Creamy Pesto Marry Me Chicken (Printable)
Juicy chicken breasts in a rich, creamy pesto sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan. Ready in 40 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
→ Seasonings
02 - 1 tsp salt
03 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
04 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
→ For Searing
05 - 2 tbsp olive oil
→ Sauce
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
08 - 1 cup heavy cream
09 - 1/2 cup chicken broth
10 - 1/3 cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
11 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
→ Garnish
12 - Fresh basil leaves, torn
13 - Extra Parmesan cheese, for serving
# Directions:
01 - Pat the chicken breasts dry and season both sides evenly with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken breasts for 4–5 minutes per side until a golden crust forms. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this stage. Remove and set aside on a plate.
03 - In the same skillet, add the minced garlic and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for 1–2 minutes until fragrant and lightly softened.
04 - Reduce the heat to medium. Pour in the heavy cream and chicken broth, stirring well to deglaze the pan and lift any browned bits from the bottom.
05 - Stir in the basil pesto and grated Parmesan cheese, whisking gently until the sauce is smooth and evenly combined. Bring to a gentle simmer.
06 - Nestle the seared chicken breasts back into the skillet, spooning sauce over each piece to coat generously.
07 - Cover the skillet with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10–12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F and the sauce has thickened.
08 - Transfer the chicken to serving plates, spoon the creamy pesto sauce over each portion, and garnish with torn fresh basil leaves and additional grated Parmesan.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sauce is so good you will catch yourself eating it off a spoon over the sink before the chicken even finishes cooking.
- It transforms a plain weeknight into something that feels like you put in far more effort than forty minutes.
02 -
- If you rush the sear and move the chicken too early, you lose the fond that makes the sauce taste like it took three hours.
- Adding the Parmesan off the heat or too fast can cause it to seize into strings instead of melting smoothly.
03 -
- Let the chicken rest for five minutes after it comes out of the skillet the first time so the juices redistribute before the final simmer.
- Taste the sauce for salt before returning the chicken because pesto brands vary wildly in seasoning.