Description
Creamy Pesto Chicken is a simple yet elegant dish featuring tender chicken cutlets simmered in a rich and silky pesto cream sauce. With just five ingredients, this recipe combines bright pesto flavors with luscious cream for a quick and satisfying meal perfect for any night of the week.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 large chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Cooking
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Sauce
- 1/2 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
Instructions
- Prepare chicken: Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to create 4 thinner cutlets. Lightly season each piece with salt and pepper, being cautious with salt as pesto can be salty.
- Sear chicken: Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, sear the chicken cutlets for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove chicken from the skillet and place on a plate.
- Make the sauce: Lower the heat to medium, add pesto and heavy cream to the skillet, stirring until well combined.
- Simmer chicken: Return the chicken cutlets to the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the sauce thickens. If the sauce reduces too much before chicken is cooked, add a splash of water, white wine, or low sodium chicken broth.
- Serve: Once cooked through and sauce is creamy, remove from heat. Serve immediately with your favorite side dishes.
Notes
- This recipe is very quick and easy, perfect for busy weeknights.
- If pesto is very salty, adjust salt accordingly or skip it during seasoning.
- Add a splash of chicken broth or white wine if sauce becomes too thick before chicken is cooked.
- Serve with pasta, steamed vegetables, or a simple green salad for a complete meal.
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for 2 days and reheat gently on stovetop or microwave.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 507 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 460 mg
- Fat: 42 g
- Saturated Fat: 19 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg
