Dump-and-Bake Pesto Chicken

Just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep! This tender, juicy, flavorful Dump-and-Bake Pesto Chicken can be prepared in the oven or in the Crock Pot for an easy dinner recipe that the whole family will love.

If you hate to cook, or if you just don’t have the time to mess around with a complicated meal each night, then you’re in the right place! This pesto chicken tastes like a rich dish that’s full of garlic, basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and other Italian flavors — but it requires almost zero effort on your part!

I’ve been making this healthy pesto chicken recipe since my boys were infants because it’s fast, it can be prepped ahead of time, and it’s one of those magical options that even the kids enjoy.

How to Bake Pesto Chicken:

I’m sharing the oven baked method here, but I’ve also included Crock Pot instructions in the recipe below. Pick whichever method is most convenient!

You only need 4 ingredients:

• Chicken (thighs or breasts)
• Pesto sauce
• Italian salad dressing mix
• Chicken broth

First, place the chicken in a 2-quart baking dish.

Sprinkle the dry Italian dressing seasoning over top, spread with pesto and pour chicken broth over all.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes (for thighs) or about 1 hour (for larger chicken breasts). The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

As an alternative, you can cook the chicken in a Crock Pot on LOW heat for 6-8 hours or on HIGH heat for 3-4 hours.

Slice or shred the chicken, spoon pan sauce over top, and serve!

What goes with Pesto Chicken?

Serve this chicken with rice, pasta or a loaf of crusty Italian bread and a side of vegetables. It’s also delicious on salad, in panini sandwiches, on pizza, or in wraps.

Add some green to your plate with:

• Cucumber Salad (shown here)
• A simple salad tossed in Italian Balsamic Vinaigrette
• 2-Ingredient Italian Sugar Snap Peas
• Garlic Roasted Broccoli
• Three Bean Salad
• Crispy Zucchini Fries

Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:

• You can use either boneless, skinless chicken thighs or boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If you’re cooking the chicken in the Crock Pot, I suggest using chicken thighs — they stay much juicier than the breast meat over the longer cooking time.
• Prep ahead! You can make this a freezer meal by combining all of the raw ingredients in a baking dish or in a large Ziploc bag. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake or dump into the slow cooker and cook according to recipe instructions.
• Have leftovers? You can freeze this cooked pesto chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Use the cooked, shredded meat on top of pizza, tucked inside panini sandwiches or on top of a salad.
• Is pesto chicken healthy? Yes! Pesto is made with heart-healthy olive oil, fresh herbs and nuts. While the nutrition facts include 435 calories per serving, that includes all of the sauce in the dish (which you will likely not consume). If you don’t enjoy all of the pesto sauce from the pan, the nutrition facts will vary greatly.

More easy pesto recipes that you might enjoy:

• Tomato Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken
• Turkey and Pesto Slow Cooker Lasagna
• Dump-and-Bake Chicken Pesto Pasta
• 4-Ingredient Spring Pesto Pasta

Dump-and-Bake Pesto Chicken

5 from 5 votes

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 40 minutes

0 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 435.1 kcal

You only need 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep for this easy Dump-and-Bake Pesto Chicken! It's a healthy dinner for your busiest weeknights!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 1 (8.1 ounce) jar prepared pesto sauce (or about 1 cup homemade pesto sauce)
• 1 (0.7 ounce) packet Italian dressing and recipe mix (just the dry seasoning — NOT prepared)
• ½ cup chicken broth

Instructions

OVEN BAKED METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
• Place chicken in prepared dish. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, cover with pesto and pour chicken broth over top.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes for thighs (or about 1 hour for breasts), or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

SLOW COOKER METHOD:

• Spray insert of slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, cover with pesto and pour chicken broth over top.
• Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or on LOW for 6-8 hours. Slice the chicken or use two forks to shred the meat.

Notes

• NOTE: Nutrition facts provided include all of the sauce in the dish. You will likely NOT actually consume all of the sauce, so nutritional content in the dish will vary depending on how much pesto you actually enjoy.
• You can use either boneless, skinless chicken thighs or boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If you’re cooking the chicken in the Crock Pot, I suggest using chicken thighs — they stay much juicier than the breast meat over the longer cooking time.
• Prep ahead! You can make this a freezer meal by combining all of the raw ingredients in a baking dish or in a large Ziploc bag. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake or dump into the slow cooker and cook according to recipe instructions.
• Have leftovers? You can freeze this cooked pesto chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Use the cooked, shredded meat on top of pizza, tucked inside panini sandwiches or on top of a salad.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 435.1kcalCarbohydrates: 7.3gProtein: 30.2gFat: 30.9gSaturated Fat: 3.3gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 1300.2mgPotassium: 240mgFiber: 2.7gSugar: 1.3g

Keyword: crock pot chicken, pesto chicken, pesto chicken thighs

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Author: Blair Lonergan

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