Description
4 Ingredient Pesto Chicken Bake is healthy, simple,delicious and requires just 5-minutes prep. Juicy chicken topped with fresh pesto, melty mozzarella and topped with vine ripened tomatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 chicken breasts
- 6 oz. jar basil pesto
- 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
- 3 - 6 slices mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Season chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper.
- OPTIONAL STEP: While the oven is preheating you can heat some olive oil or butter in a skillet. Once hot add the chicken breast and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side until caramelized. The chicken should still be raw in the center.
- Arrange chicken breasts (seared or raw) onto a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet.
- Use a spoon to cover chicken breast with pesto.
- Top each chicken breast with 1 thin slice of mozzarella cheese and 2 thinly sliced tomatoes.
- Bake for 20- 30 minutes (time will vary based on chicken thickness) or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F. Broil the chicken the final 2 minutes so that the cheese is bubbly and golden. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The recipe directions are written for THIN chicken breasts. If using thick, use a meat mallet to reduce thickness or slice them horizontally to avoid longer cooking times.
- To reduce the amount of liquid in your baking dish, pour a little bit of the oil off of the top of your pesto jar. This will give the pesto a thick paste consistency that works well for this recipe.
