Fast. Simple. One pan. Flavorful! These are the kinds of recipes I come back to here again and again – I’m never not looking for things to add to my arsenal of very easy weeknight dinner ideas, and this one is joining the ranks in a big way.
You can use store-bought pesto or one you’ve made yourself. Either way is great, and if you need a nudge in a certain direction when shopping for pesto in the store, I LOVE Rana brand. Not sponsored, but it’s the best I’ve ever tried and it’s affordable, too. Just a suggestion there …
This recipe, like so many of my one-pan chicken meals, follows a similar tried and true method: brown the chicken, saute the aromatics, deglaze the pan, build the sauce, slide the meat back in, bubble and simmer until cooked through.
Voila! That’s all she wrote.
The Breakdown: Creamy Pesto Chicken
What you’ll need:
3 or 4 chicken breasts, halved crosswise into cutlets
Salt and pepper, as needed
Olive, grapeseed or avocado oil, for cooking (about 3 TBSP total)
1 cup diced sweet onion
12 oz. sliced mushrooms
½ cup white wine (technically optional, but adds huge flavor)
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream (you can use half and half, for a lighter sauce)
â…“ cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
Creamy Pesto Chicken: How to Make It
Put the chicken cutlets onto a flat work surface/cutting board and place a piece of plastic wrap over them. Using a heavy-bottomed glass or a meat mallet, pound the chicken until they’re about half as thick as they were to begin with. Season well with salt and pepper.
Add about 1 TBSP oil to a large skillet/braiser pan set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, brown the chicken on both sides until golden; about 3 to 4 minutes per side. It will finish cooking in the sauce later. Transfer to a plate/sheet pan to rest for now. Reduce the heat under the pan to medium.
Add the diced onion and the mushrooms to the pan. Cook until the onions are tender and the mushrooms have softened; about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Add the wine to deglaze the pan and, as it bubbles, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, cream (or half and half), and pesto and stir to combine. Let this sauce simmer over low to med-low heat for 5 minutes or until slightly reduced.
Slide the chicken, along with any collected juices, into the pan and allow it to simmer until cooked all the way through. Serve warm.
If you like the looks of this Quick and Easy Creamy Pesto Chicken, you might want to check out:
Basque Style Braised Chicken and Chorizo
Six-Ingredient Simplified Chicken Marbella
Quick and Easy Creamy Pesto Chicken
- Yield: serves 4
Ingredients
3 or 4 chicken breasts, halved crosswise into cutlets
Salt and pepper, as needed
Olive, grapeseed or avocado oil, for cooking (about 3 TBSP total)
1 cup diced sweet onion
12 oz. sliced mushrooms
½ cup white wine (technically optional, but adds huge flavor)
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream (you can use half and half, for a lighter sauce)
â…“ cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Put the chicken cutlets onto a flat work surface/cutting board and place a piece of plastic wrap over them. Using a heavy-bottomed glass or a meat mallet, pound the chicken until they’re about half as thick as they were to begin with. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Add about 1 TBSP oil to a large skillet or pan set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, brown the chicken on both sides until golden; about 3 to 4 minutes per side. It will finish cooking in the sauce later. Transfer to a plate/sheet pan to rest for now. Reduce the heat under the pan to medium.
- Add the diced onion and the mushrooms to the pan. Cook until the onions are tender and the mushrooms have softened; about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season lightly with salt and pepper.Â
- Add the wine to deglaze the pan and, as it bubbles, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, cream (or half and half), and pesto and stir to combine. Let this sauce simmer over low to med-low heat for 5 minutes or until slightly reduced.Â
- Slide the chicken, along with any collected juices, into the pan and allow it to simmer until cooked all the way through. Serve warm.
