This quick and easy pesto chicken recipe with melty mozzarella, zucchini, and bursting tomatoes is cooked on the stove in one pan and takes just 30 minutes from start to finish.
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“Very delicious! I loved the flavours [and] the colours of this meal! A repeat for sure.” -Karen, FoodieCrush reader
This recipe is brought to you by Delallo Foods
You Can Never Have Too Many 30-Minute Chicken Dinners Tucked Up Your Sleeve!
If there’s one pantry staple every cook should have in their kitchen, it’s a jar of pesto. It’s just so versatile! One jar has all the flavor you need: a little garlic heat, the herbaceousness of basil, oil for texture and coating, a cheesy nuttiness, and just the right balance of spice.
Add it to noodles to make pesto pasta (obviously) or stir it into rice for an extra flavor boost. And if you need a quick snack or app, there’s nothing easier than mixing a few dollops of jarred pesto with more olive oil to create a dipping sauce for sliced sourdough.
Today we’re creating a complete pesto chicken dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes. Ah, the beauty of having a jar on hand (but hey, kudos to you if you have time to make homemade pesto).
Like in my caprese chicken, we’re using thin-cut chicken cutlets so they cook in half the time as full chicken breasts. In the same pan, zucchini and cherry tomatoes are cooked just until tender, set aside, then added back to the pesto-glazed chicken with chunks of melty mozzarella oozing on top.
The flavor is all there. The nutrition too. The only thing left that’s needed is for you to dig in.
Enjoy!
What’s In This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Delallo Simply Pesto Traditional Basil — Made with handpicked Ligurian basil, this easy-to-reach for pesto sauce is blended with olive oil, crunchy pine nuts, cashews, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Pecorino Romano. It shines with the fresh herb and garlic flavor one expects from traditional pesto, but with the convenience of coming from a jar.
- Chicken breasts or cutlets — It’s easy to make your own cutlets by slicing thicker chicken breasts in half lengthwise, but if your grocery store sells pre-made cutlets go ahead and grab some to save a little time.
- Cherry tomatoes — Can be swapped with grape tomatoes, which aren’t as juicy but are still sweet.
- Zucchini — Smaller, thinner zucchini will be more tender and contain fewer seeds.
- Delallo Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil — Adds flavor to the dish as well as prevents the chicken from sticking.
- Butter — Is melted with the olive oil so it doesn’t burn.
- Fresh mozzarella cheese — You can also use low-moisture mozzarella, but I love how creamy fresh mozz is.
- Fresh basil — The perfect finishing touch to complement the pesto flavor.
How to Make Pesto Chicken in 1 Pan (+Tips!)
- Prep the chicken breasts. If using full boneless chicken breasts, cut them into cutlets so they cook faster and more evenly. Use a thin, sharp knife to slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise to make two thinner scallops. This is my favorite knife for the job.
- Season the chicken generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. First, pat the cutlets dry with paper towels so they sear, not steam. Season both sides of the chicken breast to add flavor. All it takes is a little kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to get the job done.
- Set the chicken aside. We’re cooking everything in the same pan so let’s do the veggies first and chicken last. This way the chicken is nice and warm to help the cheese melt.
- Season the zucchini and tomato. Drizzle the veggies with Delallo’s Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I like this olive oil best for this job because it has a light, fruity flavor that won’t overwhelm the dish.
- Cook the vegetables in olive oil just until the tomatoes begin to burst. In this step, we’re just softening the vegetables since they’ll continue cooking with the chicken when combined at the end. Cook for 3-5 minutes while stirring occasionally. Set the veggies aside and cover to keep warm.
- Cook the chicken breasts in a combination of olive oil and butter. Butter is what gives the seared chicken its golden glow. Olive oil raises the butter’s smoke point so it doesn’t burn. Using the two together makes the perfect seared combination.
- Cook the chicken breasts. Thinner chicken cutlets cook quickly. Sear on the first side for 4-5 minutes, flip, and cook for 2-3 minutes. THe chicken will continue cooking in the next step.
- Spread the tops of the chicken with Delallo Simple Pesto Traditional Basil. I usually use about half of the jar of Delallo pesto here. The warmth of the chicken warms the pesto and infuses flavor into the chicken. The smell is heavenly.
- Top the chicken with mozzarella. I tear the mozzarella slices into smaller bits so they melt faster. Use shredded mozzarella if you prefer.
- Add the vegetables back to the skillet with the chicken, reduce the heat, and cover with a lid. This stage is all about warming the separate components together and melting the mozzarella. Keep the heat on low so the chicken doesn’t overcook.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Pesto Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 4 chicken cutlets)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt , divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , divided
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 small zucchini , sliced into coins
- 3 tablespoons Delallo Private Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil , divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 6 ounce jar Delallo Simply Pesto Traditional Basil
- 4 slices fresh mozzarella
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Season the chicken. If using full boneless chicken breasts, use a thin, sharp knife to slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise to make two thinner scallops. Pat the cutlets with a paper towel then season both sides with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.
- Cook the vegetables first. Add the tomatoes and sliced zucchini to a bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with the rest of the kosher salt and black pepper and toss to coat. Bring a large heavy bottom skillet or cast iron pan to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add the tomatoes and zucchini to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the zucchini just begins to soften and a few tomatoes start to burst. Give the veggies a stir and a flip as they cook. Transfer to a pan and cover to keep warm.
- Sear the chicken. Add the remaining olive oil and butter to the skillet to melt. Add the chicken cutlets and cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom side. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Top with pesto and mozzarella. Dollop and spread a few tablespoons of the pesto onto the chicken breasts. (You'll likely have extra so save the rest for another use.) Tear the fresh mozzarella into pieces and top each of the chicken breasts with the cheese. Add the reserved tomatoes and zucchini back into the skillet, nestling around the chicken.
- Melt the cheese. Set the heat to low and cover with a lid. Warm the dish until the mozzarella is melted. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and more black pepper if desired.
Nutrition
What to Serve With Pesto Chicken
More Pesto Dinner Ideas
This post is sponsored by DeLallo Foods. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.
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Retha
Delicious – thank for all the recipes – it helps to plan for meals and to get new ideas
You’re welcome Retha. And thank YOU for the comment and 5 stars!
Aye
made this dish tonight and it came out delish . I love it! I’ll be making this more often
Thank you for the note Aye, and for the positive review and 5 stars!
Anne Contento
How could this be made ahead to serve for company? Maybe do veggies and set aside then brown chicken but not cook through and put in fridge. Later maybe warm up in oven or on stove to finish chicken?
I would suggest prepping the veggies but cooking at the same time as you serve. You could sear the chicken then finish up with the veggies, but really , it does come together pretty fast when you make it all at once. If you brown the chicken before, give it 30 minutes out of the fridge before you cook again so it warms faster all the way through.
Karen
Yum! Made this for dinner tonight. Fresh tomatoes, zucchini and basil from my garden. Also, made the pesto last week. Only change I made was provolone for the mozzarella because I didn’t have it. My family ate it all, and my husband wanted bread to sop up the juices. Will definitely make this again!!
Hayley
Thanks for sharing with us, Karen–we’re so glad it was a hit with your family! :)
Karen Degen
Very delicious! I loved the flavours no the colours of this meal!
A repeat for sure
Gastritis Girl
Yum, chicken pesto is so delicious! I make my pesto with turmeric instead of garlic because it’s easier on the stomach.
Glad you enjoyed!
Deborah
Thank you for this. It looks amazing and will make soon!