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5 from 14 ratings

Deliciously Crispy Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe (Keto)

This 30-minute Baked Pesto Chicken Recipe is the ultimate, easy weeknight dinner! Topped with a creamy pesto sauce and crispy zero-carb breadcrumb topping! A meal the whole family will love!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 522
Author: Natalie

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 425ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup, then set in a wire baking rack.
  • Make the pesto aioli. In a small bowl, combine the mayo and pesto. Stir to combine.
    1/4 cup pesto, 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • Make the coating. In a small bowl, combine the pork rind panko and grated parmesan cheese. Stir to combine.
    1/4 cup pork panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • Prepare the chicken by gently pounding it to an even thickness with a meat mallet. Season both sides of the chicken with kosher salt and black pepper. Set the chicken on the wire baking rack. Top the top of each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of the pesto aioli. Spread in an even layer. Then sprinkle on 2 tablespoons of the coating, pressing lightly to adhere.
    4 6-ounce boneless chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • Bake the chicken for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165ºF. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
  • Serve warm. I love serving this with hearts of palm pasta tossed in pesto and cream with roasted broccoli.
  • Leftovers will keep in an airtight container for 5 days.
  • See the Recipe Notes below for more tips, FAQ's and ingredient substitutions.

Video

Notes

Expert Tips

  • Chicken: This works best with chicken breasts, but you could use boneless, skinless chicken thighs as well.
  • Pesto: When I don't have homemade pesto, my favorite store-bought is by Mezzetta.
  • Coating: I love the combo of pork rind panko + grated parmesan cheese. It gets crispy and adheres perfectly to the chicken. I get this pork rind panko on Amazon. You could also crush pork rinds. If you don't need this to be low carb/GF, you could use panko or bread crumbs.
  • Dipping Sauce: I'll often double the pesto aioli. This way, I have leftover dipping sauce for my kids.
  • Dairy-Free: If you’re dairy-free, use a dairy-free pesto and skip the parmesan. Just double down on the pork panko.
  • Substitutions: Pork panko could be regular panko, gf panko, or bread crumbs. You can use almond flour, but it doesn't get as crispy. Grated parmesan could be grated pecorino romano. No subs for the mayo or pesto.

Serving Tips

Storage Tips

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat the baked pesto chicken over the stovetop with some oil to get crispy. 

Nutrition

Calories: 522 | Total Carbs: 1.4g | Protein: 39.7g | Fat: 39.6g | Fiber: 0.4g | Net Carbs: 1g