Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder divided
- 1 cup prepared WW basil pesto sauce
- 8 slices fresh mozzarella
- 2 roma tomatoes sliced to ½ inch thickness
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sprinkle chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper, and a pinch of garlic powder. Place chicken in baking dish.
- Top chicken breast with basil pesto. Add sliced mozzarella and tomatoes.
- Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Nutrition
Notes
Pro Tips for the Best Pesto Chicken
- Even thickness is everything: in restaurant kitchens we pound proteins to an even thickness so they cook at the same rate. Do that here and you’ll never have one dry breast next to one that’s underdone.
- Use a thermometer, not the clock: chicken breast has almost no margin for error. An instant-read thermometer pulled at 160°F is the single best way to guarantee juicy results.
- Taste your pesto first: salt levels swing wildly between brands. Taste before you season the chicken so the finished dish isn’t over-salted.
- Slice tomatoes thick: thin slices turn to water in the oven. A half inch holds its shape and stays a little jammy.
- Let it rest: five minutes off the heat lets the juices redistribute so they stay in the chicken instead of running out onto the plate.