30-Minute Creamy Pesto Chicken Skillet (One-Pan, Easy Weeknight Dinner)
Tender seared chicken in a velvety pesto-Parmesan cream sauce—this one-pan dinner is bursting with flavor and comes together in just half an hour.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Italian-American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (sliced horizontally into 4 thin cutlets)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry white wine (or low-sodium chicken broth)
1 cup heavy cream
⅓ cup prepared basil pesto (jarred or homemade)
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Optional Add-Ins:
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup fresh spinach
Instructions
Sear the Chicken:
Slice chicken into thin cutlets and season with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add chicken and sear 3–4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through (internal temp 165°F).
Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Sauté and Deglaze:
Reduce heat to medium.
Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Pour in wine or broth. Simmer and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let reduce by half.
Build the Cream Sauce:
Lower heat to low.
Whisk in heavy cream and Parmesan. Simmer until slightly thickened (2–3 minutes).
Stir in cherry tomatoes or spinach if using.
Finish with Pesto:
Remove skillet from heat. Stir in pesto until smooth and fully blended.
Return chicken and any juices to the pan. Spoon sauce over chicken.
Simmer 1 minute to warm through.
Serve:
Serve hot over pasta, rice, or zoodles. Garnish with fresh basil or more Parmesan.
Notes
Don’t boil the sauce once cream is added—keep heat low to avoid curdling.
Pesto Tip: Stir in pesto at the end (off heat) to preserve color and freshness.
Deglazing matters — it boosts flavor from the pan-seared chicken.
Thickening Tip: Whisk 1 tsp cornstarch with 2 tsp cold water and stir in if sauce is too thin.
