Pesto chicken bake brings big Italian-restaurant flavor to a midweek night with almost no effort. Juicy chicken, gooey mozzarella, sweet blistered tomatoes, and a garlicky basil sauce, all from five ingredients and one dish. It’s on the table in under 40 minutes, and only five of those take effort. Easy enough for a school night, pretty enough for having friends over.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Basil pesto: One 6.5 oz (190g) jar, split between the bottom of the dish and the top of the chicken. The bottom half turns into sauce all on its own. Refrigerated pesto tastes brighter than shelf-stable, but either works.
- Cherry tomatoes: Left whole, no chopping. They blister in the oven, then get squashed into the pesto at the end. Grape tomatoes work too; their skins are tougher, so give them a firmer press. Skip large tomatoes, which flood the dish.
- Balsamic vinegar: A little splash that cuts through all that cheese and pesto, and caramelizes on the tomatoes. Use regular balsamic, not glaze, which burns at this heat. Red wine vinegar works if that’s what you have, with a sharper finish.
- Chicken breasts: 6-8 oz each. Boneless, skinless thighs are a great swap. Bake them for the same time and take them to 175°F/79°C so they turn extra tender.
- Mozzarella: A fresh ball, drained and patted dry, for those big melty patches. Low-moisture shredded mozzarella melts more evenly and browns more.
- Salt and pepper: Easy on the salt. Pesto brings plenty.
How to Make It
- Heat the oven to 400°F / 200°C (180°C fan).
- Build the base. Spread half the pesto across the bottom of a 9×13 dish and scatter the tomatoes around the edges.
- Add the chicken. Lay the breasts down the middle of the dish, right on the pesto, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle the balsamic over the tomatoes.
- Top with pesto. Spread the rest of the pesto over each breast, right to the edges.
- Bake for 20 minutes. The tomatoes should be starting to split, and the pesto on top just darkening at the edges.
- Add the mozzarella. Tear it over the chicken and bake another 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the thickest part of the chicken reads 165°F / 74°C.
- Squash and serve. Let it rest for 3 minutes. Now the fun part: press each tomato with the back of a spoon and stir it into the pesto and juices until you have a loose, chunky sauce. Spoon it over the chicken.
Tips for Getting It Right
Dry chicken almost always means it stayed in a few minutes too long, and the size of your chicken breasts decides the timing more than anything else.
- Use a thermometer and pull the dish at 165°F / 74°C. It takes the guessing out.
- Check the pack weights. Breasts of 10-12 oz (285-340g) need 30 minutes before the cheese goes on.
- Push the tomatoes to the sides instead of under the chicken. Covered tomatoes steam instead of blistering.
- Pat the mozzarella dry before tearing it, or the dish may turn watery.
- If the top pesto looks dark at the 20-minute mark, tent the dish loosely with foil.
Variations
- Sun-dried tomato pesto: Swap it in for a deeper, sweeter sauce.
- Spinach: Stir two handfuls of baby spinach into the hot sauce when you squash the tomatoes. It wilts in a minute.
- Feta: Crumble it over in place of the mozzarella for a salty, tangy top.
What to Serve With It
- Vegetable: Mashed Potatoes that go so well with the sauce
- Starch: Pasta, tossed in all that extra sauce (my kids love spaghetti with this one)
- Salad: Arugula with lemon and olive oil
- Extra: Crusty bread for mopping up the dish
FAQ
Yes. Layer everything except the mozzarella up to 24 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Add 5 minutes to the first bake.
No. Frozen chicken cooks unevenly and releases water into the sauce. Thaw it in the fridge overnight first.
Pesto oil separates in the oven. Squashing the tomatoes and giving everything a good stir brings it back together. If there’s still a pool, you can tilt the dish and spoon a little off, but I love to toss my pasta in it right after it’s cooked and still hot to absorb the flavour.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 350°F for 15 minutes, or microwave at half power. Freezing isn’t recommended: the mozzarella turns rubbery and the tomatoes go watery.
More dump recipes you will love
- Spinach Ricotta Chicken Bake
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Marry Me Chicken Orzo Bake
- Cottage Cheese Baked Ziti
- Chicken in Greek Yogurt Sauce
Have you made this recipe? I’d love to know <3 Tag me (@makehealthyrecipes) on Facebook and Instagram, Pin it on Pinterest, and please give it 5 stars with a review below! Don’t forget to subscribe to the email list for sparkly new recipes in your inbox.
Pesto Chicken Bake Recipe
Ingredients
- 6.5 oz basil pesto divided
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts 6-8 oz / 170-225g each
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella ball drained
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F / 200°C (180°C fan).
- Spread half the pesto over the bottom of the dish. Scatter the tomatoes around the edges.6.5 oz basil pesto, 10 oz cherry tomatoes
- Lay the chicken down the middle of the dish, on the pesto. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle the balsamic over the tomatoes.1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, Salt and pepper, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Spread the rest of the pesto over the chicken.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Tear the mozzarella over the chicken. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F / 74°C.4 oz fresh mozzarella ball
- Rest for 3 minutes. Squash the tomatoes with a spoon and stir them into the pesto. Spoon the sauce over each piece.
Notes
- 10-12 oz breasts: bake 30 min before adding the cheese.
- Use regular balsamic, not glaze. Glaze burns at this heat.
- Place tomatoes around the edges in a single layer so they blister.
- Squash every tomato. That’s your sauce.
- Go by temperature, not time.