Oven-baked chicken breast, an easy-to-prepare recipe that’s great on every busy weeknight, but also is great to serve at your next dinner party. It’s filled with pesto and mozzarella and then wrapped in bacon. Put them in the oven and after 35 minutes you got a juicy, flavorful piece of chicken that everybody wants to eat.
Do you also like casseroles? I love them because most of the time they’re easy to prepare and after putting them in the oven to bake, you don’t have to watch after them. So it’s very relaxed until dinner time.
This oven-baked chicken is one of the best recipes I know, and I serve it when in need for a simple dinner, but also when I’ve got an elegant dinner party. Because this is SO good that it’s always a great time to put it at the table.
And if you’re in need of more easy chicken bakes? This Italian chicken casserole, easy-baked crispy sesame honey chicken, and a casserole with chicken lemon and thyme are really delicious and easy to prepare as well!
The history of Pesto alla Genovese
Pesto (or pesto alla Genovese) is one of the most popular pasta toppings in Italy. The name pesto means “pounded”. This sauce originated from the region Genua in Italy. Its traditional recipe contains olive oil, basil, garlic, sea salt, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. By using a mortar and pestle it’s crushed until you’ve got a smooth mixture.
In Italy, pesto is combined with pasta dishes and carpaccio. And around the world, you can also find recipes that combine green basil pesto with toast, buns, salads, and chicken. Like in this recipe.
Ingredients for chicken stuffed with Mozzarella and pesto
A full list of ingredients can be found at the end of this blog.
- Pesto - a smooth sauce prepared with pine nuts, olive oil, basil, salt, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. It has got a lot of flavors and it’s a great food combo with chicken. You can substitute it with red (Sicilian) pesto or tapenade.
- Chicken breast - Use boneless chicken breast.
- Mozzarella - This Italian cheese is used as the second stuffing of the chicken breast. When baked it will melt. It’s got a silky and soft flavor.
- Bacon - The pesto stuffed chicken breast is wrapped in bacon. This gives a salty flavor to the chicken and becomes nice and crispy.
- Bread crumbs - To make this bake crispy.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - Gives flavor to your topping. If you can get them use semi sun-dried tomatoes. They contain more liquid which gives a better taste.
- Parmesan cheese - This hard Italian cheese got a salty, nutty, and spicy flavor. It’s delicious used when grated on top of your dish to get even more flavor. You can substitute it with Grana Padano (which is a bit milder).
Preparation Baked pesto chicken breast wrapped in bacon
- Lay the chicken breast in front of you and cut with a sharp knife ¾th of the chicken breast (so not through and through). A small pocket is then formed.
- Put 1 teaspoon of pesto alla Genovese in the chicken.
- Add a piece of Mozzarella cheese to the chicken and close the pocket.
- Wrap the chicken with bacon.
- Put them in a casserole dish. Repeat step 1 to 4 with the other chicken breast.
- Slice the sun-dried tomatoes finely and spread them on top.
- Cover with breadcrumbs.
- Then top everything with Parmesan cheese. Bake 35 minutes in the preheated oven at 430 °F (220 °C).
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Equipment
- casserole pan 13 x 9 inch
- A conventional oven is used. When using a convection oven (with air fan) decrease the temperature with 30 °F / 20 °C
- Chef's knife
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, about 1 ¼ pound / 600 grams
- 4 teaspoons pesto
- 5 oz. Mozzarella, divided in four pieces
- 8 slices bacon
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 5 sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, Grated
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 430 °F (220 °C).
- Cut the chicken with a knife about ¾ vertical. Not through and through, leave the back of the chicken attached so you've got an envelope.4 chicken breasts
- Smear the inside with pesto and put a piece of Mozzarella in the pocket. Then close it.4 teaspoons pesto, 5 oz. Mozzarella
- Wrap 2 slices of bacon around the chicken.8 slices bacon
- Put the chicken in a baking dish and repeat the four steps above for the other chicken breasts.
- Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into pieces and spread over the chicken breasts.5 sun-dried tomatoes
- Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan.4 tablespoons breadcrumbs, 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- Bake the chicken in the oven for 35 minutes or until done. Serve immediately
Notes
- Refrigerator - Cover and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Freezer - You can freeze this pesto-baked chicken with Mozzarella in the freezer just fine. Make sure to store it in an airtight container. You can freeze it for up to three months.
- Prepare it - Bake it, covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C). If. you want to make it more crispy remove the foil for the last five minutes.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
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