Parmesan Pesto Chicken Recipe - A Spicy Perspective (2024)

Parmesan Pesto Chicken – Simple and sensational pesto chicken served over fresh summer pasta salad. This pesto chicken pasta dish is sure to be your new go-to dish this season!

Simple Chicken Bake

Less is More. The older I get, the more often I find I stand by this motto.

I don’t want my house to be full of stuff, trying to keep up with the Jones’. We are experience-driven people and would rather spend our money on memory making, instead of nesting.

And I certainly don’t want to throw extra ingredients into a recipe, just for the sake of making it seem more chic or gourmet.

Good food does not always have to be complicated.

Anyone that thinks otherwise is trying too hard, in my opinion. Often the simple things in life provide the most satisfaction. And that’s exactly how I feel about today’s pesto chicken.

Simple Dinner Plans

When I’m in a hurry, yet want to make something wonderful, I often rub DeLallo’s traditional basil pesto over chicken breasts. Then I sprinkle the top with shaved parmesan cheese, and bake it. The basil pesto provides rich sweet and savory flavors to the juicy chicken, and the parmesan baked into an effortless nutty crust.

While the pesto chicken is in the oven, I have time to make the gorgeous summery italian pasta salad I shared before on the blog.

The combination of the fresh cool citrus, golden tomatoes, basil, and pasta, with the hot crusty pesto chicken makes the most amazing pesto chicken pasta ever!

I love this dinner duo so much. And I think you will too.

Pesto Chicken Ingredients

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
• DeLallo Traditional Basil Simply Pesto
• Shaved Parmesan Cheese
• Salt and Pepper

This recipe consists of three carefully selected ingredients: organic chicken breast, DeLallo Simply Pesto (Traditional Basil), and fresh shaved parmesan cheese.

That’s it. (Oh, and a little salt and pepper.)

How to Make this Chicken Pesto Bake

1. Make sure to preheat the oven first, to get it to the temperature needed to bake. Set the oven at 400 degrees F. Place the chicken into a square (or rectangular) baking dish and pat them dry with some paper towels. This will help with the crispness on the outside along with the pesto and cheese.
2. Scoop some of the pesto over each chicken breast and spread it in an even layer. Turn the chicken pieces over and do the same thing to the bottom piece of the chicken.
3. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top of the chicken, then also sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top of the salt and pepper.
4. The size of the chicken breast you have determines the time of baking (whether they are small or large-sized pieces of chicken). When the chicken comes out of the oven, allow it time to rest and cool off for about five minutes.
5. Slice and serve over our Italian Summer Pasta or with any other side dishes that you made.

Get The Full (Printable) Recipe Below For How To Make Parmesan Pesto Chicken.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you sure about the short cook time?

Yes, this was not a typo! Since the temperature of the oven is so high, the chicken doesn’t need to be in the oven as long as you might think. If the chicken pieces are on the smaller side, then 15 minutes in the oven will fully cook the chicken while creating a nice cheesy crust. If the chicken pieces are bigger, then bake it for 20 minutes for the fully cooked chicken and cheesy crust.

How do you know when the chicken is fully cooked?

The internal temperature of the chicken should be at 165 degrees F to be fully cooked and considered safe for eating. If you don’t have a thermometer, touch the center of the chicken. If it seems to bounce back immediately it is most likely done. It should feel soft, but tight… Not hard and dry.

More Easy Chicken Recipes

• No-Boil Chicken Parmesan Pasta Recipe
• Pesto Baked Chicken Tortellini Recipe
• Parmesan Lemon Chicken and Rice Skillet Recipe
• Creamy Parmesan Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe
• Healthy Pesto Chicken Kabobs with Cool Quinoa Pilaf Recipe
• Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Shells Recipe
• Tavern Fried Chicken Recipe

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by DeLallo Foods. All opinions are my own.