Italian Pesto Chicken, an easy and delicious Italian classic, featuring sauteed chicken and a creamy sauce made with white wine and pesto. It’s so easy to make with only 5 ingredients and 20 minutes of your time.
Here’s why you should be making this skillet pesto chicken:
- It’s as simple as it gets: You only need 5 ingredients to make it! Chicken, flour, garlic, white wine, and pesto…that’s it. You may already have these items on hand or can find them with a quick trip to the grocery store.
- It doesn’t take long to make: 20 minutes is all you need to bring Italian Pesto Chicken together. Perfect for a busy weeknight dinner.
- It’s tasty: You just can’t go wrong with the delicious flavors of pesto. The pesto and white wine flavor up the chicken breast, which can be bland when it’s eaten on its own.
Ingredients List
- Chicken breast: You’ll need 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips). Chicken thighs would work too!
- All purpose flour: The chicken strips will be dedged in flour before cooking it and coating with pesto.
- Garlic: 1 clove of garlic adds a burst of flavor. You can cook the clove whole, or mince the garlic before cooking if you prefer a stronger garlic flavor.
- White wine: Use 1/3 cup for cooking in this recipe.
- Pesto: The key ingredient in this dish! You’ll add it to the chicken in the last step. Use store-bought or make a DIY pesto by blending basil, pinenuts, olive oil, garlic, and parmesan together.
- Salt and pepper: Add a pinch of salt and pepper to finish off the flavor.
How to make Pesto Chicken: Step-by-Step
Start by dredging the chicken strips in flour.
Next, heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add the whole garlic clove in. If you’d like a stronger garlic flavor, you can mince the garlic before cooking it.
Add the chicken strips to the pan and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Season with a little salt and pepper.
Pour the white wine into the pan, and scrape up any brown bits. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and let the chicken continue cooking for about 5-10 minutes.
Take off the lid, and add the pesto to the pan. Give everything a stir so that the chicken is completely coated with the pesto.
Remove from the pan, plate, and enjoy! Serve with sides like roasted vegetables or potatoes.
FAQ
Pesto chicken is a fast chicken dish made with boneless, skinless chicken breast. It’s sauteed before being combined with a tasty pesto sauce, which is made of basil, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan.
Pesto chicken has a combination of flavors–garlicky, nutty, fresh, and earthy, which comes from the pesto ingredients. Basil (or other greens and herbs) are the base of pesto, which is where the fresh flavor and aroma comes from.
Yes, you can use pesto straight from the jar. Before eating it, just double-check the label on the jar to make sure there aren’t any special instructions. You can also make pesto on your own!
Pesto is made with super healthy ingredients, including basil and pinenuts, which provide antioxidants, healthy fats, and some protein. It is a common sauce used in the Mediterranean diet. You just want to make sure to eat it in moderation because it can be high in calories from the cheese and nuts.
Yes, pesto does go bad. Store-bought pesto should provide a use-by or expiration date on the label. If you make homemade pesto, you can store it in an airtight container for up to one week in the refrigerator or for up to 6 months in a sealed freezer-safe container.
How to serve
- With roasted vegetables: Make it a well-rounded meal! I like to serve pesto chicken with roasted potatoes and green beans, but you can make it with any vegetables that you like. It would taste great with broccoli or carrots, too!
How to store and reheat
If you have leftovers, you can store this dish in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy within 3 days! To reheat, start by heating olive oil in a pan. Add the chicken to the pan and heat until warmed through.
Top Tips
- Boneless skinless chicken breast is recommended for this recipe, but boneless skinless chicken thighs would work as well.
- Go light when seasoning the chicken with salt – pesto is usually salty already.
More Italian main dish recipes:
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Italian Pesto Chicken
Italian Pesto Chicken, an easy and delicious Italian classic, featuring sauteed chicken and a creamy sauce made with white wine and pesto. It's so easy to make with only 5 ingredients and 20 minutes of your time.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 3 tbsp pesto
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Dredge the chicken strips in flour.
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Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, then add the whole garlic clove in. If you'd like a stronger garlic flavor, you can mince the garlic instead.
-
Add the chicken strips to the pan and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Add the white wine to the pan, and scrape up any brown bits from the pan.
-
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and let the chicken continue cooking for about 5-10 minutes.
-
Remove the lid, and add the pesto to the pan. Give everything a stir so that the chicken is coated in the pesto.
-
Remove from the pan, plate and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken breast is recommended for this recipe, but boneless skinless chicken thighs would work as well
- Go light when seasoning the chicken with salt – pesto is usually salty already
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