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. 😅
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!
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