Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto, Mozzarella and Tomatoes – With video! You won’t believe how easy this beautiful dish is to make!
Have you ever taken a bite of something that is soooo good, and somebody tries to talk to you and you are so deep into that bite, that you can’t talk? You just give them a crazy lady stare and keep chewing and smiling, chewing and smiling….
This Chicken is chock full of Mozzarella, Pesto and Tomatoes; You could call it Caprese Chicken, even! And not only is it a flavor bomb, it is super easy to make and all in one pan!
This dish is perfect in it’s imperfections! All that gooey cheese and dripping pesto. But yet, it’s not so bad on the fat-o-meter. Just 2 tablespoons of pesto, a few slices of fresh tomato and a quarter cup of mozz!
To start, slice your chicken horizontally, but not all the way through. So it opens like a book. A really tasty book :). Check out the video for a great tutorial!
Spread on the pesto. Add sliced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of spinach if you like.
Now just fold it over and secure with a couple toothpicks. It’s sloppy and perfect!
Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and give it a quick sear in an oven proof skillet. Cast Iron was made for this dish, but any oven proof skillet will work. You could also move it from the skillet to a baking sheet to finish off in the oven.
If I were a chicken, this is how I’d like to be remembered….
A few tips on making Stuffed Chicken Breasts:
- I used store bought Pesto. Love Costco brand.
- Sear on both sides and finish baking in the oven in the same skillet or move to a foil covered baking sheet.
- Serve with an easy pesto/yogurt dipping sauce if desired.
- You can see all my One Pan Dinners here!
More Stuffed Chicken Recipes
- Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken
- Fajita Stuffed Chicken
- Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta
- Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Another great and easy chicken dinner! Greek Sheet Pan Dinner.
And one more! Tex Mex Chicken Skillet! This 30 minute meal incredibly easy with tons of that Tex Mex flavor we all love!
To the wonderfulness of chicken breasts!
Clink!
Kathi
What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula, while you’re at it…We love to see your pics!
Pesto Tomato and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 8 tablespoons pesto
- 8 slices tomato
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
Pesto Yogurt Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons pesto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut chicken breasts horizontally but do not cut all the way through. Open up. (see photo above)
- Spread entire opens surface of chicken with 2 tablespoons pesto.
- Add 2 sliced tomatoes to half of the chicken.
- Top with 1/4 cup of grated mozzarella and a few spinach leaves.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle on a bit of olive oil.
- Heat oven proof skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- When olive oil is sizzling, carefully add chicken.
- Sear on each side for 2-3 minutes using tongs to turn.
- Finish baking in oven for about 8 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.
- For a dipping sauce: Combine yogurt and pesto and serve over the chicken or on the side.
Notes
- I used store bought Pesto. Love Costco brand.
- Sear on both sides and finish baking in the oven in the same skillet or move to a foil covered baking sheet.
- Serve with an easy pesto/yogurt dipping sauce if desired.
Nutrition
Sue says
Amazing dish, I made this dish several times now and had the in-laws over for dinner and they loved it.. great dish and it makes such a beautiful presentation!! This is my families favorite dish ..
Nancy says
Made this last night, using chicken cutlets. SO good. In the future, I think I would brown them in the pan an extra minute or two on each side, before putting them in the oven.
My husband and I talked about this as we ate it and said this is also such a great base for jumping off with other ingredients in the fridge – – could be mixed up so many ways – kalamata olives, oregano or basil, red pepper pesto instead of green/basil. Now that you’ve taught us the technique, we’ll mix it up occasionally !
thanks for yet another GREAT chicken recipe (we love your Greek sheetpan chicken too – one of the best recipes ever!)
LaughingSpatula.com says
Thank you Nancy! What a nice comment to leave and we appreciate it so much! Stay tuned for lots of new recipes this fall! Clink!
mitzi V White says
Great EASY meal – a homerun with my family. I have leftovers – any suggestions for best way to reheat?
LaughingSpatula.com says
You can microwave it until just warm….the pesto and cheese keep it pretty moist! Just be careful not to over-nuke :). I do it all the time and I never seem to learn! 30 seconds to start.
Sisterella says
This is a must try recipe. Flavorful, aromatic easy to prepare. It is a guaranteed success. Wow,wow,wow,wow what an amazing meal!
Chris says
WoW!! This was delicious and so easy to make. My only regret is that I didn’t make it sooner????
Absolutely AMAZING and I can’t wait to make it again!!
Thank you for sharing
Nicole says
I don’t have an oven safe pan. Can I transfer to a baking dish to finish it off?
Nee says
Yes it says above in the *few tips section* you can move it to a foil covered baking sheet. I had the same question lol
Aengus says
Really nice dish, full of flavour. Very easy anf quick so good for a supper with friends and a nice glass of wine. Aengus (Dublin)
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
Wow Thank you Jess for the nice note! Made my morning!
Kathleen Nutter says
This is wonderful! Thank you!
Lori Petrino says
Hi! I have a question. This weekend I’m having some quests over for dinner. Would love to try this, however, I don’t want to be in the kitchen all evening. Do you think it would be okay to sear the chicken & then put away in fridge for a few hours, then when the guests arrive I can throw it in the oven. I just don’t want it to dry out before I cook it completely.
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
Hi Lori – My suggestion would be to make the dish and have it ready and warm rather than reheat. I agree with you that the chicken could become tough and the tomatoes soggy after reheating. I would have it done right before your guests arrive and keep warm in a low temp oven, covered with foil. Hope that helps!
Pamela Smith says
For the sauce is it served hot or cold please
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
cold…like a dip!
Cowtown Girl says
Have you ever made it with fresh mozzarella instead of packaged grated mozzarella? I”m thinking that would kick it up a notch if I sliced a big ball of hand-made mozz instead.
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
I have not tried fresh but it should work great and be fabulous!
Lynda says
I will definitely make this recipe. Always looking for healthy recipes ( especially chicken, we love chicken ).
Thank you, and will also try some other dishes you posted ….
Michelle says
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I added mushrooms as well because I’m kind of addicted 🙂
Thank you so much, I know this will become a regular dish in our home. I’m looking forward to mixing up the stuffing ingredients as well.
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
We are so glad you loved it Michelle and the additions of mushrooms sounds fabulous! Love it when folks add their own spin to one of our recipes. Clink!
Jackie says
Hi! This looks delicious. I don’t have a skillet that can go in the oven, could I just transfer it to a dish or will that change the way it turns out?
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
Hi Jackie – Yes, you can just transfer to a baking dish or sheet pan and it will turn out great! Hope you love it!
Zhulie says
I made this dish tonight. It was quick and yammy. I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
Cathy says
I was hoping to make this amazing sounding recipe this week! What do you recommend as well paired sides? I have brand new to cooking! I need all the help I can get 🙂
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
Hi Cathy! If you are new to cooking, I am so glad you found us! This dish has big flavors so I’d keep the sides simple. Steamed broccoli and rice would be my first pick. Baked potato would fare well with simple toppings. Good luck, let me know how you do!