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The combination of flavors in this Pesto Chicken with crispy bacon and roasted red peppers will leave everyone thinking you spent way more time on making it than you actually did!
Featured with this recipe
Easy-baked pesto chicken is tender and juicy encompassed in flavor with bacon and roasted red peppers! This is a combination that is delightful and full of flavor in every bite. Take your chicken breast to another level with these intense flavors and textures making your tastebuds sing!
Layer the chicken in a cream cheese spread, topped with red peppers and bacon for a combination that is out of this world! Anything with bacon in it makes it better! This is a simple recipe that looks like you spent all day baking in the kitchen. Invite over your friends and family to enjoy this delicious dinner dish together!
Pesto Chicken with Bacon & Roasted Red Peppers
Get ready to have raving reviews when making this pesto chicken with bacon and roasted red peppers! The flavor combination and texture are a MUST try. It is covered with ingredients that work well together making this a meal you won’t want to skip!
- Chicken breast – Pound your skinless chicken breasts until it is about ½ inch thick. This will give the chicken a flatter surface to work with as well as cook evenly in the oven. These chicken breasts will be rolled ingredients together similar to the chicken cordon bleu recipe.
- Cream cheese – Spread the cream cheese evenly over the chicken. It will help tenderize and adds flavor to the skinless chicken breast.
- Roasted red peppers – Slice bell peppers lengthwise to spread overtop the chicken pieces. As they are being baked they will begin to soften and take on the pesto flavor.
- Bacon – Everyone loves bacon! It is a necessity to have when you just need an extra ingredient. Cook the bacon ahead of time and crumble it over the top of the chicken before baking.
- Pesto – Use dried pesto seasoning sprinkled over top giving it a beautiful look and appearance as it is baking. Fresh pesto won’t have as much flavor and bake as well as dried pesto does and will.
- Feta cheese – This cheese will melt a bit as it is baking giving it that melty cheese taste when cut into the chicken.
- Olive oil – The olive oil helps with flavor but also gives it that crispy outside and tender juicy chicken inside.
How To Make Pesto Chicken with Bacon & Roasted Red Peppers
These pesto chicken, bacon, and roasted red peppers are almost too pretty to eat! They are colorful and beautiful to look at while the smell and aroma fill the kitchen. This dinner recipe is so simple to make and comes together in just a few easy steps!
- Prepare chicken – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/2″ thick.
- Layer chicken – Using a small spatula, spread cream cheese evenly over each piece of chicken. Top with red peppers and bacon. Sprinkle dried pesto and feta evenly over each chicken breast and sprinkle lightly with olive oil.
- Bake chicken – Bake in preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Modifications for Making this Pesto Chicken Recipe
This pesto chicken is the perfect, quick summer dish. It has a bright flavor and the combination of the different flavors will leave everyone thinking you spent way more time making it than you actually did! Follow these tips to find out just how to make this chicken pesto the best that it can be!
- Protein – Looking to switch the chicken for another meat or type of chicken. Try pork tenderloin or chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.
- Baking – Place the pesto chicken on a wire rack, then sit the wire rack on a baking sheet with aluminum foil. When baking, the juices will fall through the wire rack and continue to bake the chicken. This helps with sticking, cooking the chicken all around, and cleaning up!
- Cheese – Instead of feta cheese you can try fresh mozzarella cheese for another flavor of cheese.
- Substitute toppings – Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes will be hard to put on top of the chicken breast but as it is baked the tomatoes will wilt and stick more on the outside of the chicken. You can always add them on after it is baked and bake the grape and cherry tomatoes separately with zucchini, red onions, and squash in a skillet.
“I had no idea you could find pesto in a package! Game changer for sure! Love the taste and flavor of this chicken! Just perfect!”
-Suzy
Frequently Asked Questions
We served it with roasted potatoes and asparagus but it would go well with just about any side dish, like our oven-roasted green beans or these oven-roasted vegetables. For a more hearty meal, try it with rice, pasta, and a salad!
Pesto is versatile but also need to be aware that too much heat and for too long can change the flavor of the sauce. Usually, you add pesto at the end of the cooking process just to make sure that it doesn’t lose any flavor.
Pesto is made from fresh and perishable ingredients it only lasts for a short amount of time. The main ingredients are basil, olive oil, pine nuts, grated parmesan cheese, and various seasonings. Storing it in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator can sometimes help prolong its life of it.
Yes! It is the good fat though. Being high in unsaturated fat is said to be a good thing in some aspects. It derives from plants and nuts that are known to be heart-healthy and have some amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Storing and Reheating Pesto Chicken
Place your baked chicken dinner in an airtight container in the fridge for five to six days long. When ready to reheat the leftovers, take the containers out of storage and place them in the oven, air fryer, or microwave until it is heated through.
More Pesto Recipes
There is something so appealing about sitting down to a meal that is colorful and aesthetically pleasing on your plate. Nutrition experts often comment on the need for a colorful plate in order to ensure you are getting a variety of nutrients in your diet. Pesto seems to radiate with other meals as well!
Pesto Chicken with Roasted Red Peppers
Video
Equipment
- Conventional Oven
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breast halves
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup roasted red peppers sliced
- 6 slices bacon cooked & crumbled
- 1 package dried pesto seasoning like Knorr brand, can be found by the gravy/dressing mixes
- feta cheese to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/2" thick.
- Using a small spatula, spread cream cheese evenly over each piece of chicken.
- Top with red peppers and bacon. Sprinkle dried pesto and feta evenly over each chicken breast and sprinkle lightly with olive oil. Bake in preheated oven for appx 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Nutrition Information
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This dish was a huge hit here! I am loving the pesto and roasted peppers combo!
This one is on our regular dinner rotation. Turned out perfect.
I had no idea you could find pesto in a package! Game changer for sure! Love the taste and flavor of this chicken! Just perfect!
This sounds super flavorful. I know my husband would enjoy it with the red peppers and served on the asparagas.
So delicious! Thank you!
I made this last week and it was awesome! It’s going into the rotation for yummy dinners, for sure! Thanks for a tasty recipe.
Looks delicious! Love the combination of flavors!