One of my favorite Go-To Meals to have is this Pesto Chicken recipe. Baked using fresh or frozen chicken tenders, it is a quick meal that comes together in no time.
You can easily customize this dinner to meet your preferences, but I usually serve it with a quick-cooking rice or quinoa packet and a frozen veggie. See my notes below for suggestions of modifications to this recipe.
Let’s get cooking!
Go-To Meals: Pesto Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 ea Chicken tenders, thawed
- 4 tbl Prepared pesto You can make your own if you prefer!
- 4 slices Mozzarella Cheese Use any cheese you like, I prefer mozzarella or provolone.
- 1 package Quick-cooking microwave quinoa
- 1 serving Frozen veggies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Arrange chicken tenders in a 9” X 9” pan minimizing touching.
- Spoon one tablespoon of pesto on chicken tenders spread out slightly to cover the entire tender.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, cover each tender with cheese, return to oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- Once the chicken has been returned to the oven, microwave quinoa according to package directions.
- When quinoa is finished, microwave veggies and set them aside.
- Verify your chicken is cooked through to a safe temperature.
- Plate your quinoa, veggies, and chicken and dig in!
Notes
Modifications and notes: - Any quick-cooking side dish will work with this meal, rice, pasta, quinoa, potatoes, etc. Pick your favorite!
- You can use frozen chicken tenders without being defrosted, but the cooking time will need to be increased to 25-30 minutes total. Add the cheese for the last 5 minutes.
- You can use whole chicken breasts for this too. Either slice into smaller tenders to cook quicker, or increase the cooking time to 40 minutes for chicken breasts.
- This makes 2 servings, one for dinner tonight and something to take for lunch tomorrow. Increase the number of chicken tenders to increase the servings.
- Cherry tomatoes are a fun addition to add to the chicken when you are adding the cheese! What other additions will you make to this pesto chicken recipe?
- This is also a delicious way to serve salmon too! Just top salmon filets with pesto and bake according to package directions.
Are you hungry yet?
One of the goals of go-to meals is to have a hot tasty meal ready to eat quickly. This Pesto Chicken recipe hits the mark!
So, let’s coordinate your cooking steps and get the cooking going quickly when you start! I will continue to share more of my Go-To meals and other ideas for Go-To meals that may inspire you to add them to your rotation. Remember, the base of these Go-To meals is quick, ingredients you can have on hand at all times, satisfying, and cheaper than takeout!
Do you have a chicken-based recipe that is one of your go-to meals? I have another one I will share in a couple of weeks! Please share it in the comments below or on our Go-To meals Pinterest board!
This looks excellent! I know you said that there are a number of sides one can pair with this, but are there any particular sides you recommend?
I usually do a quick side like a microwave rice or quinoa package. Add in microwaved some frozen veggies, and you have a quick healthy filling meal! Thanks for the comment!
Well this looks delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Your welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Such an easy dish to make, and pesto adds soooo much to whatever it touches! Love the color AND flavor!
Pesto is magic like that! Love it!
This looks delicious! You can never go wrong with pesto!
Pesto is magical like that! Thanks for the comment!
I do not eat any meat including chicken but will def pass on this recipe to my other friends who do!
Great looking dish! Sounds so yummy! Love all the tips and ideas to serve it with/notes! Thanks for sharing!
Pesto is one of my go-to recipes, thanks for this delicious and easy recipe.