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Creamy Pesto Chicken – Create a restaurant-style meal at home with this flavor-packed, creamless Creamy Pesto Chicken dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes!
Hi Hi Hello! Happy Monday…??? Already?!? Where’s that in between Sunday-and-Monday day where I actually DO get to experience a weekend day? *All the ladies are nodding their heads*
My grandma used to say, “Don’t wish for that! One day it will come where you won’t have anykids to wash for or cook for …you will be sad, and you’ll be wishing for the old days to come back…” Ugh. That’s a scary thought, eh? NOT what we should be thinking about on a Monday! BUT it’s a good reminder for all of us.
Er. Let’s talk food!
Sometimes I just want simple winner-winner-chicken-dinner food. This was one of those times.
Lately, my workflow has evolved to meet the demands of this simple-food life, and I ain’t complainin’. Know why?
Because, this pesto chicken… she knows us. She knows how we do. She is packing in all the flavors of a creamy pesto sauce, but without the cream.
And. What’s more important to us all? That’s right. She makes it to us in just ONE PANand in 30 MINUTES.
Raise your hand if you love this kinda foooood!! Of course you do! Why else would you be here??
What you’re looking at is a meal made with just 6-ish ingredients. Salt & Pep not included in the count.
We are talking chicken breasts, basil pesto, evaporated milk, flour, garlic, and cherry tomatoes. Spaghetti, too, if you’re the pasta kind. My husband is, so that photo down there was his dinner. I’m more of a chicken and a salad type-a-girl.
I am going to need you to just rub that chicken with pestoand brown it on the stovetop… then, you’ll whip up an evaporated milk flavor-bomb concoction, add it to the pan with the tomatoes, bring it to a boil, and boom. That’s it. Nothing more to it. Your tummy will thank you.
ENJOY!
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TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS USED IN THIS RECIPE
WATCH HOW TO MAKE CREAMY PESTO CHICKEN
Creamy Pesto Chicken
Katerina | Diethood
Creamy Pesto Chicken - Create a restaurant-style meal at home with this flavor-packed, creamless Creamy Pesto Chicken dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes!
Season chicken with salt and pepper, and rub chicken with the basil pesto.
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet.
Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until thoroughly cooked.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce by combining flour, garlic, basil pesto, evaporated milk, salt, and pepper in a mixing cup or bowl; whisk until thoroughly combined and set aside.
Remove chicken from skillet.
Return skillet to heat and stir in the tomatoes. If pan is dry, add a little more olive oil.
Cook the tomatoes over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, or until just beginning to soften
Add the prepared sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil.
Place the chicken back in the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: chicken breast dinner, chicken breast recipe
How do you thicken creamy pesto sauce? The best way to thicken pesto sauce or pasta sauce is by making a slurry of cornstarch and water. Simply mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 2 teaspoon of milk or water and pour it into the sauce.
Almost all the jarred pestos you find in the supermarket will have been pasteurised to not only ensure that they can last a long time unopened, but so they are perfectly safe to eat straight from the jar. There is no need to heat pesto, although too many people do.
You can customize to your tastes by swapping onions for shallots, grated parmesan for shredded asiago, or a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Heat the mixture with al dente pasta, and you'll have a gourmet meal in minutes.
The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.
You can make a cream sauce thicker by reducing it on the stovetop. If reducing the sauce doesn't work, or if you're in a rush, you can use a thickener to bulk up your sauce. Flour, butter, eggs, and cornstarch are simple ingredients that can make your cream sauce thicker.
Just be aware that exposing pesto to too much heat for too long will change its flavour. Whenever possible, therefore, we add it right at the end of the cooking process to minimise any flavour loss.
For pesto sauces, use about one jar of 5.6-ounce sauce for a 16-ounce package of pasta. The amount of pesto sauce needed for pasta per person would be about . 75 ounces of sauce for each 2 ounce (about 1 cup cooked) serving of pasta.
PESTO SHOULD NEVER BE “COOKED”. If you cook Pesto Sauce, you change the make up of the fresh basil and cause it to turn darker in color. It is best to warm it up and use it at room temperature. If it needs to be thinned out, you can do so by adding a little water, chicken stock, cream or white wine.
The most common reason for pesto tasting bitter is that the olive oil is past its best and has started to turn rancid. If the pesto has been made in a food processor or blender, there's also the possibility that it has turned bitter from the crude, sheering action of the blades.
What does pesto taste like? Traditional pesto is a thick, green sauce that tastes bright and herby from the basil, and salty and rich from the cheeses and pine nuts. It should be garlicky, with pleasant grassiness from good quality olive oil.
Acid in the form of vinegar or citrus juices can make a pesto taste less bitter and could even enhance the flavour of the sauce at the same time. In low concentrations, salt can be used to suppress bitterness, which is why people have been adding tiny amounts to coffee for decades. Always go easy to start with.
Marinating is good for flavouring and tenderising your chicken at the same time. It's best to marinate your chicken overnight to give the flavours plenty of time to infuse. A faster way to add flavour is to simply brine your chicken in salty water prior to cooking.
Make sure your chicken breast is well-seasoned before adding it to the pan. Cook each side evenly until brown. Once done, bake the chicken breast in a pre-heated oven until juices run clear. The crispy skin from the sear will help keep juices intact while baking cooks the insides through without drying them out.
If desired, you can thin out the pesto with more olive oil. (Consider, however, that if you're serving the pesto on pasta, you can thin it with small splashes of reserved pasta cooking water to bring it all together.
Also, if your pesto is too thick, feel free to thin it out with a few tablespoons of extra olive oil or water. Taste and season. Give the sauce a taste (you can dip a veggie stick or piece of bread in, if you'd like), and season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
Combine equal parts cornstarch and cold water. Stir together until smooth. Pour into your sauce and cook over medium heat, stirring continually, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Test the sauce with a spoon.
You can thicken cheese sauce further by adding more flour or even using a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch or flour with a cup of water. The cold water will create a slurry. Stir the slurry into the cheese sauce over medium heat, and let the sauce boil and thicken.
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