Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken

Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken is simple and delicious, and ready in 30 minutes. This Easy one pan pesto chicken recipe will have you wanting seconds!

This post was developed in paid partnership with Filippo Berio. Thank you for being supportive of me working with brands I use and love!

I made this recipe while doing Whole30, and while the ingredients in the pesto are not 100% Whole30 compliant, that’s ok for me. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw a lot of my Instagram Stories where I talked about the Whole30 diet and how I do it.

I do a “Whole30ish” version, which works for me, but I understand it may not work for everyone. So if I have something in my pantry like pesto, balsamic, or tomato sauce, I don’t go out and buy a new brand that is Whole30 compliant if there’s just a small bit of sugar in the product or maybe a tiny bit of dairy.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’m using non-compliant ranch and blue cheese dressing on Whole30, but I don’t want to spend the extra money on products I already have and love at home.

I altered this recipe to be more Whole30 compliant by using coconut cream instead of using heavy cream or milk to make the sauce creamy. This is a great life hack that I am carrying on after Whole30.

The flavor of coconut cream is very light and doesn’t affect the taste of any dish!

SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO CHICKEN INGREDIENTS

The ingredients for this recipe are simple. That’s what makes it the best weeknight dinner! It’s super quick and easy.

Here’s what we’ve got:

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Filippo Berio Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (yay for not having to buy a whole container of sun dried tomatoes to make this from scratch!)
• Coconut cream
• Fresh garlic
• Red pepper flakes
• Fresh parsley to garnish

HOW TO MAKE SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO CHICKEN

This pesto chicken recipe is made quickly in one pan! So it’s seriously the best weeknight dinner when you come home late and just need something on the table quickly without a lot of dirty dishes.

1. Sear the chicken. First, heat a pan on medium heat with a little bit of olive oil. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, add the chicken and sear for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.

2. Make the creamy pesto sauce. Let the pan cool for 1-2 minutes off the burner and reduce the heat to low, then add Filippo Berio Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, garlic, red pepper flakes, and coconut cream. Stir the mixture constantly for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Finish cooking the chicken. Return the chicken to the pan, spoon the pesto cream sauce over each chicken breast and cook for 5-10 minutes on low, covered. Before removing the pan, check the chicken for doneness by either cutting into the center or using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature, it should be at least 165 F.

WHY PESTO CREAM SAUCE IS THE BEST THING EVER

If you’ve never added cream to pesto to make a creamy pesto sauce, do it now and thank me later. It’s game changing.

Here are a few reasons why I love it SO much:

• You get the same great flavors of pesto but the cream thins it out and turns it into more of a sauce. You can use heavy whipping cream, milk, or coconut cream.
• Using coconut cream allows this recipe to be mostly dairy free, and great for those who are sensitive to dairy.
• Turning a jar of thick, chunky pesto into a cream sauce makes it to go a long way. Use it on chicken, pasta, or shrimp!

IS PESTO CHICKEN WHOLE30 COMPLIANT?

This recipe is not technically Whole30 compliant, but I still ate it when doing Whole30 because the amount of “non-compliant” ingredients in the recipe are so minimal.

I’m not recommending you do this if you’re doing a Whole30 diet, but that was my logic around it!

RECIPE TIPS AND MODIFICATIONS

As always, this recipe is completely customizable. You can add ingredients like cherry tomatoes, chopped sun dried tomatoes, or mozzarella cheese for more flavor.

Switch up the protein and try it with shrimp or serve it over gnocchi or pasta to make it a vegetarian recipe.

Try adding fresh basil to the sauce for even more flavor, or top it all off with some grated parmesan cheese!

You can even switch up the pesto and try using Filippo Berio’s Basil Pesto. It’s one of my favorites from their pesto line!

QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

WHICH STORE BOUGHT PESTO IS BEST FOR MAKING THIS PESTO CHICKEN RECIPE?

I used Filippo Berio pesto for this recipe. They use an authentic Italian recipe for all their pestos. They’re made with few ingredients that are all recognizable, AKA no added chemicals and artificial flavors.

I love how rich the flavors are and how thick the pesto is! Check out all the different pesto flavors on their website.

CAN I USE HOMEMADE PESTO FOR THIS RECIPE?

You can use pretty much any pesto you’d like for this recipe. Filippo Berio has lots of flavors, or you can make your own. This recipe is designed to be simple, so I prefer Filippo Berio’s pestos because they have all the flavors of a homemade pesto without having to do all the work.

CAN SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO CHICKEN BE MADE IN ADVANCE OR PREPPED AHEAD?

This pesto chicken definitely tastes better right off the stove, but I love to chop up the leftovers and add them to a pesto pasta. The sauce solidifies when kept in the refrigerator but as soon as you heat it up, it becomes creamy again.

If you really want to prep it ahead of time and want the ultimate freshness, I recommend heating it back up on the stove at a low heat and covered.

WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR COCONUT CREAM?

If you want to keep the recipe mostly dairy free, but lighter in fat, you can use a full fat coconut milk instead or almond milk.

Coconut cream can also be substituted for heavy whipping cream or milk if that’s what you have on hand and don’t want to purchase extra ingredients.

WHAT TO SERVE THIS CREAMY PESTO CHICKEN WITH

I served this pesto chicken over cauliflower gnocchi and it was the perfect low carb dinner! You can also serve it with pasta or enjoy it by itself with side dishes like:

• The Best Broccolini Recipe
• Spaghetti Squash
• Sauteed Green Beans
• Harvest Salad With Champagne Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Other Recipes to Try

WANT TO TRY THIS CREAMY SUN DRIED TOMATO PESTO CHICKEN RECIPE?

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