Don’t know what to make for dinner tonight? Or are you planning your meals for the week? Then you must add Creamy Tomato Pesto Chicken to the list of ‘what to make for dinner’. A boldly flavored sun-dried tomato pesto, lots of fragrant basil, enough garlic to ward-off any unrelenting vampires with a splash of wine and a dash of cream. Sounds positively ambrosial doesn’t it?!

Jump to Recipe

I served this with a green salad – crunchy romaine, cucumber, green peppers and white onion drizzled with a simple mustard vinaigrette. Steamed and buttered broccolini or broccoli would be fab. Or my fave, green beans, cooked to perfection and topped with a little butter.

Creamy, chicken, garlic and wine…you know if that’s all happening in one pan it’s bound to taste good. If like me you love those flavors then you must try Tarragon Mustard Chicken; Creamy Lemon Fettuccine or the ever-popular Quick and Easy Butter Chicken. All of these recipes, including Creamy Tomato Pesto Chicken are simple to pull together and leftovers are always welcome for an easy dinner the following night or lunch the next day. I saw this recipe on Serving Dumplings website and it sounded and looked so good I decided to make a version of my own. It’s one of those recipes that serves two masters: one as a decadent midweek meal and the other an easy dinner to serve guests. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did in the Walker Imrie household. Much love,

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

No ratings yet

CREAMY TOMATO PESTO CHICKEN

You’ll be making your own sun-dried tomato pesto for this simple and full-flavored recipe. If this sounds like it’s too much trouble, then use store-bought but, you’ll probably only need about 1/2 cup at most as store-bought pesto contains more salt so keep that in mind. Now I know the recipe has 3 chicken breasts and I’ve listed it as serves 4: if your chicken breasts are small – serve three, mine were quite a good size and made 4 portions easily, especially if paired with pasta, salad or steamed veg. Perhaps some nice bread too. And wine.

Prep Time20

Total Time40

Course: dinner

Servings:

Calories: 451kcal

Author: Lovoni

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

CREAMY CHICKEN

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
12 oz cherry tomatoes I used a variety of colors
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper chili flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup basil leaves, plus some for garnish
Grated parmesan, for serving

TOMATO PESTO

1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds, plus extra for garnish
1/3 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes about 10 whole or 20 halves
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 garlic clove
2 to 3 tablespoons water

Instructions

To make the pesto:

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Or place into a container and use a hand blender. Makes about 3/4 cup.

To make the creamy chicken:

Coat the chicken in garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes until brown and chicken pulls away from the bottom of the pan easily. Turn chicken, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C) when a meat thermometer is inserted into the thickest part. Remove the chicken to a plate; keep it covered to stay warm.
Heat the same pan to medium-high. Add the onion and tomatoes, adding a little more oil if necessary, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the onion mixture for 5 minutes until the onion is softened. Lightly press down on the tomatoes with a large fork or potato masher to squash them slightly and break the skin.
Add garlic and red pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or so until the garlic is fragrant and softened.
Add the wine and stir to combine. Allow to simmer for a minute to cook off the alcohol. Add the pesto, broth and cream. Stir to combine. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until sauce is starting to thicken. Add basil leaves; stir to combine.
Add chicken breasts back to the pan – you can either add them back whole or slice them as I did. Turn the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes until the chicken is hot. Serve with parmesan, toasted almonds if using and extra basil leaves.

Nutrition