Pesto Bruschetta Chicken

Pesto bruschetta chicken is a delightfully fresh and easy summer dinner dish that brings together juicy pan-seared chicken breast, melted mozzarella cheese, herby pesto, and mouthwatering marinated tomatoes. It’s light, flavor-loaded, high-protein, and pairs beautifully with rice, potatoes, pasta, or grilled veggies for a complete meal.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Loaded with fresh ingredients that pack in tons of flavor in every bite!
• Quick and easy dish that comes together in just 20 minutes.
• Requires only a handful of simple ingredients that are largely pantry and fridge staples, like cheese, chicken, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and seasonings.
• Packed with 25 grams of healthy, lean protein in one 4-oz serving.
• Pairs easily with cooked grains, pasta, potatoes and veggies or can be converted into a chicken wrap or sandwich.

Ingredients

• Chicken – pan-searing adds a ton of simple flavor to this chicken. Butterflying the breasts ensures a more even thickness and cook time. Alternately, you can cut the breasts into two tenders and use a meat tenderizer to flatten to equal thicknesses. Or sub thighs for another juicy option.
• Pesto – we love to whip up our own pesto for this recipe for the freshest results, but pre-prepared pesto works great in a pinch too. Try our pumpkin pesto, kale pesto, or zucchini pesto. Or try our lemon pesto for a unique pesto variation.
• Mozzarella or provolone cheese – optional but delicious addition to liven up this bruschetta chicken. We use mozzarella or provolone slices interchangeably and add to the chicken just before removing from heat to get it to melty perfection.
• Cherry/grape tomatoes – summer is the perfect time to go all-in on tomatoes. We love cherry and grape tomatoes for this quick bruschetta, but any variety works great!
• Garlic – adds a little piquant punch to the bruschetta.
• Basil – fresh basil is the herby flavor bomb that brings out the freshness of the bruschetta and chicken.
• Extra virgin olive oil – for pan-searing the chicken and marinating the tomatoes.
• Balsamic vinegar – lightly sweet and tangy addition to the bruschetta.
• Seasonings – granulated garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper are simple seasonings that add a ton of flavor and a light crust to the chicken when it’s browned.

Tips for Making Pesto Bruschetta Chicken

1. Get the chicken to even thickness to ensure that it cooks evenly. You can either butterfly the breasts or cut them into smaller pieces and use a meat tenderizer to flatten.
2. Make sure the pan is hot to get the perfect browned chicken without letting all of the juices escape. To check that the oil is hot, flick a few drops of water onto the oil; they should sizzle and evaporate immediately if the oil is hot enough.
3. Cook chicken in batches to prevent overcrowding if your pan is too small. Adding too many pieces of chicken at once will rapidly cool the pan, forcing liquid to escape from the chicken and making it dry and rubbery instead of tender and juicy.
4. Rely on internal temperature not total cook time for the best results, since cook time will vary by the thickness and size of the chicken and the size and type of pan you are using. When your meat thermometer reads 160F, remove the chicken and tent with foil to finish cooking and to redistribute the juices. It will continue to cook in the foil to 165F, at which time the chicken is safe to eat.

How to Make Pesto Bruschetta Chicken

Make the bruschetta: combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss to coat. Set aside.

Trim and butterfly the chicken breasts. Pat dry. Brush both sides of the chicken with ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Season both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning and rub into the chicken.

Pan-seared: Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken in a single layer. If you’re using a smaller pan, cook the chicken in batches. Pan sear the chicken on one side for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium heat. Turn over and brown another 2-3 minutes. Cook an additional 1 minute on each side. Top with cheese, if desired, the last minute of cooking. The chicken should be golden brown on both sides and reach an internal temperature of 165℉.

Grilled: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the grill in a single layer and cook on one side for 3-4 minutes. Turn the chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes. Flip and repeat for 1 minute per side. Top with cheese, if desired, the last minute of cooking. The chicken should be lightly golden brown with grill marks and have an internal temperature of 165℉.

Remove the chicken from heat and top with pesto and bruschetta. Serve with your favorite pasta and enjoy!

How to Store

Store leftover chicken in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can store leftover bruschetta in a separate container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

To reheat the chicken, add a little bit of olive oil to a frying pan. Add the chicken and warm over medium heat until warmed throughout, flipping occasionally to re-melt the cheese. You can add a little bit of chicken broth to the pan too to help keep it moist while it reheats. Top with leftover bruschetta and pesto, if you have any.

Recipe Variations

• Chicken wrap – cut the chicken into strips or cubes and add bruschetta, fresh mozzarella, and basil to your favorite tortilla.
• Chicken kabobs – cut the chicken into cubes, apply oil and dry rub, and layer on wooden skewers with tomatoes to turn these into kabobs. Grill over medium-high heat instead of pan searing. Top with fresh mozzarella just before serving.
• Chicken sandwich – sandwich the chicken between two buns and layer with marinated tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.
• Protein – you can use chicken thighs in place of chicken breast, if desired, but be sure to adjust the cooking time. Try shrimp or white fish for another yummy variation.
• Pesto – traditional basil pesto is always a classic, but you can try our pumpkin seed pesto, kale pesto, zucchini pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, or lemon pesto.
• Seasonings – add more green spices, like thyme, oregano, or rosemary. Spice things up with red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or chipotle powder. Or sweeten with a touch of honey.
• Cooking method – our go-to method for cooking this chicken is pan searing, but grilling and baking are also great options.

What to Pair With Pesto Bruschetta Chicken

• Potatoes – we love a side of garlic potatoes, brown sugar sweet potatoes, or baked russet or sweet potatoes.
• Cooked grains – quinoa, barley, couscous, and farro are easy sides that you can cook up quickly in the Instant pot. We also love a steaming bowl of lightly seasoned white or brown rice. Or switch things up with our miso, cilantro lime, or chimichurri rice.
• Veggies – grilled, sauteed, oven roasted, air fried, or steamed asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, summer squash, green beans, or broccolini are some of our summer favorites.
• Risotto – risotto is a simple but elegant side that pairs perfectly with bruschetta chicken. Try our garlic orzo risotto, zucchini risotto, mushroom risotto, or asparagus risotto.
• Bread – a slice of homemade bread, homemade breadsticks, dinner rolls, crispy toasted baguette, or garlic bread are perfect for dunking in the balsamic vinegar-olive oil bruschetta marinade or for topping with leftover bruschetta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out our other chicken recipes

• Garlic Parmesan chicken skewers
• Chimichurri chicken
• Romesco chicken thighs
• Honey mustard chicken
• Honey garlic lemon pepper chicken
• Cilantro lime chicken