PESTO CHICKEN SHEET PAN MEAL
When life gets busy, single pan meals are a life saver! This Pesto Chicken Sheet Pan Meal is full of flavor, ready in under 45 minutes, and loaded with veggies and lean protein. Here I used golden potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and red peppers, but you can really use any veggies you like! This meal is gluten-free and easily made dairy-free (just use a dairy-free pesto and leave out the goat cheese).
Did you know? Studies suggest that people who cook at home have an overall healthier diet. This is because restaurant meals typically contain higher amounts of sodium, saturated fat, total fat, and overall calories than home-cooked meals.(source) Not to mention, cooking at home is a great way to save time and money! If you think about it, by the time you get to the drive-through, wait in line, and drive home again… you could have made this delicious meal!
Choosing high-quality chicken
You can use either chicken breasts or chicken thighs in this recipe, but either way, I look for labels like “raised without antibiotics,” “organic” and “pasture-raised.” This ensures the bird weren’t raised in diseased conditions (hence the need for antibiotics), were given feed free of pesticides, and had access to fresh air and forage. “Natural” just means the chicken has been minimally processed with no artificial additives. I would say at the very least, try to buy chicken that wasn’t raised with antibiotics.
I recommend skinless breasts or thighs to keep the saturated fat down, however, you can use skin on if you prefer!
Choosing the best pesto
For this recipe, I used Foraged & Found’s Sea Asparagus Pesto from Alaska. It truly has such wonderfully balanced flavor – not super strong on the basil (which is the main reason I don’t always like pesto). This pesto is also made in the USA, non-GMO, and gluten-free. You can find more of their products on their website here, including their gourmet pickles, salsa, and pasta sauces! Also, check out Foraged & Found on Facebook and Instagram for more recipe ideas 🙂
Note: this particular pesto isn’t dairy-free, just in case you cannot tolerate dairy in the smallest amounts.
Choosing your veggies
This recipe calls for golden potatoes, zucchini, eggplant, and red peppers. That said, feel free to use whatever veggies to ones you prefer. You can leave out the potatoes for a lower carb dish, or substitute asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, cherry tomatoes… the possibilities are many 😉
I will note that if using potatoes or another harder vegetable, cut into smaller pieces to help them cook quicker. Asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and zucchini all cook rather fast, so be sure not to cut them too small. Large bite-sized chunks work great!
Other ingredients
The only other ingredients in this recipe are extra virgin olive oil, Italian seasoning (can use oregano or basil), kosher salt, and garlic powder. I really love kosher salt for cooking, but you can use sea salt or even pink salt if you like!
By the way, this makes an awesome meal prep option! Just slice the chicken and divide evenly by weight into six containers, then divide the vegetables evenly (by weight or just eyeball it). Meals will keep in an airtight container in the fridge up to one week, or in the freezer up to one month (preferred method).
Anyway, here’s the printable recipe for this Pesto Chicken Sheet Pan Meal! I hope you’ll rate and comment below if you try it 😉
This recipe contains affiliate links and is sponsored by Foraged & Found.
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