Baking is usually my least favorite way to cook boneless chicken breast because you don’t get any browning action like you do in a hot skillet, or that yummy flavor that goes along with it. But when your chicken is slathered in pesto, covered in gooey melted mozzarella, and then topped with caramelized roasted tomatoes, you kind of don’t care about that browning anymore. 😂 So if you want an easy baked chicken recipe, that cooks right along with the rest of your dinner all on one pan, I think you’ll love this Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Dinner!
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I added a simple side salad to this Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Dinner because with all of that roasted goodness it’s nice to have a splash of freshness on your plate, plus a little extra green in addition to the pesto really helped balance things out.
Success with Sheet Pan Meals
Sheet pan meals can be tricky because different foods cook at different rates. To combat this you can chop your food into larger or smaller pieces to make them cook either slower or faster. For this Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Dinner, the potatoes are cut rather small to speed up their cooking and left the grape tomatoes whole to slow them down a bit. Pound out the chicken to an even thickness to make sure it cooks quickly and evenly and add it to the sheet pan half way through the total cooking time to make sure it doesn’t dry out. Cooking the chicken quickly at a high temperature in the oven allows the chicken to heat through to a safe temperature before it has time to dry out, leaving it juicy and tender!
Other Vegetable Options
If you’re not into potatoes, you can substitute them with broccoli, asparagus, sweet potatoes, carrots, or Brussels sprouts.
I might be kind of biased, but I think a slice of Homemade Garlic Bread would also be amazing with this!
Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Dinner
Servings 4Ingredients
Sheet Pan
- 1 lb. baby potatoes ($2.00)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided ($0.48)
- 1/2 tsp oregano ($0.05)
- 3 pinches salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes ($1.99)
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.3 lbs. total) ($3.89)
- 1/4 cup pesto ($0.73)
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella ($1.05)
Side Salad
- 1/4 lb. spring mix ($1.00)
- 1/4 cup Caesar dressing ($0.75)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Spray or brush a thin layer of oil onto a large sheet pan.
- Slice the potatoes into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces. Place them in a bowl, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, the oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes until they are coated in oil and seasoning, then spread them onto half of the sheet pan.
- Add the tomatoes to the same bowl used for the potatoes, add another tablespoon of olive oil and another pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the tomatoes until they are coated and spread them out on the other half of the sheet pan.
- Roast the potatoes and tomatoes for 20 minutes. While the potatoes and tomatoes are roasting, prepare the chicken. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin or mallet to pound the chicken until it is an even thickness, about 1/2-inch thick. Slice each chicken breast into two pieces. Place the chicken in the oiled bowl used for the potatoes and tomatoes, add another tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the chicken until it is coated, then set aside.
- After roasting for 20 minutes, stir the potatoes and tomatoes, keeping them separate, and then push each to the side slightly, opening the center of the sheet pan for the chicken. Place the chicken on the sheet pan, then return the pan to the oven and roast everything for an additional 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, use a meat thermometer to make sure your largest piece of chicken has reached 165ºF at its thickest point.
- Spread 1 Tbsp pesto over top of each piece of chicken. Slice the mozzarella into thick slices, then place one over each piece of chicken. Change the setting on the oven from bake to broil and return the sheet pan to the oven. Let the chicken broil for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Watch the chicken closely as it broils because it will cook very quickly under the broiler.
- Toss the spring mix with the dressing, then divide between four plates. Add one piece of pesto chicken to each plate, then top the chicken with a few of the roasted tomatoes. Divide the roasted potatoes between the four plates, then serve.
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Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Color Cutting Boards
- Rolling Pin
- Meat Thermometer
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make A Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Dinner – Step by Step Photos
Begin by preheating the oven to 425ºF. Spray or brush a thin layer of oil over a large sheet pan. Slice 1 lb. baby potatoes into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces, place them in a bowl, and add 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes to coat, then spread them out over half of the sheet pan.
Add 1 pint grape tomatoes to that same bowl, add another tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Spread the tomatoes out onto the other half of the sheet pan. Roast the potatoes and tomatoes in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
While the potatoes and tomatoes are roasting, prepare the chicken breasts. Place the chicken on a cutting board, cover them in plastic wrap, then use a rolling pin or mallet to pound them out into an even thickness, about 1/2-inch thick. This step is VERY important to make sure the chicken cooks through during its short time in the oven.
The chicken breasts were fairly large to begin with (about 2/3 lb. each) and once they’re pounded out they’re even larger, so slice them into two pieces each. These smaller pieces will again help them cook a bit faster.
Place the chicken in the same bowl used for the potatoes and tomatoes (with all the leftover oil and seasoning), add another tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the chicken until it is coated, then set it aside until the potatoes and tomatoes finish their first 20 minutes in the oven.
Once the potatoes and tomatoes have roasted for 20 minutes, take the sheet pan out of the oven, stir the potatoes and tomatoes, then push them to each side, opening up the center for the chicken pieces. Place the chicken on the sheet pan in the center, then return it to the oven for another 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken has reached 165ºF in the center. Mine was actually a bit over, but it was still nice and juicy!
Spread one tablespoon pesto over the top of each piece of chicken.
Slice the mozzarella into four thick pieces, then place one piece on top of each piece of chicken. Change the setting on your oven from bake to broil and return the sheet pan to the oven.
Broil the pesto chicken for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top. Watch the chicken closely as it broils, as broilers can cook very quickly!
Toss the spring mix in the salad dressing, then divide it between four plates. Place a piece of chicken on each plate, then top with some of the roasted tomatoes. Finally, divide the roasted potatoes between the four plates, and enjoy your Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken Dinner!
Reminder that ovens vary. 20 minutes for my chicken was toooo long. I should have checked after 10 minutes. Chicken was a little tough to cut but the flavors were excellent
They really do — and it’s extremely common! Like a piano, ovens can fall “out of tune.” The best way to figure out what’s going on with your oven is to purchase an oven thermometer (They usually cost less than $10, but we will add one to our shop page sometime today for you!). Once you know how much hotter your oven is running (say it’s preheated to 350*F but the oven thermometer could read somewhere closer to 375*F), you can adjust the temperature down to cook things at the correct temperature. You can also place it in different areas of the oven to see if you have “hot spots.” I hope that helps! ~ Marion :)
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I have made this before and it is a flavorful favorite. I wanted to ask in terms of meal prep, how well would this freeze? Thanks!
I would like to substitute asparagus instead of the tomatoes (got a mater hater in the family). It generally takes only about 10 min. to roast. Would you suggest adding it after the chicken has cooked for 10 min?
Absolutely!
Can this recipe be adapted for bone in chicken thighs? Would I just put the thighs in earlier in the process?
Bone-in thighs are going to take much longer to cook through, so yes, you’ll have to account for that. But I’d need to test the timing with the other ingredients before offering any concrete suggestions.
Excellent flavor and simple recipe! Family loved it!
Delicious! I misread the ingredients list and bought shredded mozzarella instead of fresh, but I just sprinkled it on top and it was still really good. Will make again (this time with the right kind of cheese!)
Super happy with this recipe. I’m a novice in the kitchen so I love the easy Budget Bytes recipes that just make sense. Like duh, buy a jar of pesto and slap it on some seasoned chicken. It seems obvious, but I need someone to point it out to me and write the directions super clearly. BB nails it every time. This is def going in my weekly rotation.
Turned out perfectly, everything cooked just right. Our cheese never browned and was migrating across the pan so we pulled it at 4 minutes, could’ve been type of mozzarella cheese, temperature of cheese, or position of oven rack (mid-high).
We had an extra zucchini so we tossed that with the tomatoes and it added great color and flavor. We will definitely be making this again.
My family loved this! I followed your recipe exactly and used our homemade pesto.
Delicious recipe and so easy! Loved the flavors! Served it with a Caesar salad. Perfect!
I only have chicken thighs right now – but amazingly all the other ingredients are on hand. Would those sub okay for the flattened breast pieces in this? Thanks!
Yes I’ve done that a few times and it has turned out great.
Love this one! I love how it’s a complete and balanced meal. And it’s super easy and feels like I’m indulging!
This was amazing. Absolutely loved it.
I’ve since tried it with sun-dried tomato pesto and it was even more delicious – a little bit of an Italian flavor. Your guide made it so easy to follow – thanks!
This was fine, it didn’t stand out to me as particularly good or bad.
Whoops I commented on the wrong dish… This dish was actually one of the best I’ve ever had from this site! Feel free to delete both these comments.
Super yummy !!! I will definately make this again. I used shredded mozzarella cheese and it was delicious.