Description
This Creamy Pesto Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes & Spinach is a quick and flavorful dish featuring tender chicken breasts sautéed to perfection, then simmered in a luscious pesto-infused creamy sauce with roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh spinach. Perfect for a wholesome weeknight dinner, this recipe combines simple ingredients with rich flavors to create a satisfying meal that pairs beautifully with rice or pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken & Seasoning
- 5 or 6 thinly sliced chicken breasts (butterflied, sliced in half, or into tenders)
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Garlic powder, to taste
- Onion powder, to taste
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Vegetables & Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin), divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
- 3 cups spinach, roughly chopped, stems removed
- 1/4 cup pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup chicken stock (lightly salted)
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Begin by preparing the chicken into thinly sliced pieces. Set aside until ready to use.
- Prep the vegetables: Prepare your garlic, shallot, tomatoes, and spinach. Set aside until ready to use.
- Season the chicken: Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Heat the pan: To a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and set to medium/high heat.
- Sear the chicken: Fry the chicken breasts on each side for 1-2 minutes, just until they begin to brown.
- Remove chicken: Remove from the pan and set aside for a few minutes. Tip: don’t worry about fully cooking the chicken during this step.
- Sauté aromatics and tomatoes: Add your second tbsp of olive oil to the same pan, then add garlic, shallot, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium/high heat until the tomatoes begin to brown and release some of their juices, about 5 minutes.
- Add spinach and sauce ingredients: Add the spinach, pesto, heavy cream, and chicken stock to the pan and stir to combine. Tip: taste here to see if the sauce needs any additional seasoning.
- Simmer the sauce: Let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes before adding the chicken back to finish cooking.
- Finish cooking the chicken: Return the chicken to the pan and continue to simmer.
- Baste the chicken: Spoon some of the sauce onto the chicken as it simmers, basting the chicken to allow it to finish cooking evenly.
- Complete cooking and thicken sauce: Once the chicken is fully cooked (which should take 2-3 minutes) and your sauce has slightly thickened, remove from heat.
- Serve: Add your chicken, along with a generous spoon of sauce, onto rice or pasta of choice.
Notes
- Use thinly sliced chicken breasts for quicker cooking and even browning.
- Do not worry about fully cooking the chicken during the initial frying; it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Adjust seasoning of the sauce after adding spinach and cream to taste.
- If preferred, use homemade pesto for a fresher flavor.
- Pair this dish with cooked rice, pasta, or crusty bread to soak up the creamy sauce.
- For a lighter version, substitute heavy cream with half-and-half or a dairy-free alternative, noting the change in richness.
