Baked Pesto Chicken With Mozzarella

Who’s ready for some delicious baked pesto chicken? Pesto is one of my favorite salty foods to eat as part of a high salt diet for POTS. So the more recipes I can make with this tasty sauce, the better. 

This pesto chicken with mozzarella is stuffed with pesto, topped with breadcrumbs, and baked to a golden, bubbly, deliciousness. When I made it, I served it with rice and sauteed kale. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed this combo. But it would also go well with roasted potatoes and asparagus.

Since I love pesto and make it A LOT, I didn’t mind making it from scratch for this recipe. But if you’re short on time or energy, you can totally buy a premade jar of pesto. (I enjoy Filippo Berio’s pesto!) I’ll still share my version of pesto here, which uses an ingredient you’re more likely to have in your pantry than the traditional pine nuts. And I think it tastes better — but that’s just my opinion!

I got the original idea for this recipe from Yummy Healthy Easy. But I tweaked a few of the ingredients to my liking and made my pesto recipe.

Keep reading to see my recipe for baked pesto chicken topped with mozzarella and the directions for how to make it. 

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ¼-½ cup italian seasoned breadcrumbs 
• Salt and pepper to season

To make the pesto:

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp salted almonds
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 3 medium garlic cloves
• 1 heaping cup fresh basil leaves
• Opt. pinch of salt
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. Make the pesto. If using a pre-made pesto, you can skip this series of steps.
   1. Add the fresh basil leaves, garlic cloves, parmesan cheese, salted almonds, extra virgin olive oil to a food processor or nutri bullet blender. 
   2. Mix well. You may need to stop a few times to scrape down the sides of the blender canister. Continue mixing until all ingredients are well-incorporated. 
   3. Taste. If you prefer more salt or are on a high-salt diet for POTS, you can add more salt to your liking. Usually, I add a pinch more salt.
      
3. Slice chicken breasts in half completely. Cover slices with plastic wrap. With a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound the chicken slices to an even thickness (about ¼-½ inch thick). 
4. Salt and pepper each side of each chicken slice.
5. Spread pesto over one side of each chicken slice. Roll slices up and secure each pesto stuffed chicken breast with a toothpick.
6. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the tops of each rolled up chicken breast.
7. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the tops of the chicken with a spoon. A healthy coating of breadcrumbs should cover each piece of chicken.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.
9. Remove chicken from the oven and sprinkle shredded mozzarella over each baked pesto chicken roll. 
10. Bake for another 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and mozzarella is melted and bubbly. 
11. Let cool for 2-3 minutes. Serve, eat, and enjoy!  

This baked pesto chicken with mozzarella is one of my new favorite recipes. It will definitely become a regular in my dinner recipe rotations. And the best thing about recipes with pesto is that they are usually high in sodium — another win for POTS patients! 

If you try this recipe, let me know how it comes out in the comments below. And check out some of my other salty recipes for POTS next!

XO,

Laurie