Pesto Chicken Parmesan - Delicious crispy parmesan chicken with pesto sauce, melty mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. This easy pesto chicken dinner recipe is cooked on the stovetop and is done in under 30 minutes!
We served our Pesto Chicken Parmesan with a delicious broccoli orzo and a fresh caesar salad. This chicken would also go great on top of a salad, over a bed of pasta or between toasty buns as a sandwich. I'll link a few of my favorite side dishes for you below.
This recipe serves 4 people, so if you are cooking for a larger crowd simply double the recipe. If you are cooking for a smaller crowd, this chicken makes amazing leftovers or you can cut the recipe in half.
Ingredients you need to make Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Chicken:
Chicken Breasts - Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are best in this recipe.
Parmesan Cheese - Fresh grated parmesan cheese is best. You'll need it for the breading the chicken.
Breadcrumbs - I used panko Japanese style breadcrumbs but you can use your favorite or Italian breadcrumbs.
Paprika - Regular or smoked paprika both work great.
Salt - I almost always use sea salt in my recipes but you can use your favorite cooking salt.
Basil - Dried basil is best in this recipe because we are using it to season the breading.
Black Pepper - Fresh cracked or ground black pepper.
Pesto - You want to use a good quality pesto sauce in this recipe. I love Costco's pesto. Use your favorite storebought pesto sauce.
Sun-dried Tomatoes -You can use sun-dried tomatoes in oil or regular sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil).
Butter - Salted or unsalted butter. We will use this to crisp up the chicken in the pan.
Olive Oil - If you don't have olive oil, you can use canola or avocado oil.
Tools to have on hand:
- Nonstick Skillet - To cook the chicken in.
- Mixing Bowl - For mixing the parmesan chicken breading.
- Spatula - To flip chicken over while cooking.
How to make the best Pesto Chicken Parmesan:
Butterfly chicken breasts by cutting them in half (like opening a book).
In a small bowl combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder and basil.
Press chicken into the bread crumb mixture on each side to fully coat.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter and oil. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the chicken and let cook for about 3-4 minutes until golden on bottom.
Flip chicken over and cook another 3-4 minutes until bottom is golden and chicken is cooked through (juices should run clear and temperature is at least 165 degrees).
Turn heat down low. Evenly spread pesto on top of each piece of chicken. Cover with one slice of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes on top. Cover and allow cheese to melt.
Serve pesto chicken with cooked pasta, a fresh salad or your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!
**See below for more side dish ideas!
Dinner side dishes to pair with Chicken:
Simple Caesar Salad - My quick and easy caesar salad is made with homemade dressing, crunchy romaine, croutons and freshly shaved parmesan cheese.
Roasted Rosemary Garlic Potatoes - Fresh rosemary and garlic baked red potatoes with a light golden crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. These crisp and delicious buttery potatoes are the absolute perfect side dish.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes - Easy, creamy, buttery mashed potatoes sprinkled with fresh parsley. When it comes to mashed potatoes, the more butter the better! Add a little cream cheese and sour cream and you have the most satisfying mashed potatoes.
Balsamic Glazed Asparagus - Delicious and easy oven baked asparagus finished with a mouthwatering balsamic glaze. Serve balsamic asparagus with your favorite main courses.
More easy chicken dinner recipes:
Southwest Chicken Alfredo - Creamy and delicious southwest style chicken pasta is the perfect easy dinner recipe. Made with seasoned pan seared chicken, onions, garlic and penne pasta tossed in a mouthwatering southwest style cream sauce.
Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken - Super tender and juicy boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked low and slow in a delicious balsamic sauce. This is the perfect easy dinner recipe for those hectic weekdays when you don’t have much time to cook.
Slow Cooker Saucy Chicken Thighs - Tender and delicious chicken thighs seared golden brown then cooked low and slow in a savory sauce. Slow Cooker chicken in an Asian style bbq sauce make for a super delicious and easy dinner recipe!
Shredded Chicken Enchiladas - Shredded salsa chicken wrapped in tortillas with jack and cheddar cheeses smothered in red enchilada sauce baked to perfection! My homemade chicken enchiladas are not only so easy to make but they are budget and kid friendly!
Pesto Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
- ¾ cup Breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Dried Basil
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅓ cup Pesto Sauce
- ¼ cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes see notes
- 4 slices Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Butter
Instructions
- Butterfly chicken breasts by cutting them in half (like opening a book).
- In a small bowl combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder and basil.
- Press chicken into the bread crumb mixture on each side to fully coat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the butter and oil. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the chicken and let cook for about 3-4 minutes until golden on bottom.
- Flip chicken over and cook another 3-4 minutes until bottom is golden and chicken is cooked through (juices should run clear and temperature is at least 165 degrees).
- Turn heat down low. Evenly spread pesto on top of each piece of chicken. Cover with one slice of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes on top. Cover and allow cheese to melt.
- Serve pesto chicken with cooked pasta, a fresh salad or your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!
Jaime
I have made this multiples times now (but without sun dried tomatoes because my husband and son hate them). I have started making my own breadcrumbs and they brown SUPER FAST - so I pan fry them quickly and then throw them in the oven at about 375 with the pesto and mozz cheese for about 20 minutes (or until the temp reaches 165) and they are perfect every time!!! Thank you for the delicious recipe inspiration!!!
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Jaime! Thank you so much for your kind review!! :)Amanda