Baked Pesto Zucchini Chicken is a perfect summer meal. This recipe is full of fresh zucchini, yellow squash, pesto and topped bubbly cheese. You will love how FRESH and DELICIOUS this casserole is. This is a great way to sneak vegetables in your meal. Zucchini chicken is a perfect one dish meal for those busy weeknight dinners.Â
Easy Baked Pesto Chicken and Zucchini
One of my favorite things to do is make healthy meals for my family. Sometimes I find myself getting a little overwhelmed by large lists of ingredients for recipes. I love this recipe because it is so simple and only uses a few ingredients.
I really love to make one dish dinners and especially when I can use produce from my garden. I grew up eating zucchini out of the garden so this dish just made sense to create.
Since this seems to be the time of year when zucchini and squash are over flowing at the stores, and your garden if you are lucky enough to have one, I figured it was about time I made one of these easy chicken bakes with some summer squash.
How to serve Baked Pesto Zucchini Chicken
This dish is very versatile in what you can serve with it. I will list our favorite sides. You can choose 1 of these sides to make it a wholesome meal for your family to enjoy. When I dish up the chicken I usually spoon the sauce over side dish to give it extra flavor.
Traditional Sides:
- Rice
- Mashed Potatoes
- Pasta
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Pasta
- Baked Potatoes
Low Carb Sides:
- Cauliflower Rice
- Sautéed Greens
- Salad
- Roasted Vegetables
- Garlic Green Beans
Tips and Trick for Making Pesto Chicken and Zucchini
I am going to walk through the recipe for this Chicken and Zucchini below. Â I like to add all of my notes, along with the tips and tricks I use when making this. Â If you just want the quick version, scroll to the bottom for the recipe card.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Chop the zucchini, onion, squash and combine.
- Cut the zucchini and squash in half length-wise, then half each of the halves again length-wise. Then chop into 1 inch pieces.
- In a large casserole dish, lay the chicken in a single layer and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Make sure the casserole dish is large enough for the chicken to lay flat. They will cook better and more evenly if they are laying flat.
- Layer the vegetables on top of the chicken. Dollup the pesto over the veggies, then top with cheese.
- Bake on the middle rack for 35-45 minutes.
- If you notice the cheese getting too brown, you can loosely cover with aluminum foil.
More One Dish Bakes
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Baked Pesto Zucchini Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium yellow squash
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion
- 1/2 cup pesto prepared
- 4 oz parmesan cheese
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ËšF.
- Chop the zucchini, squash, and onion and combine.
- In a large casserole dish, lay the chicken in a flat single layer and season it with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Â Next layer the veggies on and then dollop the pesto over the veggies, then top with the cheeses.
- Bake on the middle rack for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, 165ËšF internal temp. If it starts to brown more than desired, loosely cover with foil until it is done cooking.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- You can cut the chicken in half, chunks, or use chicken tenderloins in lieu of full chicken breasts to make serving easier. Cooking time may be reduced.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to a month.
- Gluten free (verify on individual brands used)
- Low carb
- Friendly for low carb and keto diets
Nutrition Information:
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Kristi Crook says
Loved it and super quick!
Emily R Council says
Made this for dinner tonight – super easy and tastes delicious!