These homemade baked pesto chicken tenders, which only require four ingredients and a little amount of your time, are ideal for those hectic weeknights. These are baked rather than fried, making them a generally healthier option. Basil, along with other ingredients in pesto, provides several health benefits.
| Prep Time: | 5 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 35 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons pesto
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 pound chicken breast tenderloins
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Whisk pesto and mayonnaise together in a bowl. Dredge both sides of each chicken tender in pesto mixture and coat with bread crumbs. Arrange tenders on a baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn chicken pieces and continue baking until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, about 15 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the centers should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Reviews
We had only one chicken breast left, so I made strips out of it and it was enough for both of us with a side salad. EASY, TENDER & DELICIOUS! Thanks
It was just okay. Won’t make again.
This was very good, will make again. Goes well with any sides.
Excellent recipe; will make again.
Fantastic! This was so easy to make and tasted fabulous! Only change I made was I used Chicken breasts instead of tenders. Turned out crispy and tasty! Will definitely make again!
This was a great use of leftover pesto!!! I’m always looking for a new way to cook chicken and this was easy and very tasty. I used Italian style breadcrumbs because that’s all I had and thin sliced chicken breasts instead of tenders. I will def make this again.
I personally don’t love baked chicken, but my kids absolutely ADORED these and ate every bit of the leftovers. 5 stars. The flavor was excellent. Would make again!
My kids really liked these and they were super easy to make. I sprayed the breadcrumbs with olive oil spray before putting them in the oven and then turned the broiler on the last minute or two to get them super browned and crispy.
A delicious and interesting new chicken recipe! While admittedly not the healthiest recipe that one could find out there, it makes a great comfort-food meal for those nights when you don’t really feel like cooking intricate meals. So simple to make with just a few ingredients. I opted to use chicken breast instead of chicken strips and I don’t feel the taste was affected at all by my choice. When you get a bite with extra pesto and breading; it’s absolutely heavenly! Would make again on an occassional basis-only because I’m on a health food kick currently.
This is a very easy and uncomplicated recipe. I made it with chicken medallions which reduced the baking time making it perfect for a weeknight meal.
I love how simple this recipe was to pull off, especially if you can find pre-butchered chicken tenders like I found at Aldi. The 1 to 3 ratio of pesto to mayo is super easy to remember and easy to scale up or down. Then breadcrumbs and bake for 15 minutes? Perfect for a back pocket dish! I made a few tweaks to the recipe: I used whole wheat panko for the bread crumbs to add a bit more nutrition, and I seasoned the breadcrumbs to ensure they weren’t bland. I used about a teaspoon of Johnny’s Garlic Seasoning and spread to accent the flavors of the pesto with more garlic and parm, but you could easily use garlic powder and salt instead. I also wanted to make this a healthier dinner, so I roasted some haricots verts (French green beans) and cherry tomatoes with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper at the same time. After the chicken was cooked through, I placed the veggies under the broiler for 3 extra minutes to get a bit more color and they were perfect! I definitely recommend lining your sheet pans with parchment paper for super fast clean-up. If you do, this is a recipe I would definitely classify as a “Weeknight Wonder!” It was on the table in 25 minutes flat, was loaded with veggies and lean protein and cleanup took just a few minutes. HOORAY!
Easy and delicious. Keep the pesto layer light, so that panko has a chance to brown.
We love chicken tenders and this was delicious as well as super easy, a rack to bake them on is an essential for this to turn out, otherwise one side is soggy! Add bacon bits to the bread crumbs for extra zing…omg
This is a fabulous recipe. It never occurred to me to mix pesto with mayo but it really worked. I also added some sour cream and a few drops of lemon juice. Loved it!
This is an easy enough recipe, EXCEPT: The recipe correctly states to cook at 400 degrees until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Use caution if following the video only– it just says to cook at 165 degrees for 30 minutes; this could potentially result in raw meat that would pose a health hazard.
Since I did not have chicken tenders, I used boneless chicken breasts and pounded them thinner. It was absolutely delicious and I’m sure I will be making it again. Thank you for the recipe.
Excellent !!!