This Italian Basil Pesto Chicken and Veggies recipe is an easy 30-minute one-pan meal that’s healthy, low-carb, flavorful, and delicious!
Chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, and sun-dried tomatoes with homemade basil-spinach pesto sauce equals one fabulous meal! This easy Italian chicken recipe is packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, and lots of flavor. Plus, it reheats well, so it’s perfect for weekly meal prep.
I made this pesto chicken and veggies recipe using my Basil Pesto Sauce that tastes amazing and is ready in 5 minutes. You can use store-bought pesto if you are in a pinch. However, I do recommend making the homemade pesto since it is healthier and tastes better than store-bought pesto. You can also use the pesto to make this Creamy Pesto Pasta or Pesto Pasta Salad.
Italian pesto chicken and vegetables are super yummy served alone or with a salad for a satisfying low-carb, keto, and diabetic-friendly meal. But if you do not care about carbs, it is also wonderful tossed into pasta and served with bread for a nice big dinner that is carbolicious! I hope you enjoy!
Italian Pesto Chicken Ingredients
Here are the Italian pesto chicken recipe ingredients you will need…
- Homemade Pesto or store-bought pesto
- boneless skinless chicken breasts – cut into bite-sized pieces
- fresh broccoli – cut into bite-sized florets
- fresh cauliflower – cut into bite-sized florets
- sun-dried tomatoes
- olive oil
- Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- freshly grated parmesan cheese – optional
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Chicken in Garlic Tomato Sauce
- Brandy Cream Chicken
- Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
- Baked Cajun Chicken
- Baked Low-Carb Parmesan Chicken Tenders
- BBQ Chicken Skewers
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Grilled Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Kabobs
- Easy Chicken Marsala
- Easy Chicken Teriyaki
- Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken
- Parmesan Chicken Piccata
- Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta
- Chicken Diavolo Pasta
How to Make Pesto Chicken and Vegetables
To make Italian pesto chicken and vegetables in one pan, I recommend making the Basil Pesto Sauce in advance. It only takes 5 minutes, but having it ready will make things easier.
First, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Chop the broccoli, cauliflower, and sun-dried tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until fully cooked, about 6-8 minutes, but times may vary. Once the chicken is fully cooked, transfer it to a plate and tent it with foil to keep it warm.
Using the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil and the chopped veggies. Stir the veggies, then cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
Remove the lid and add the cooked chicken back to the pan. Stir in the pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine for about 2 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and serve garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
This recipe was originally published on August 17th, 2019, but has been updated with a new recipe card.
Pesto Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basil Pesto homemade or store-bought (8 oz.)
- 1.5 lbs. fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 10 ounces fresh broccoli cut into bite-sized florets
- 10 ounces fresh cauliflower cut into bite-sized florets
- 6 ounces sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- freshly grated parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- First, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Chop the broccoli, cauliflower, and sun-dried tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until fully cooked, about 6 - 8 minutes, but times may vary. Once the chicken is fully cooked, transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Using the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil and the chopped veggies. Stir the veggies, then cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove the lid and add the cooked chicken back to the pan. Stir in the pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine for about 2 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and serve garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
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If you make the Basil Pesto Chicken and Veggies recipe, please leave a comment in the comments section below. I would love to hear from you, and I truly appreciate your feedback! I will always do my best to respond to every comment ASAP. Thank you so much!
I followed the recipe, Delicious! I will make again . Thank you for sharing .
Thank you for the compliment, Sue! I’m glad you enjoyed the pesto chicken and veggies!
I added chicken sausage which added so much flavor. This is a keeper
Thank you, Dana! That sounds yummy!
Delicious! I can’t believe my picky 4 and 7 year olds gobbled it up! A little feta sprinkled on the top really made it for me!
Thank you so much for the compliment, Marissa! I’m happy to hear your kids liked it as well since my daughter is also a very picky eater!
Delicious! I had some frozen roasted veggies so I added those with the broccoli (didn’t have any cauliflower) and that worked great! Really easy and a great dinner. Thanks!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the pesto chicken and that the frozen vegetables worked.
Do you cook the sun dried tomatoes with the broccoli and cauliflower? Step 3 says to add the veggies to the pan after the chicken is cooked but step 4 says to add in the pesto and sundried tomatoes. I just wanted to clarify if I should cook the sundried tomatoes in step 3 or not until the end. Looking forward to trying this, it sounds delicious! Thank you
Hi Tracey,
You add them in step 4, with the pesto. I hope you enjoy!
I have made this many times, it’s even a hit with my 2 and 4 year old boys!!! Love this recipe
Thank you so much for the compliment, Heidi! I’m happy to hear that you and your boys love the pesto chicken and veggies. Little ones can be picky, so your comment made me smile. Happy cooking!
This was so good! I’m carb cycling and this was a fantastic low carb meal! The fire roasted tomatoes added so much flavor and the pesto wasn’t too overpowering (my husband doesn’t like pesto ?).
Thank you, Jacki! I’m glad you enjoyed the pesto chicken and veggies.
This looks yummy! Can’t wait to try this out for dinner.
Thanks, Keira! I hope you enjoy it!
This was amazing, I added a little cream and pasta water to make a little bit of a sauce and tossed Penne pasta in it.
So good
Thank you, Penny! I’m glad you enjoyed the pesto chicken and thanks for sharing your additions. Sounds awesome!
Made this tonight! Absolutely delicious!!!
Thank you, April! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I don’t have any broccoli but I do have some fresh okra that was given to us (along with fresh basil). I wonder if I sliced the okra if it would be good in this recipe?
Hi Holly,
I have not tried this, but I think okra would work just fine and be a nice variation.
We loved this recipe, I added pasta and used all of the pesto. It had so much flavor and was a pretty color!
Thank you so much, Crissy! I love serving this with pasta as well!
Super delicious meal!! Will definitely be making this one again! I also added extra veggies I had on hand, onions and sliced mushrooms. I used the pesto recipe (provided in the post), and it turned out fabulous. Even had some leftover pesto that I can’t wait to use on pasta!
Thank you, Stacey! I am so happy to hear that you used my pesto recipe. I hope you enjoy your pesto pasta!