately, I haven’t tested any dairy-free options with this recipe, so I can’t make any recommendations at this time.
I made dairy free heavy cream the other day by using 1/3 cup of fairlife milk and 3 tbs butter. Heated it in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, and whisked the butter until it melted. Worked perfectly. My husband is lactose intolerant so I’m always looking for substitutes.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Easy weeknight meal served with salad and pasta. Every time I make a BudgetBytes meal, my husband calls it “Restaurant Quality” and asks to add it to our regular rotation. Thank you!
Wondering if I could sub Sun dried tomatoes instead…can’t wait to try this yumminess!
I am wondering the same thing!!
How could this be ‘lightened up’ if you didn’t want to use heavy cream? The recipe looks delicious, but I’ve got to watch my fat intake.
The cream is pretty important for creating the right texture in the sauce. I fear anything else would be too thin and the combination of acid from the tomatoes and the heat can cause milk to curdle (heavy cream is resistant to that).
I used reduced fat cream cheese (1T instead of 2). I also cooked the chicken and tomatoes in a nonstick pan with a little water and cooking spray instead of olive oil. Usually I’m a fan of fat, but I have to follow a specific diet right now. This would be good with fish, too. Thank you for another winning recipe.
Jeanie what I plan to do is use fat free half and half in place of the heavy cream. I use this in place of heavy cream all the time in my recipes.
Looks so delicious I may prepare it yet this evening. If serving with pasta, is it recommended to double the sauce?
I served it over pasta as-is. :)