Creamy Pesto Baked Chicken
How to make delicious baked chicken breasts with a block of cream cheese and pesto! This easy family dinner recipe only takes 5 minutes to prepare and then you just pop it in the oven. It's versatile enough for the entire family served with any of your favorite side dishes.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 3-4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds)
- 1 (8oz) block cream cheese (softened)
- 1/3 cup basil pesto *see notes
- 1+ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- fresh chopped tomatoes and basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F and grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the block of softened cream cheese with 1/3 cup pesto.
- Place the chicken breasts into your greased dish and use a spoon or spatula to spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over top of the chicken.
- Sprinkle a cup or more of shredded mozzarella over top. No need to actually measure if your family loves cheese, just go with your heart!
- Bake, uncovered, in the center rack of your oven for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. The cook time will highly depend on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts.
- Garnish with fresh chopped tomatoes and basil. Enjoy!
Notes
- I recommend a good quality, refrigerated basil pesto such as the Kirkland brand from Costco or Giovanni Rana which can be found at most grocery stores.
- If your chicken breasts are large (or you want to speed up the cook time), pound your chicken breasts to flatten them out a bit, and then cut them in half for easier serving. This gives you more of that toasty, cheesy outer layer!
- Do you like a lot of flavor? Pesto is already loaded with herbs and spices, but you can additionally season the chicken breasts with a bit of salt, pepper, or garlic powder before spreading the cream cheese mixture over top.
- If you're a cheese lover, feel free to sprinkle on a bit of parmesan cheese along with the mozzarella. Is it possible to have too much cheese? Nah.
- My family loves this baked chicken with a side of garlic buttered noodles. For a quick side dish, you could also try a box of Pasta Roni, Rice A Roni, roasted potatoes, garlic bread, salad, or veggies.
- Looking for more easy baked chicken recipes? Try this 3 Ingredient Spinach Artichoke Baked Chicken!