Imagine thin chicken cutlets marinated in homemade pesto sizzling over the grill until the edges turn audibly crispy. Grilled pesto chicken is just two pantry-friendly ingredients, yet every bite tastes like you spent the whole afternoon fussing—perfect for busy summer nights!
Take all the stress out of dinner with this easy grilled pesto chicken recipe! It can be prepped in the morning or even the day before and takes less than 10 minutes to cook!
This is one of my favorite go-to meals for a busy weeknight running the kids from soccer and golf and church activities and all the things.
Why I love Pesto!
In college I was asked out on a date and the other couple we ate with made us dinner. It was my first date with this guy, first time hanging out with a married couple and my first time having pesto. In fact, I’d never even heard of pesto!!
Ever since that date I’ve been making different dishes with pesto like our caprese sandwich or 15 Minute Pesto Pasta, but I’ll tell you what, this crispy healthy grilled chicken with pesto is my absolute favorite.
My favorite part about pesto chicken? The cheese in the pesto makes this deliciously crispy, crunch crust on the chicken, oh man it’s good!
How to Make Grilled Pesto Chicken
This recipe is so easy you only need:
Chicken and Pesto!
Let’s jump right into how to make it:
- Prep the Chicken: Cover the chicken with pesto on all sides and marinate for at least 30 minutes but ideally overnight.
- NOTE: I absolutely LOVE our homemade basil pesto recipe, but if you want to save time, you can totally grab a jar at the grocery store. The Kirkland Brand of Pesto at Costco is actually pretty dang good.
- Grill the Chicken: Make sure you oil the grates before grilling as that cheese will want to stick!
- PRO TIP: Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. You’re looking for 165 degrees F for the internal temperature. It really won’t take too long with the chicken being so thin.
If you don’t have a grill, you can cook this chicken in a skillet on the stovetop or bake it in the oven (350℉ in a baking dish for 15-20 minutes).
Carrian’s Notes
Meal Prep Tips
I use our homemade pesto and marinate the chicken up to 1 day ahead of time. I