Easy Pesto Chicken Starts With An Easy Homemade Pesto
What we like about homemade pesto is that you can taste all the individual ingredients in each bite. There is nothing better than sweet basil, salty parmesan, and rich pine nuts all blended into one stunning pesto. Paired with fresh mozzarella and ripe, garlicky tomatoes it makes for a super flavorful baked chicken topping. Serve it as is, or with a big Caesar Salad and a simple pasta dish like our Creamy Cavatappi Cacio e Pepe.
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Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Pesto Bruschetta Chicken
Pesto sauce – A dollop of freshly made pesto is the best way to make sure that each bite is packed with flavor and no chicken bite is boring or bland.
Ripe tomatoes – Ripe tomatoes are juicy enough as it is, but we took a hint from classic Italian bruschetta and tossed our ripe tomatoes with garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil so that they’re even juicier.
Fresh mozzarella – When in doubt, add more mozzarella. It makes everything taste like a treat. If you have any leftovers, you can make our favorite Homemade Mozzarella Sticks.
Skinless chicken breasts – The simplest and most straightforward part of the chicken to cook. We’re always looking for the best chicken breast recipe–find more ideas in our 60 Best Chicken Breast Recipes.
Fresh basil leaves – We’re doubling down on the fresh basil flavor of the pesto in the tomato marinade.
How To Make Pesto Chicken Bruschetta
Preheat the oven or grill.
Marinate the tomatoes. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and basil. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.
Bake (or grill) the chicken. Cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the chicken from the oven, place a slice of fresh mozzarella on each breast. Return to the oven until the cheese melts, 2-3 minutes more.
Top the chicken with a dollop of pesto and a scoop of bruschetta. Serve immediately.
How to Store Leftover Pesto Chicken Bruschetta + Tips
Fresh basil pesto is easy to make and comes together quickly, and it's easy to freeze! Make a big batch and save yourself time in the future. One of our favorite ways to freeze pesto is to pour it into an ice cube tray, chill until solid, and then pop the pesto cubes into an air-tight container. The cubes should be used within six months.
We don’t love the way that fresh tomatoes freeze because the texture turns unpleasant, but you can always freeze the prepared chicken for future meals.
Leftovers make great sandwich filling! Slice up some crusty bread, and pour over olive oil and balsamic for an easy lunch, cold or hot!
If you’re entertaining vegetarians, you can make some bruschetta with just pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella on thinly sliced toasted bread.
More Great Recipes With Pesto From The Modern Proper
Baked Chicken + Pesto + Mozzarella = A Winning Combo
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