Cheesy Pesto Chicken is an effortless and mouth-watering low-carb dinner recipe perfect for the whole family!
Hey, y'all! I have a confession to make. I am the world's worst procrastinator. When I get home from work all I want to do is sit down, kick up my feet and relax. But with 3 kids 5 and under running around the house that's nearly impossible. To help make our evenings a little less chaotic, I began meal prepping and making freezer meals. This well-planned, methodic routine has helped our family out tremendously! Our dinners require zero thought and minimal effort- which is AMAZING.
But...lunches are a different story. I put off packing my lunch (and 5's lunch) until the very last minute. We have about 30 minutes to get up, get dressed, and get out of the house on weekdays. That's just enough time to throw 5's lunch together but most of the time I leave work with no lunch for myself.
My solution? I pay a friend of mine to make my lunches 3 days a week. It's the perfect arrangement! She sends out a text on the weekends with the lunch options, I let her know what I want, shoot her over some money via Venmo and I don't have to worry about lunch 3 days out of the week! It works out great!
One of my favorite lunches that she makes is a Cheesy Pesto Chicken. This dish is a delectable combination of cream cheese, pesto, and mozzarella slathered over oven-baked chicken.
After sampling my friend's recipe, I set out to recreate it on my own. It was super simple to replicate and it became an instant family favorite! Even my super picky 2-year-old twins tore it up!
What can I serve with this dish?
Cauliflower Rice
Steamed Rice
Pasta
Steamed Veggies
Garden Salad
Is this dish keto-friendly? It absolutely is! This dish is low-carb and loaded with cream cheese and mozzarella making it perfect for those of you doing Keto! Even if you're not watching your carbs, you're going to love this dish!
How do I make Cheesy Pesto Chicken?
Honestly, it couldn't be easier! Simply mix together 8 oz of softened cream cheese with 1/3 a cup of store-bought basil pesto. Slather it all over a couple of chicken breasts and top it with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake it for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, and top it with fresh basil and chopped tomatoes for a pop of color (optional).
Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of chicken breasts
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup store-bought basil pesto
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
5 basil leaves, chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl mix the softened cream cheese, and pesto together.
3. Lay the chicken breasts in the casserole dish in a single layer. Cover each breast with the cream cheese pesto mixture. Top with 1 (or more) cups of shredded mozzarella.
4. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
6. Top with freshly chopped tomatoes and basil (optional).
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