Basil Pesto Chicken and Veggies made in one pan in 30 minutes or less. Chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, and sun-dried tomatoes in a delicious basil-spinach pesto sauce equals one fabulous meal! This easy dish is healthy, low-carb, gluten-free, and packed with both nutrients and flavor.
Pesto Chicken and Veggies can be served alone as a very satisfying low carb meal, or tossed with cooked pasta for an amazing “carbolicious” lunch or dinner! This meal is packed with lean protein, fiber, and vitamins. I made it using my Basil Pesto Sauce, but you could easily use store-bought as well. However, I really do recommend homemade. It only takes 5 minutes to make, it is so much healthier, and it tastes better too!
Note: The printable recipe is located at the end of this post. Please visit The Scoop for my latest posts or you can search or browse my Recipe Index.
Basil Pesto Chicken Ingredients
- 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
- pesto – homemade or store-bought
- olive oil
- Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
- freshly grated parmesan cheese – optional
How to make Basil Pesto Chicken and Veggies
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 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.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1.5 lbs. 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
- 1 cup pesto homemade (see notes) or store-bought (8 oz.)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- freshly grated parmesan cheese optional
Ingredients
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- 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.
I recommend making the Basil-Spinach Pesto in advance. It only takes 5 minutes, but having it ready will make things easier. Recipe link is below.
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!