• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
You Say Potatoes
  • Recipes
  • Dinner
  • Air Fryer
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Dinner
  • Air Fryer
  • About
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Dinner
  • Air Fryer
  • About
  • Subscribe
×
  • Looking down at a bowl of copycat Cracker Barrel Roast Beef with gravy.
    Copycat Cracker Barrel Roast Beef
  • Side view of a serving dish of shrimp macaroni salad with a serving spoon in it.
    Shrimp Macaroni Salad
  • A stack of pecan coconut cookies on a wooden table.
    Pecan Coconut Cookies
  • Looking down at a bowl of mango corn salsa with tortilla chips.
    Mango Corn Salsa
  • Close up of a slice of gruyere au gratin potatoes.
    Gruyere Au Gratin Potatoes
  • Looking down at a plate of spicy chicken wings.
    Spicy Fried Chicken Wings
  • Stack of mashed potato pancakes on a plate.
    Mashed Potato Pancakes
  • A bowl of smoked salmon cucumber salad on a table.
    Smoked Salmon Cucumber Salad
  • Close up of air fryer stuffed mushrooms on a plate.
    Tex Mex Stuffed Mushrooms
  • Looking down at a plate of curried chicken legs.
    Curried Chicken Legs
  • A plate of cookie butter white chocolate chip cookies, with a Lotus biscoff cookie in it.
    White Chocolate Cookie Butter Cookies
  • An Instant Pot whole roasted chicken on a plate on a table.
    Instant Pot Whole Chicken
Home » Recipes » Chicken

Pesto Chicken

Published: Dec 29, 2022 by Kate

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Plate of chicken, with text: Easy Pesto Chicken Bites.
Plate of cooked chicken, with text: Easy Pesto Chicken.

You'll love this flavorful Pesto Chicken! Make an easy homemade basil pesto, coat the chicken bites, then pan fry or air fry. Serve with salad, rice, pasta, or as an appetizer.

Pesto chicken on a plate.
Pesto Chicken

Cooking pesto chicken is a great way to add flavor to your meals!

Pesto is a flavorful and vibrant mixture of garlic, herbs, nuts, and cheese that can be whizzed up in minutes. It is perfect when used to marinate chicken to give it lots of bold flavor!

Once you've cooked up your pesto chicken, you can use it in so many ways! Try it in sandwiches or wraps, stirred into cooked pasta, or just serve it up for dinner with a few side dishes.

Pesto chicken is a simple and delicious way to enjoy a flavorful meal. You can pan-fry it or cook it in your air fryer.

We love serving this chicken with Greek Pasta Salad or KFC Macaroni Salad!

Jump to:
  • What is pesto?
  • Why You Should Make This Recipe
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Substitutions & Variations
  • Serving Suggestions
  • Food Safety Tips
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

What is pesto?

Pesto is an Italian sauce made from fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and salt all whizzed together in a food processor.

It is traditionally used as a condiment for pasta, but can also be used to flavor fish, chicken, vegetables, soups, and salads.

Variations of pesto can include different types of nuts and cheeses such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, Romano, or Asiago.

Check out these pesto recipes.

Plate with a pile of pesto chicken bites.

Why You Should Make This Recipe

It's an easy way to add lots of flavor to the chicken.

You can use pesto chicken in many ways, from sandwiches and pasta to appetizers or party food.

Short on time? Use store-bought pesto!

You can cook this recipe in the air fryer or pan fry it.

Keep leftovers in the fridge, chop the chicken up, stir in some mayonnaise and enjoy in sandwiches.

Ingredients

You only need simple pantry ingredients for this recipe!

Ingredients on a table.
  • Chicken: You will be dicing the chicken into bites (or tenders), so it's easiest to use boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
  • Basil: Fresh basil gives flavor to the homemade pesto.
  • Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated parmesan cheese gives a richness to the homemade pesto.
  • Pine Nuts: These soft nuts are a classic ingredient for pesto. For substitutions, try walnuts or almonds.
  • Garlic: Use fresh cloves of garlic.
  • Olive oil: This helps the pesto to come together and turn into a spreadable consistency.

See the recipe card for quantities and method.

Instructions

Follow these step-by-step instructions, then scroll down for the full ingredients list and method.

Whizzed pesto ingredients in a food processor.

Process the basil, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor until very finely chopped.

Finished pesto.

Keep the food processor running, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it's all combined.

Chicken marinating in pesto sauce.

Cut your chicken breasts into small pieces. Place them into a bowl and stir in half of the pesto sauce. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and marinate for 30 minutes.

Cooking pesto chicken in the air fryer.

Air fryer

  • Air Fry at 400F for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over and bake for 5 more minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

Pan fry

  • Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a skillet placed over a medium heat on the stovetop. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Then turn the chicken pieces over and cook on the other side for 6-7 minutes or until cooked.

TIP: To ensure your chicken is cooked, check it has reached 165F with a food thermometer.

Scroll down for the full ingredients list and method.

Substitutions & Variations

  • Try making a red pesto by adding sundried tomatoes to the pesto sauce.
  • Swap the chicken for bites of steak, pork, or turkey.
  • Pine nuts can be expensive, use walnuts, cashews or almonds instead.
  • Toast the pine nuts in a dry (no oil) frying pan over a medium heat for a few minutes.
  • Add a little cayenne or hot sauce to the pesto for a bit of heat.

Serving Suggestions

You can use pesto chicken in so many ways! Try some of these ideas:

Enjoy it as a main, along with side dishes.

Stir into cooked pasta (or try using it in Chicken and Leek Pasta or Spinach and Artichoke Pasta).

Spread the pesto chicken into a wrap or sandwich.

Add it to an omelet.

Cut the chicken into small pieces and put it on a pizza.

Put the pesto chicken onto toothpicks and serve as an appetizer with dips, such as Dill Dip, Arby's Horsey Sauce, Donair Sauce, Chipotle Southwest Sauce, or Taco Bell Chipotle Sauce.

Food Safety Tips

  • Before cooking, wash your hands and countertops.
  • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that has touched raw meat.
  • Always wash your hands after touching raw meat.
  • Never leave cooking food unattended.
  • Keep those pot/pan handles turned in away from the front of the stove.
  • When cooking at high temperatures, use oils with a high smoking point, to avoid harmful compounds.
  • Ensure you have good ventilation when cooking on gas.
  • Put foods in the fridge or freezer within 2 hours of cooking. Reduce this to within 1 hour if it is 90 degrees or hotter outside.
  • Safely thaw food in the fridge, under cold running water, or in the microwave.
  • To ensure food is cooked through, it's best to use a food thermometer. Be aware that you can’t always tell by looking.

Cook to safe temperatures:

  • Beef, Pork, Lamb: 145 °F
  • Fish: 145 °F
  • Ground Beef, Ground Pork, Ground Lamb: 160 °F
  • Turkey, Chicken, Duck: 165 °F

Be sure to subscribe to my free Newsletter and follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for more tasty recipes!

📖 Recipe

Looking down at a plate of pesto chicken.

Pesto Chicken

You'll love this flavorful Pesto Chicken that's marinated in an easy homemade pesto.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pesto chicken
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 341kcal
Author: Kate | You Say Potatoes
Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Food processor
  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup olive oil

Instructions

  • Blitz the basil, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, and salt in a food processor until very finely chopped.
  • With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until smooth.
  • Cut the chicken breasts into small pieces and put them into a bowl and stir in the pesto. Cover the bowl with a lid and let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Air fryer

  • Air Fry at 400F for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over and air fry for 4 more minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

Pan fry

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium hea, then add the marinated chicken and cook for 3 minutes or until browned. Turn the chicken pieces over and cook on the other side for 6-7 minutes or until cooked through.
Tried this recipe?Head down to the comments and give it a star rating!

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 480mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

More Chicken Recipes

  • A plate of kung pao chicken.
    Spicy Chicken Recipes
  • Looking down at a plate of breaded chicken cutlets, with one cut into strips.
    Breaded Chicken Cutlets
  • A plate of chicken rice casserole without soup.
    Chicken and Rice Casserole Without Soup
  • Close up of lemon pepper chicken wings.
    Lemon Pepper Wings

Reader Interactions

Comments

    5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Tayler

    December 30, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    5 stars
    I made this chicken for dinner last night and my family loved it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
  2. Beth

    December 31, 2022 at 6:05 pm

    5 stars
    I loved how easy this is and how bright the pesto is. It was a delicious chicken recipe and we served it with a big salad to try to get healthy after the Christmas excesses!

    Reply
  3. Krista

    January 07, 2023 at 5:17 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this pesto chicken. I had a huge basil plant to use and it was so easy! I swapped the pine nuts for walnuts since they're cheaper.

    Reply
  4. Nikki

    January 17, 2023 at 5:00 pm

    5 stars
    Loving this homemade pesto on this chicken. It's so easy to make and full of great flavor. It's perfect for a weeknight meal.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Kate cooking.

Hi, I'm Kate! You Say Potatoes, I say, well, potatoes. I'm a cookbook author and journalist from the Pacific Northwest. Here you'll find easy, budget-friendly recipes made from scratch.

More about me →

Popular Recipes

  • Side view of a plate of Outback Steakhouse bread with one piece sliced and one with butter.
    Outback Steakhouse Bread copycat
  • Cooked chicken legs in air fryer.
    Air Fryer Chicken Legs (Drumsticks)
  • Serving dish of cooked cabbage with butter melting into it and pepper on top.
    Buttered Cabbage
  • Platter of raw vegetables and copycat ranch sauce.
    Wingstop Ranch Recipe (copycat)
Collage of press logos.

Healthy Recipes

  • Teriyaki salmon on a plate.
    Teriyaki Salmon (Air Fryer)
  • Close up of a salad topped with grilled shawarma chicken.
    Chicken Shawarma Salad
  • Looking down at a dish of mango black bean salad.
    Mango Black Bean Salad
  • Plate of Moroccan chicken couscous with harissa yogurt sauce.
    Moroccan Chicken Couscous

Footer

↑ back to top

Information

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Cookie Policy
  • Website Accessibility Statement

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Partner Site

  • Veggie Desserts

Contact

  • Contact
  • About Me

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 You Say Potatoes

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this recipe!
We all loved this recipe and I'm sure I'll make it again and again!

Or write in your own words:

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.