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A black skillet filled with chicken breasts, cherry tomatoes, spinach, and a green herb sauce sits on a gray countertop beside a folded white-striped kitchen towel.
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5 from 9 votes

Pesto Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes & Spinach

An easy, flavorful skillet meal featuring pan-seared chicken simmered in a rich pesto cream sauce with roasted tomatoes and fresh spinach.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pesto chicken, pesto chicken recipe
Servings: 4 people

Equipment

  • 1 Large frying pan

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
  • 3 or 4 chicken breasts butterflied, sliced in half, or cut into tenders
  • 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
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock lightly salted
  • salt
  • pepper
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

  • Begin by preparing the chicken into thinly sliced pieces.
    Set aside until ready to use.
  • Prepare your garlic, shallot, tomatoes and spinach.
    Set aside until ready to use.
  • Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
  • To a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and set to medium/high heat.
  • Fry the chicken breasts on each side for 1-2 minutes, just until they begin to brown.
  • Remove from the pan and set aside for a few minutes.
    Tip: don't worry about fully cooking the chicken during this step as you will finish cooking them in a later step.
  • Add your second tbsp of olive oil to the same pan along with the 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 the spinach, pesto, heavy cream and chicken stock and stir to combine.
    Tip: taste here to see if the sauce needs any additional seasioning.
  • Let sauce simmer for 2 minutes before adding the chicken back to finish cooking.
  • Return chicken back to the pan and continue to simmer.
  • Spoon some of the sauce onto the chicken as it simmers, basting the chicken to allow it to finish cooking evenly.
  • Once the chicken is fully cooked (which should only take 2-3 minutes) and your sauce has slightly thickened, remove from heat.
  • Add your chicken, along with a generous spoon of sauce onto rice or pasta of choice.

Nutrition

Calories: 708kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 88g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 289mg | Sodium: 672mg | Potassium: 1835mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3418IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 3mg
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