Basil Pesto Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Bake - low carb and gluten-free recipe. It's easy to make, and only one pan is needed.
Just pile all the ingredients on top of the chicken breasts in a baking dish and bake everything in the oven. Once the chicken is cooked, you'll have lots of juices in the pan. Pour these delicious juices over cooked rice or cooked pasta, such as spaghetti or angel hair pasta, and serve these side dishes with this Mozzarella chicken. Because you bake everything in one pan, the cleanup is minimal.
Mozzarella Chicken Bake
This chicken bake has a similar style to Chicken Parmigiana (or Chicken Parmesan) because many ingredients are similar, and the chicken is baked in the oven. But unlike Chicken Parmigiana, my Mozzarella Chicken is gluten-free (no bread crumbs or flour is involved), I use fresh tomatoes and basil pesto, and I use Mozzarella cheese only. The resulting dish is so delicious and refreshing! Perfect for Spring and Summer season!
Ingredients you need for Pesto Tomato Mozzarella Chicken
- chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- salt
- garlic cloves
- basil pesto
- fresh tomatoes
- fresh Mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil
To make this mozzarella chicken bake, I like to use thin chicken breasts. You can buy thinly sliced chicken breasts in the store, or flatten the chicken as described below.
How do you flatten the chicken
- To flatten the chicken, first, cover your work surface with plastic wrap.
- Lay the chicken breasts on top and cover with another piece of plastic wrap.
- Pound the chicken breasts with the flat side of a meat mallet to even their thickness.
- Alternatively, you can slice each chicken breast horizontally to make two thinner and flatter chicken breasts out of each large chicken breast.
What to serve with Pesto Tomato Mozzarella Chicken
This Mozzarella chicken bake can be served with spaghetti, angel hair pasta, or rice. When the chicken is done, there will be a good amount of juices at the bottom of the pan. Since those juices are pretty tasty, toss cooked pasta or rice with those juices (which are plenty as you can see on the photos) from the pesto chicken bake, and you'll have a delicious meal!
Alternatively, you can serve your Mozzarella chicken with roasted asparagus, green beans, roasted broccoli, or roasted potatoes.
Here are some of my favorite side dishes to go with this pesto chicken bake:
How to cook Mozzarella Chicken with Basil Pesto and Tomatoes
Preheat oven to 400 F. Place chicken breasts in a casserole pan. Season the chicken with salt and top with minced garlic.
Top with basil pesto.
Add tomato slices on top.
Add thickly sliced fresh Mozzarella cheese on top.
How to bake mozzarella chicken with pesto
Bake chicken breasts, uncovered, at 400 F in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of your breasts.
When serving, top each chicken breast with fresh chopped basil, and a fresh slice of tomato. Pour the juices from the bottom of the casserole pan over cooked pasta (such as angel hair or spaghetti) or cooked rice (such as Jasmine rice).
Basil Pesto Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts , boneless, skinless
- salt
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- ½ cup basil pesto
- 2 tomatoes , sliced
- 8 oz fresh Mozzarella cheese , sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Place chicken breasts in a medium size casserole pan.
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Top with minced garlic.
- Spread basil pesto evenly over each chicken breast.
- Add tomato slices on top.
- Add thickly sliced fresh Mozzarella cheese on top.
- Bake at 400 F in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of your breasts.
- When serving, top each chicken breast with fresh chopped basil, and a fresh slice of tomato. Pour the juices from the bottom of the casserole pan over pasta or rice.
Notes
- Want to make basil pesto from scratch? Here is the best, the most flavorful, and the creamiest 20-Minute Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Sheila
Can I use chicken thighs
Julia
Yes, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
Kerrie
Family favorite meal, and I have 6 children (ages 8-16); everyone loved it!
Thank you!
Julia
So happy your family enjoyed this recipe!
Nicole
An absolutely fantastic dish. This was my first time having pesto and my family loved the dish, ate every bite. I was able to use my own fresh basil from my little garden so I took a little extra pride in the meal. I plan on making homemade pesto the next time around. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is definitely a keeper.
Julia
You are very welcome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Fresh basil is the best!
Denise
Made this tonight for a quick dinner for two. I had two large chicken breasts which I pounded and then cut into four pieces. I followed the recipe exactly and served with rice. My husband loved it, and the leftovers are waiting for another evening. Simple and delicious. Thank you. -
Julia
You are very welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Serving this chicken with rice sounds delicious!
Barbara Hamilton
Delicious! My husband said " This is delicious and it's even pretty in the pan" Thank you!!!
Julia
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
nancy
could you first sear the chicken in a fry pan and then transfer to oven but then roast at a lower temp, say 350. I iike my chicken to have a little browning on the top.
Julia
Yes, you could definitely sear the chicken breasts first and then finish them in the oven!
Cher
This was fantastic Julia! Fresh, juicy, bursting with flavour! The sauce was PERFECT on rice. Yum, will definitely make this again!
The only thing I did differently was to dice the fresh tomatoes to dress over cooked dish once finished. Diced fresh tomatoes, shredded basil, a bit of olive oil, S&P mixed in all in bowl, set aside until main dish was cooked as per your recipe and instructions, then spooned over top! Was pretty and a bit easier for me to cut and serve in smaller pieces! We re-named this dish Tomato Bocconcini Salad Chicken! LOL Thanks for your inspiration!
Julia
I am so glad you tried this recipe and liked it! Thank you for taking the time to leave such a wonderful and thoughtful comment! I love the idea of serving this dish with rice and with diced fresh tomatoes and shredded basil mixed with olive oil!
Anita D.
Made this last night for company and it was delicious! I used a jar pesto bought from the store and it was still great! The leftover liquid in the pan was delish also over the angel hair pasta but the pasta quickly soaked it up so the pasta was a little dry and could've used something more. But all was so tasty together!
Julia
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing your comment. Yes, this chicken bake is delicious over the angel hair pasta!
Amanda
Can you tell me how to make the basil pesto?
Julia
Here are two great recipes for homemade basil pesto:
https://www.cookingclassy.com/pesto-how-to-make-beautifully-green-pesto/
https://natashaskitchen.com/basil-pesto-recipe/
C
Pounding the chicken is an easier alternative to making the various keto crusts, which include using chicken meat. Basically, anything you can top a pizza or chicken with, you can use with chicken pounded flat! It's a pretty good way to use up leftover ingredients in the fridge. I've been making pesto from carrot tops, and using the pesto to make pizzas!
Julia
Great idea!
Bonnie
Loved this! Added a sprinkle of poultry seasoning and a sprinkle of salt on the tomatoes. Drizzle of olive oil over all. Will absolutely make this again.
Julia
So happy you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 Poultry seasoning is a nice addition!
Erica
What would you suggest pairing with this?
Julia
Simple salad and rice would be nice side dishes. You can try these side dish recipes too:
https://juliasalbum.com/avocado-salad-tomatoes-mozzarella-basil-pesto/
https://juliasalbum.com/parmesan-sun-dried-tomato-and-basil-rice/
Adrienne
I like your pesto ideas! maybe brown chicken first??
Julia
Yes, you can brown the chicken first, it's always yummy and pretty if browned. In this recipe, with so much other stuff baked on top of chicken I decided not to brown it first.
Donna
I would like to make this, but wouldn’t the cheese melts before the chicken is cooked?
Julia
The cheese melts with chicken - by the time the chicken is cooked through, the cheese melts nicely, still retaining its shape somewhat - you can look at step-by-step photos above. I used thinly sliced chicken breasts so for me the baking time to cook the chicken was perfect for melting the cheese on top at the same time.
Chris
Do You have instructions for a crockpot version?
Julia
Unfortunately I don't. 🙁