Keep 2 ingredient keto pesto chicken in your fridge and you are set for delicious meals all week! Use this high protein entree as a salad topper, low carb sandwich filler, in soups, pair with low carb pasta and more.
This recipe originally published May 2018, now updated with all new photos, tips and details.
Don't you just love pesto? It is awesomely delicious and can be used in so many recipes! The traditional use for pesto (in my mind) is with pasta, which is also very good, but I want to branch out and see if I can add a touch of pesto to other recipes. Since pesto is basically oil, basil, nuts and garlic, it is a low carb food. In today's post, I will show you how to make pesto chicken (I grilled mine but you can also cook on the stove top) and ways to incorporate it into delicious low carb meals.
I have used this recipe in salads and it is a great filler for wraps. This recipe is so easy it fits in perfectly with meals on my post 19 low carb meals you can make without a recipe and 26 more low carb meals you can make without a recipe.
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🥘 Ingredients
Another reason I really love this recipe is only 2 ingredients! Choose either store bought or homemade pesto-either will work great. I always grow basil in the Summer and try to make plenty of pesto to stash in the freezer. My favorite recipe for homemade pesto is Basil Pesto from the New York Times. I leave out the parmesan cheese when I freeze it, then add it as I thaw and use the pesto in various dishes.
My go to chicken piece for this recipe is tenders. They cook in a flash so you can either grill or saute them and have your meal ready in no time. One of my all time favorite grill recipes to make is Best Grilled Chicken Tenders. Some of my other super easy tender recipes include Low Carb Skillet Chicken Tenders and Healthy Marinated Greek Chicken.
🔪 Instructions
Measure out your pesto. You may use either homemade pesto or store bought. Don't you just love the color??
A shot of the chicken mixed with the pesto. The chicken breast I had was fairly thick, so I cut it into rounds.
This pic shows the pesto chicken on the grill. Don't be discouraged to try this recipe if you don't have a grill! You can get excellent results on your stove stop- especially if you are using an iron skillet.
Here's a shot of the finished pesto chicken with a little mozzarella cheese melted on top. YUM! See the next few pics for ideas on how to use the chicken in some low carb meals.
Try the pesto chicken in a sandwich using very thin sliced bread! I added lettuce and tomato and some caesar dressing. Feel free to use your favorite dressing. (The bread I used was about 7gm carb per slice.)
Pesto chicken adds a burst of flavor to salads. Here I added roasted red peppers, spinach, cherry tomatoes, olives and feta cheese.
📋 Recipe
Recipe
Keto Pesto Chicken
Ingredients
- 1¾ lb chicken breasts
- ¼ cup pesto
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese optional
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts lengthwise into long thin pieces. Place in small mixing bowl.
- Add pesto to chicken and mix well to coat all pieces. Place in refrigerator until ready to cook.
- Either sautéed pieces in iron skillet (coated with olive oil) or grill over medium heat until chicken is completely done and registers 165 degrees on meat thermometer.
- Sprinkle chicken with mozzarella or parm cheese and melt. (optional)
- Use chicken on salads, in wraps or sandwiches. Use as protein food for meal prep.
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